Northeastern to face Notre Dame in NCAA tournament

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On Sunday at 6:05 p.m., the raucous Northeastern University crowd gathered at the Cabot Center for the NCAA Selection Show watch party roared in celebration.

That was the moment when Northeastern learned it had earned the No. 14 seed in the NCAA tournament and will face the No. 3 seed Notre Dame. The Huskies will play the Fighting Irish on Thursday afternoon in Pittsburgh in the Midwest Region. The game will air on CBS and tip-off is scheduled for 12:15 p.m. Tickets are on sale now for the Northeastern community only, and visit here for more information.

Northeastern hosted the NCAA Selection Show rally for fans on Solomon Court to celebrate the team’s success this season and to watch the live CBS television feed of the selection show. Several hundred members of the Northeastern community—including King Husky—gathered to watch season highlights, wave red and black towels, and cheer loudly during player and coach introductions.

Head coach Bill Coen thanked fans for their support throughout the season. The Huskies won the Colonial Athletic Association tournament championship, thereby clinching an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament and the program’s first appearance in the Big Dance in 24 years. Northeastern raced to a 22-point lead against top-seeded William & Mary in the championship game and defeated the Tribe 72-61.

“This is a long time coming and really a tribute to this group’s hard work, dedication, and commitment to each other,” Coen said. “This group believed in each other, held each other accountable, and it made for a really special season.

“I believe in my heart we’re not quite done yet,” Coen added, eliciting a loud cheer from the crowd. “We’ve got a little magic left in us.”

Sophomore forward Kwesi Abakah got the crowd amped up by leading the same cheer the Huskies yell together before games: “Dedicated! Motivated! Fired up! Fired up!” The crowd also watched a special video message from Athletic Director Peter Roby, who was in Indianapolis serving on the NCAA tournament selection committee.

Northeastern will be the underdog against Notre Dame (29-5, 14-4 ACC), which heads into the NCAA tournament with some momentum of its own. The Irish won the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game on Saturday.

Here is a selection of social media posts from fans on Sunday:

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