Wednesday night, Notre Dame and Rutgers will meet in Dayton as a pair of No. 11 seeds looking to play their way into the Round of 64. It’s not exactly where either team wanted to be, but at least they’re included in March Madness.

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey talked about the Wednesday night bout with Rutgers. He’s impressed with the toughness the Scarlet Knights bring to the court heading into the matchup.

“I know this Rutgers program well. I know the game is not in the RAC. I’ve got some bad nightmares coming out of there. Steve Pikiell is one of the most gifted coaches in our profession,” Brey said, per 247Sports. “He was a Delaware guy, and we got to know each other back in the day. Both his daughters have been managers for me.

“When he called me and said we have a chance to get this guy Pikiell from Stony Brook, I said, send the plane and give him 10 years. This guy will stabilize it and then he’ll build it. And he absolutely did. He’s an old-school, throwback coach, and utmost respect for him. And he’s got one heck of a tough team that’s tough like him.”

Both teams finished high in their respective conference standings this year. Notre Dame was tied for second in the ACC while Rutgers was fourth in the B1G.

Still, both struggled enough throughout the season to not lock up one of the 64 guaranteed spots. It sets up a 9:10 p.m. ET showdown on Wednesday night on truTV.