CHICAGO – Florida State proved the old cliché of ‘defense wins’ still rings true.

The Seminoles played their trademark defense and went on to a 71-57 victory over Notre Dame in the third round of the NCAA tournament on Sunday night at the United Center.

FSU, the 10-seed in the Southwest Region, is headed to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1993 and the fourth time in school history. The Seminoles (23-10) will meet 11-seed Virginia Commonwealth (26-11) on Friday in San Antonio.

FSU held Notre Dame (27-7) to 31.7 percent shooting from the field, well below its season average of 46.6 percent.

The Seminoles’ offense wasn’t bad, either, shooting 44.9 percent. Bernard James provided a low-post threat all night with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

FSU took a commanding 52-29 lead on a 3 from Michael Snaer with 13:04 left, but Notre Dame had a run in it. The Irish scored 11 straight, bringing the hometown crowd to life.

But the Seminoles never let the Irish get within single digits. FSU had little trouble breaking Notre Dame’s press down the stretch, and eventually wound up with a rather easy victory.

Notre Dame senior guard Ben Hansbrough got off to a poor start, going 1 of 5 in the first half. Hansbrough, who finished with 18 points, fouled out with 3:19 left.