Mike Brey called a timeout early in the second half after Wichita State took its first lead of the night.
Whatever was said in the huddle apparently provided a spark, as Notre Dame took over and rolled to an 81-70 win that ended its long Elite Eight drought
Early exits in the NCAA Tournament have been commonplace for the Fighting Irish in recent years. They were one-and-done three of four years from 2010-13 and reached the Sweet 16 just once since Brey took over in 2000.
Those demons were exorcised in emphatic fashion Thursday, with Notre Dame lighting up the usually-stingy Shockers for 48 points in the second half on 18-of-24 (75 percent) shooting, including a 6-of-8 effort from behind the arc.
Four Notre Dame players scored in double figures, and a fifth, Wooden Award finalist Jerian Grant, provided 11 assists with just two turnovers to go along with nine points.
Demetrius Jackson poured in 20 points on only 10 shots, and Pat Connaughton added 16 with 10 rebounds in the convincing win.
The Irish (32-5), whose last trip to the Elite Eight came in 1979, will face the Kentucky-West Virginia winner on Saturday in the Midwest Regional final.
Fred VanVleet and Darius Carter carried Wichita State (30-5) with 25 and 22 points, respectively, while Ron Baker, Tekele Cotton and Evan Wessel combined for just 15 points on 4-of-21 shooting.
Wessel, who scored 12 points in an upset win over Kansas last round, was held scoreless.
[SportsNetwork.com]
