After classics, what’s next?

COLUMBUS, OHIO >> Notre Dame and Mississippi State players shuffled into Nationwide Arena on Saturday morning, glassy-eyed from lack of sleep and emotionally hung over, and faced reality.

Friday night had been historic. It was the first women’s Final Four to feature two overtime games. No. 1 seed Notre Dame slew its demon by ending a sevengame losing streak against Connecticut, its longtime rival and the gold standard in women’s basketball. No. 1 seed Mississippi State got a chance to face down its demon by defeating Louisville for a second shot at a national championship it lost to South Carolina in last year’s final.

Now comes the hard part, in which the Bulldogs and Fighting Irish must find a way to level out mentally and emotionally before meeting in the championship game today.

As hard as it is to get mentally right, Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw and Mississippi State know a title game between two talented, well-prepared teams can come down to mentality.

“It’s all about the mindset,” McGraw said. “Really it’s all about, this is a game, two teams coming in playing for a national championship. They were here last year. They know what it’s like. So for us, I think just a matter of continuing to do what we’ve been doing and not let the pressure of the moment get to us.”

McGraw knows how tough that can be. In 2011, her Fighting Irish beat topseeded Tennessee and Connecticut team in consecutive games before falling to Texas A&M in the championship.

Mississippi State has more recent practice at managing the emotions of a thrilling overtime win in a national semifinal, since it upset UConn at the buzzer last year. Morgan William, the player who hit that winning shot in 2017, said this year’s Bulldogs are more mature, more accustomed to the demands of a Final Four weekend.

Mississippi State (37-1) is also tapping into its desire for redemption.

“We have unfinished business,” senior Blair Schaefer said. “At this point in time, everyone’s sore. It’s about that team that can find the grit in them to go finish it.”