KENT, Ohio — It's a celebration that's been 22 years in the making.
But now, it's time for Kent State to get down to business.
Heading to their first NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament since 2002, the Golden Flashes learned on "Selection Sunday" that they will be the 15th seed in the 68-team bracket's first region. Their opponent in the opening round will be No. 2 seed Notre Dame, one of the top programs in the country.
Once a tourney mainstay under longtime head coach Bob Lindsay, KSU's program fell into a state of disrepair during his final season as well as the tenure of his successor, Danielle O'Banion, winning a meager 27 games in five years. However, Todd Starkey arrived in 2016 and quickly turned the team around with a 19-win campaign, and has endured just one losing season in his eight-year stint.
This year, the Flashes (21-10) finished the regular season third in the Mid-American Conference before besting Northern Illinois and Ball State in the first two rounds of the MAC Tournament. They then earned the conference's automatic March Madness bid with a resounding 78-60 win over Buffalo in the championship game.
Kent State is led by first-team All-MAC selection Katie Shumate, who is averaging 15.0 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Jenna Batsch has added 13.4 points per contest, while Janae Taylor is shooting an impressive 58.7% from the field as a freshman.
Standing in the way will be Notre Dame (26-6), which last week won the ACC Tournament. Freshman Hannah Hidalgo has been everything for the Fighting Irish, averaging 23.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and an astronomical 4.6 steals per game (the best mark in the nation).
Notre Dame made nine Final Fours under Hall of Fame head coach Muffet McGraw with two national titles (most recently in 2018), but has yet to make it past the Sweet Sixteen in four years under her successor Niele Ivey. This will also be the first-ever meeting between the Irish and Flashes, with the latter trying to become the first 15-seed in history to win a game in the NCAA women's tourney.
Per the tournament format, the top four seeds in each region will host pods of first and second-round games, meaning Kent State will have to travel to Notre Dame's home arena in South Bend, Indiana. Tipoff is scheduled for Saturday at 2:15 p.m.
And don't forget: This year's Women's Final Four will be held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.