As Rutgers racked up the wins throughout an undefeated four-game home stand to start the 2024-25 season, it showed some noticeable flaws along the way. They turned out to be fatal when the Scarlet Knights hit the road for the first time.

In a game that featured 12 ties and 17 lead changes, Irish power forward Paul Atkinson’s rebound basket with 1.2 seconds left gave Notre Dame an 89-87 victory and sent the Irish on to face Alabama in the first round in San Diego. Atkinson scored a game-high 26 points with six rebounds.