INDIANAPOLIS – For the fourth and most important time this season, Notre Dame and Connecticut will meet with a spot in the national championship game Tuesday night at Conseco Fieldhouse.

The Fighting Irish (30-7) lost all three meetings to the top-ranked Huskies (36-1) in the 9:30 p.m. In a nationally televised game on ESPN.

The closest of the three meetings came back in January when the Irish fell to the Huskies, 79-76. The other two meetings were not so close. Connecticut won the February meeting on their home court, 78-57. In the third meeting of the season, during the BIG EAST Tournament, Notre Dame was defeated by the Huskies 73-64.

This will be the 32^nd meeting between the two schools. Connecticut leads the series 28-4. The first meeting came in 1996 when Connecticut rolled to an 87-64.

The Fighting Irish are led offensively by junior Natalie Novosel with an average of 14.9 points per game. South Bend’s own Skylar Diggins is averaging 14.4 points per game, four rebounds and 4.8 assists.

Senior Devereaux Peters is averaging 11.8 points and 7.4 points per game, while senior Becca Bruzewski is currently averaging 9.2 points and 5.3 rebounds.

Notre Dame’s top reserve is freshman Kayla McBride, who averages 8.7 points per contest.

The Huskies are led by All-American Maya Moore, who is averaging 22.5 points, 8.2 rebounds on the year. Moore in the BIG EAST’s all-time leading scorer. She was also named the league’s player of the year and scholar-athlete of the year.

Tiffany Hayes averages 13.9 points for the Huskies, while Bria Hartley and Stefanie Dolson also average in double figures at 12.5 and 10.2 points per game respectively.

The Huskies’ top reserve is Caroline Doty, who averages 6.8 points per game.

Connecticut is after an NCAA record eighth national championship. The Huskies are currently tied with Tennessee with seven.

Connecticut is also going for its third consecutive championship, a feat it accomplished in 2002-04.

Notre Dame is after its second national title. The Fighting Irish won their first crown in 2001, which kept the Huskies from winning five straight championships.

Notre Dame is appearing in its 16^th straight NCAA tournament and 18^th overall. The Fighting Irish are 7-7 against ranked teams this season, which account for all of their losses in 2010-11.

The Irish are ranked in the top 20 in eight statistical categories this season in the NCAA. Notre Dame is fourth in steals (12.9) and field goal percentage (.479).

Notre Dame is among the winningest programs the past 15 years with 373 victories.

“I’m really proud of my team and how well they’ve played in the NCAA tournament,” Notre Dame coach Muffett McGraw, now in her 24^th year as Irish head coach, said on Saturday at the press conference. “We’ve come a long way since November. We’ve really improved every game.