Schedule
To Be the Best, You Have to Beat the Best
Throughout her 26-year career at Notre Dame, head coach Muffet McGraw has always put her teams to the test by playing challenging schedules that offer a variety of playing styles and tough, hostile environments, not to mention the demands of extensive travels from coast to coast and beyond. These schedules (both in the BIG EAST Conference and non-conference seasons) have paid off tremendously when it comes to the NCAA Championship, as the Fighting Irish are well-prepared for any obstacles they might face in the tournament, from playing far from home or with a quick turnaround, to facing teams from any conference in the country.
This has never been more apparent than in the past four seasons (2007-08 through 2011-12), with Notre Dame finishing among the top 17 schools in the nation in the final NCAA RPI rankings released at the conclusion of the NCAA Championship. During that time, the Fighting Irish have posted an average RPI of 10 and an average strength of schedule of 11.
2011-12 Schedule
Schedule Key:
| Home Event | Away Event | * | Conference Event | # | Exhibition Event |
| Date | Opponent / Event | Location | Time |
| 11/02/11 | vs. Windsor (exhibition) # | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| Preseason WNIT | |||
| 11/11/11 | vs. Akron | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 11/13/11 | vs. Detroit/Indiana State | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| 11/17/11 | Preseason WNIT Semifinal | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 11/20/11 | Preseason WNIT Final  |
Campus sites | TBA |
| Junkanoo Jam | |||
| 11/25/11 | vs. USC | Freeport, Bahamas (St. Georges High School) | TBA |
| 11/26/11 | vs. Duke/Gardner-Webb | Freeport, Bahamas (St. Georges High School) | TBA |
| 12/02/11 | vs. Pennsylvania | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 12/04/11 | at Creighton | Omaha, Neb. (D.J. Sokol Arena) | TBA |
| 12/07/11 | vs. Marquette * | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 12/10/11 | at Purdue | West Lafayette, Ind. (Mackey Arena) | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| 12/18/11 | vs. Kentucky |
Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| 12/20/11 | vs. Central Florida | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 12/28/11 | vs. Longwood | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| 12/30/11 | at Mercer | Macon, Ga. (University Center) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 01/04/12 | at Seton Hall * | South Orange, N.J. (Walsh Gymnasium) | TBA |
| 01/07/12 | vs. Connecticut * |
Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 4:00 p.m. ET |
| 01/10/12 | at Georgetown * |
Washington, D.C. (McDonough Arena) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 01/14/12 | at Cincinnati * | Cincinnati, Ohio (Fifth Third Arena) | TBA |
| 01/17/12 | vs. Pittsburgh * | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 01/21/12 | vs. Villanova * | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| 01/23/12 | vs. Tennessee |
Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 01/28/12 | vs. St. John's * |
Jamaica, N.Y. (Carnesecca Arena) | 12:00 p.m. ET |
| 01/31/12 | at Rutgers * |
Piscataway, N.J. (Louis Brown Athletic Center) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 02/05/12 | vs. DePaul * |
Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | TBA |
| 02/07/12 | at Syracuse * | Syracuse, N.Y. (Carrier Dome) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 02/12/12 | vs. West Virginia * |
Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | TBA |
| 02/14/12 | vs. Providence * | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| 02/20/12 | at Louisville * |
Louisville, Ky. (KFC Yum! Center) | 2:00 p.m. ET |
| 02/25/12 | vs. South Florida * | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | 1:00 p.m. ET |
| 02/27/12 | at Connecticut * |
Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 9:00 p.m. ET |
| BIG EAST Championship | |||
| 03/02/12 | BIG EAST First Round | Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | TBA |
| 03/03/12 | BIG EAST Second Round |
Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | TBA |
| 03/04/12 | BIG EAST Quarterfinals |
Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | TBA |
| 03/05/12 | BIG EAST Semifinals |
Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 6/8 p.m. ET |
| 03/06/12 | BIG EAST Final |
Hartford, Conn. (XL Center) | 7:00 p.m. ET |
| NCAA Championship | |||
| 03/18/12 | NCAA First Round | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | TBA |
| 03/20/12 | NCAA Second Round | Notre Dame, Ind. (Purcell Pavillion) | TBA |
| 03/24/12 | NCAA Regional Semifinals | TBA | TBA |
| 03/25/12 | NCAA Regional Semifinals | TBA | TBA |
| 03/26/12 | NCAA Regional Finals | TBA | TBA |
| 03/27/12 | NCAA Regional Finals | TBA | TBA |
| 04/01/12 | NCAA National Semifinals | Denver, Colo. (Pepsi Center) | TBA |
| 04/03/12 | NCAA National Championship | Denver, Colo. (Pepsi Center) | TBA |