Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Notre Dame's PRO DAY Under Armour Shoes


Now, that's what I call a NOTRE DAME SHOE!

The Notre Dame student-athletes working out today in front of NFL scouts will be  wearing these special shoes and gear from Under Armour!

Here's a link to the GOLD SHOES in action -- Cody Riggs in the broad jump:

LINK:  RIGGS WEARING GOLD SHOES

Blue-Gold Game on NBC Sports Network TV


It will be a new setting for a Blue-Gold Game at Notre Dame -- the Labar Practice Complex -- as construction continues around Notre Dame Stadium.

The 86th Annual Blue-Gold game will kick-off at 12:30 PM ET on Saturday, April 18th -- and the nation can watch on the NBC Sports Network.

ESPN Looks Ahead to Women's Final Four



For only the third time in history -- all four #1 seeds are in the FINAL FOUR.  Should be an interesting weekend in Tampa!

Monday, March 30, 2015

Video of Jimmy Clausen's Wedding



Notre Dame fans will recognize a few faces in this video of Jimmy Clausen's wedding -- quite the event!

Kentucky Players Talk Notre Dame Game...



Willie Cauley-Stein & Tyler Ulis



Dakari Johnson & Trey Lyles

Inside Access to Notre Dame's Elite Eight Win!



The Fighting Irish beat Baylor again -- in an Elite Eight game -- earning the program's FIFTH STRAIGHT trip to the Final Four!

Spring Practice: Notre Dame Football Update



Here's a look inside Notre Dame's practice today.

Now I've been a big fan of Fighting Irish Digital Media since day one...

However,  I can't say I'm a fan of the abbreviated practice reports lately.  Would like to see more action, less commentary.  I'm guessing Coach Kelly pulled back the reins a little on access?

Domer Ian Kole "Mic'd Up" -- NHL Hockey Game



Former Notre Dame student-athlete Ian Kole is a forward for the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins -- he was recently "mic'd up" during a game.  ENJOY!

ND Women's Basketball Post Game Presser



Muffet McGraw, Madison Cable, Jewell Loyd and Lindsay Allen met with the media after last night's big win over Baylor to secure a fifth straight trip to the FINAL FOUR!

Game Highlights -- Notre Dame 77 - Baylor 68



Here's a look at some of the highlights from last night's ELITE EIGHT win for the FIGHTING IRISH -- their fifth trip in a row to the FINAL FOUR!

Lindsay Allen Named NCAA Regional MVP!



Here's ESPN's post game interview of Notre Dame's Lindsay Allen.  Lindsay scored 25 points, dished out 7 assists, grabbed 5 rebounds and had 4 assists in the Fighting Irish's 77 - 68 win over Baylor.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

FINAL FOUR for the FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW!


Muffet McGraw's Fighting Irish just clinched a FIFTH STRAIGHT trip to the FINAL FOUR -- beating Baylor 77 - 68!

TAMPA -- HERE COME THE IRISH!!!

35 - 2 in a rebuilding year.

Lindsay Allen led Notre Dame with 23 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds and 4 steals and was named the Oklahoma Regional MVP!  Congrats Lindsay!

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  NOTRE DAME DOING THE IRISH JIG 
 

Notre Dame Has Most Wins Against Final Four


The Final Four teams played a combined 151 games this season -- on the ROAD TO INDIANAPOLIS.

And, there was ONE TEAM that won more games against these FINAL FOUR TEAMS than any other basketball team in the country -- NOTRE DAME.

Notre Dame went 3 - 1 against the FINAL FOUR teams in the NCAA National Basketball Championship.  No other team won more games against Duke, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Kentucky.

ND Fans Welcome the Fighting Irish Back Home



Coach Brey said a few words to the assembled crowd as the Fighting Irish returned back to campus...

Cable TV Ratings -- Highest in CBB History!!!


The Notre Dame vs. Kentucky game earned the highest overnight rating in the history of cable TV for a college basketball game.

And people still question why Notre Dame has its "own seat" at the table with all of the conferences at NCAA meetings.

LINK:  TV RATINGS RECORD

ESPNW Interview of Notre Dame's Jewell Loyd



Muffet's Fighting Irish take on the Baylor Bears and their colorful coach Kim Mulkey -- tonight on ESPN at 8:30 PM ET. 

Vegas has Notre Dame as 5 1/2 point favorites to earn a FIFTH STRAIGHT TRIP to the FINAL FOUR!

Kentucky's Calipari After Win Over Notre Dame



Kentucky's Calipari with the media in the post game press conference -- he toned down his rhetoric -- a little.

ACC Network: A Look at Notre Dame's Season



The ACC Network's Jeff Fischel and Jason Capel take a look back at Notre Dame's special season.

Media -- Mornin' After Our Loss to Kentucky


It was a season we never wanted to end -- not like that...

I have to admit I went numb when Jerian's "double clutch" jumper didn't go in at the buzzer -- however, that quickly changed when I wanted to jump through my TV screen after the Kentucky coach as he was being interviewed at game's end.  That's another story...

What a night -- what a season.

So, here I am on a Palm Sunday morning -- went to Mass yesterday -- and I'm looking through all of the post game media coverage.  I can't convince myself to read it -- maybe you can:

LINK:  SPORTING NEWS

LINK:  NEW YORK TIMES

LINK:  ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION

LINK:  WALL STREET JOURNAL

LINK:  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

ESPN: "Notre Dame's Pain of Coming Close"



ESPN's Jay Bilas and Jay Williams talk Kentucky's 68 - 66 win over Notre Dame...

CBS Highlights of Kentucky vs Notre Dame



Notre Dame Fans Cheer on Irish in Cleveland!

ABC57 News - See the Difference Michiana

It's been a great run these last few weeks -- was always envious of schools like Michigan State, Louisville, etc., -- who made long NCAA Tournament runs...

Now we know what it feels like.

WSBT-TV Notre Dame Locker Room Coverage


Here is WSBT-TV's post game coverage -- with many players and Mike Brey -- after the loss to Kentucky.

LINK:  WSBT-TV

WNDU-TV Coverage After ND's Loss Last NIght



Here's what I could find this morning from the local NBC affiliate WNDU-TV -- as they went into the locker room after the game to interview our Fighting Irish.

Notre Dame Meets With Media After NCAA Loss



Mike Brey, Zach Auguste and Steve Vasturia met with the media after Notre Dame's 68 - 66 loss to Kentucky last night.

FULL GAME REPLAY: Kentucky 68 -- ND 66


I don't think I can bear to watch this game for awhile...

LINK:  FULL GAME REPLAY

Saturday, March 28, 2015

Thank You Jerian / Thank You Pat -- What a Run



The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame went toe-to-toe with Kentucky -- leading most of the game -- only to lose the lead and game with SIX SECONDS left -- 68 - 66.

I know I speak for the entire NOTRE DAME NATION when I say THANK YOU!

Thank you to Jerian Grant, thank you to Pat Connaughton, thank you to Mike Brey, thank you to the Players, thank you to the Coaches -- how fun were these last few weeks!

I thought we had them -- we couldn't afford to not be perfect at the free throw line over the last few minutes.  The three misses -- the difference on the scoreboard.

Kentucky did not miss a shot the last 12 minutes of the game -- and they still had to make two free throws to beat us with six seconds left.  THINK ABOUT THAT -- especially when you hear Calipari talk about how poorly they played...

Hey -- we gave them all we had.  I'm proud of our team.

Thank you Notre Dame Men's Basketball -- it was special!

LINK:  JERIAN'S BIG THREE -- LATE IN THE GAME

LINK:  GAME STATS

Notre Dame QB Maliz Zaire's Media Session



The confident, left-handed sophomore QB -- fighting for the starting gig -- sat down and took questions from the media...

Muffet & Starting Five Met With the Media Today



The Fighting Irish are in Oklahoma City today getting rested and ready to play Baylor tomorrow night -- to earn a trip to next week's FINAL FOUR in Tampa. 

Notre Dame Beats #1 & Undefeated Syracuse!



It took 2 OT's -- but the #2 Fighting Irish beat #1 ranked Syracuse today 13 - 12 -- to move themselves into an expected #1 ranking when the next rankings come out!

Notre Dame BB Recruit in Slam Dunk Contest!



Notre Dame incoming hoops recruit Rex Pflueger will be competing next week in the American Family Insurance High School Slam Dunk Contest -- televised on CBS at 3:30 PM ET on April 5th.

The video above is of a dunk contest the 6'-6" guard won in December!

Inside ND's Sweet Sixteen Win Over Stanford!


Notre Dame Football -- Wired For Sound!


Notre Dame Lacrosse -- #1 in the Country!


The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame came into their game today against #1 and UNDEFEATED Syracuse -- ranked second in the country...

Well, 154 minutes later -- in Double OT -- Notre Dame leaves the game the new #1 team in college lacrosse!

A goal in the 2nd OT won the game for Notre Dame 13 - 12 over Syracuse!

LINK:  SCOREBOARD

Notre Dame vs. Kentucky: Fuzzy Math Analysis


Here's my attempt to give Notre Dame fans some hope today as we await the 8:49 PM ET tip-off against #1 and undefeated Kentucky.  No one is giving us a chance tonight...

NOT SO FAST MY FRIENDS!

Here's a look at how Notre Dame and Kentucky played in games this season vs. common opponents -- the only true measure we have to compare these two teams outside of nine (9) "Big Mac" All-Americans vs. one (1) "Big Mac" All-American...

Enjoy!

OPPONENT:  NORTH CAROLINA
  • Kentucky beat North Carolina 84 - 70 /  @ home
  • Notre Dame beat North Carolina 71 - 70 / @ NC
  • Notre Dame beat North Carolina 90 - 82 / @ ACC (in North Carolina)

OPPONENT:  LOUISVILLE
  • Kentucky beat Louisville 58 - 50 / @ Louisville
  • Notre Dame beat Louisville 71 - 59 / @ Louisville

FUZZY MATH ANALYSIS:

So, here's my "fuzzy math" look at the match-up between Notre Dame and Kentucky using data from the games played this season against common opponents.

It should be noted that it's generally regarded that a home court provides a team with a FOUR POINT (3.7 to be precise) advantage.  So, if you take this "advantage" into consideration -- we've played these two teams quite evenly:
  • Kentucky was 10 points better than North Carolina
  • Notre Dame 8.5 points better than North Carolina (averaging the two games)
  • Kentucky was 12 points better than Louisville
  • Notre Dame was 16 points better than Louisville
  • In totality -- Kentucky was 22 points better -- Notre Dame was 24.5 points better

Now, there might be a couple of you out there who might not agree with my hypothesis -- but, hey you should give me some credit for the creativity in this argument for giving us Notre Dame fans hope tonight...

So, here's the bottom line: Notre Dame should be a TWO AND A HALF POINT favorite over Kentucky!

FYI:  Vegas has Kentucky an 11 point favorite -- I guess they don't use fuzzy math...

In the photo above -- that's Coach Brey telling Coach Calipari -- WE GOT YOU!

Calipari and Players Talk Notre Dame Game


Here's a replay of Kentucky's time in front of the media yesterday afternoon in Cleveland.

Calipari talks about how they will prepare for Notre Dame -- and his "sales pitch" to his team and their families on playing time and the NBA...

LINK:  CALIPARI

LINK:  KENTUCKY PLAYERS

Gottlieb Talks Notre Dame On Dan Patrick Show


The one-time Notre Dame student-athlete -- now CBS Sports broadcaster -- had a candid conversation with Dan Patrick about his time in South Bend and other things...

LINK:  GOTTLIEB

Media Talks About Notre Dame vs. Kentucky


Here's what the media has to say about today's ELITE EIGHT game between Notre Dame and Kentucky.  What's the old adage -- "don't believe everything you read on the internet..."

Might be a good idea for us Notre Dame fans today!

DON'T FORGET:  "WHAT THOUGH THE ODDS BE GREAT OR SMALL..."

LINK:  COURIER-JOURNAL

LINK:  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

LINK:  FOX SPORTS

LINK:  WASHINGTON POST

LINK:  CBS SPORTS

LINK:  SPORTING NEWS

"Head to Head" Wins Among Elite Eight Teams


The ELITE EIGHT is set for the NCAA Men's Basketball National Championship -- and wouldn't you know it -- the FIGHTING IRISH of Notre Dame have the BEST RECORD in head to head battles amongst the remaining eight teams this season!

Another reason why we must BELIEVE!

HEAD TO HEAD RECORDS -- ELITE EIGHT TEAMS:
  1. NOTRE DAME:  4 - 1
  2. DUKE:  4 - 2
  3. WISCONSIN: 2 - 1
  4. KENTUCKY:  1 - 0
  5. ARIZONA:  1 - 0
  6. LOUISVILLE:  1 - 3
  7. GONZAGA: 0 - 1
  8. MICHIGAN STATE:  0 - 4

SHAKE DOWN THE FINAL FOUR -- WEEKEND!


There is only one college at this very moment who knows it has TWO TEAMS playing this weekend for trips to next weekend's FINAL FOUR(S) in Tampa and Indianapolis -- NOTRE DAME!

So, here's where you can watch the Fighting Irish on TV -- today and tomorrow!
  • SATURDAY:  NOTRE DAME vs. KENTUCKY on TBS at 8:49 PM ET 
  • SUNDAY:  NOTRE DAME vs. BAYLOR on ESPN at 8:30 PM ET

Friday, March 27, 2015

Muffet's Gang Going Back to the ELITE EIGHT!


For those of you counting -- it's FIVE STRAIGHT TRIPS to the ELITE EIGHT for the FIGHTING IRISH!

Notre Dame beat Stanford (the only team to beat UCONN) 81 - 60 in Oklahoma City! 

Notre Dame pulled away midway through the second half with what I'm going to start calling a "SHAKE DOWN THE THUNDER RUN" -- for both of our basketball programs.

Now the Irish play Baylor Sunday night at 8:30 PM ET on ESPN for a trip to the FINAL FOUR!

LINK:  LINDSAY ALLEN -- THREE POINT RUN

 

Notre Dame's Elite Eight Press Conference


The Fighting Irish met the media today in Cleveland -- as they await tomorrow's match-up with the 37 - 0 Kentucky Wildcats.

BELIEVE.

LINK:  COACH BREY

LINK:  STARTING FIVE

Full Game Replay: Notre Dame / Wichita State


If you can't get enough of last night's 81 - 70 SWEET SIXTEEN WIN for the Fighting Irish over Wichita State -- you can watch it again -- any time you want!

Here's the link to the CBS' full-game replay:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME 81 - WICHITA STATE 70

Kentucky's Calipari Talks About Notre Dame


John Calipari sat down for a quick interview this afternoon with Kentucky's web team to talk about tomorrow night's match-up with our Fighting Irish.  Here's what he had to say:

LINK:  CALIPARI ON NOTRE DAME

Great Game Tonight on ESPN: ND vs Stanford


You better get ready for a LATE GAME tonight!  The #1 seeded Fighting Irish play an opponent they haven't seen in 23 years -- #4 seed Stanford -- in a game that is scheduled to tip-off at 10 PM ET on ESPN.  That is not a typo!

The Irish are in Oklahoma City -- playing what I believe to be the toughest opponent of any of the #1 seeds in the country in their SWEET SIXTEEN game.  Stanford handed UCONN their only loss of the season in November...

Notre Dame has never beaten Stanford in women's basketball -- that needs to change tonight!  Here's some of the media coverage coming out of Oklahoma City:

LINK:  COACH MCGRAW PRESSER

LINK:  JEWELL LOYD & LINDSAY ALLEN PRESSER

LINK:  ESPN PREVIEW

"Sneak Preview" of Mike Brey's Pre-Game Talk


At approximately 8:35 PM ET Saturday night in a locker room deep in the bowels of the "Q" in Cleveland -- Notre Dame head basketball coach Mike Brey will be talking to his team for the last time prior to taking the floor for their ELITE EIGHT game against #1 Kentucky.

The ND GO IRISH BLOG was lucky enough to secure a sneak preview of what Coach Brey intends to say to his team at that moment -- see link below:

"Tonight, we are the best college basketball team in the world..."


LINK:  SNEAK PREVIEW

Notre Dame Player Interviews After Elite Eight!


Here's what I could find around the web from the local media outlets and their interviews of the Fighting Irish after their Elite Eight win over Wichita State:

LINK:  STEVE VASTURIA

LINK:  ZACH AUGUSTE

LINK:  DEMETRIUS JACKSON

LINK:  WSBT-TV

LINK:  WNDU-TV

The Mornin' After Notre Dame's Elite Eight Win!


Well, the media is singing the praises of the Fighting Irish this morning -- just be ready for the "NO CHANCE WITH KENTUCKY" stories we'll hear over the next 36 hours....

Here's what they're saying:

LINK:  SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

LINK:  INDY STAR

LINK:  ESPN BLOG

LINK:  CBS

LINK:  ESPN

LINK:  CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER

LINK:  CHICAGO SUN-TIMES

LINK:  CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Notre Dame's Post Game Press Conference


Coach Brey, Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton and Demetrius Jackson spoke with the media after last night's ELITE EIGHT WIN over Wichita State!

LINK:  POST GAME PRESSER

Wichita State's Coach Talks Loss to Notre Dame


Wichita State head coach met with the media after their 81 - 70 loss to Notre Dame in an Elite Eight game in Cleveland last night...

LINK:  WICHITA STATE COACH