Notre Dame gears up for Wichita State

CLEVELAND (WISH) — Notre Dame, Wichita State, West Virginia and Kentucky took over Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland on Wednesday for the regional round of the NCAA tournament.

The Irish are getting ready for a date with the Shockers in the Sweet 16 on Thursday night.

It has been an emotional week for the Irish.

Head coach Mike Brey learned that his mother passed away Saturday morning, just hours before he led the team to a win over Butler. Brey said Sunday he flew to Florida to be with his family. He added his team is helping him cope.

“I think coaches are the greatest compartmentalizers in the history of the world and have to be to survive in this thing,” said Brey. “There is such a good vibe and energy coming off this team, it’s really good for me to be around it this week.”

Wichita State and Notre Dame tip at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday.