Notre Dame women's basketball: Will Kylee Watson return for 2024 NCAA Tournament?

SOUTH BEND — Moments after the NCAA Tournament draw came out, Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey confirmed what was long feared: Irish junior Kylee Watson will not play in the tournament.

Watson tore her ACL in the ACC Tournament semifinal game against Virginia Tech last Saturday, March 9. The Irish were still able to beat the Hokies before defeating N.C. State the next day to win the conference tournament championship.

Notre Dame will be a No. 2 seed and host the first two games of the tournament at Purcell Pavilion. It'll play No. 15 Kent State first, with the winner of that game playing either No. 7 Ole Miss or No. 10 Marquette.

More:Notre Dame forward Kylee Watson injured in ACC Tournament semifinal

“She's going to have surgery in a couple weeks," said Ivey of Watson. "Looking forward to her coming back stronger."

Watson has started all 31 games she’s played so far. The 6-foot-4 junior averages 6.2 points and five rebounds per game while also leading the team with 44 blocks.

More:'I can't wait.' Notre Dame women's basketball coach Niele Ivey says Oliva Miles will return

Her injury leaves Notre Dame with six healthy scholarship regular-rotation players for the NCAA Tournament: freshman Hannah Hidalgo, sophomore KK Bransford, junior Sonia Citron, seniors Maddy Westbeld and Nat Marshall and graduate senior Anna DeWolfe. Other available players are graduate senior Becky Obinma and senior Sarah Cernugel.

Ivey said all eight available players are healthy and ready to play in the NCAA Tournament.