The Players Era Festival in Las Vegas was always going to be a tough challenge for Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish were slated to face Rutgers and Houston, with a third game against an opponent to be determined after Wednesday's matchups.

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.

First, let’s give Notre Dame extra credit: the Irish lost Markus Burton early in the game - he scored just two points - and still took Rutgers to the wire. Matt Alloco scored 24

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights (4-1) battle the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1) Tuesday night in the Players Era Festival. Tip-off from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas is scheduled for 10:30 p.m.