It's Notre Dame Basketball Night on ESPN!

Looks like the programming folks in Bristol, CT have got their IRISH up!

Tonight, Notre Dame basketball fans will be treated to a "doubleheader" beginning at 7 PM ET, when Mike Brey's #20 Fightin' Irish will take on #11 Georgetown, on the road on ESPN.  Notre Dame needs to win this game to remain in sole possession of third place in the Big East.

LINK:  ND vs. GEORGETOWN GAME PREVIEW

Then at 9 PM ET, Muffet McGraw's #3 Fightin' Irish will take on #2 UCONN (also on the road) -- this game will air on ESPN2.  With a win tonight -- Notre Dame will win their first "outright" Big East Women's Basketball Championship.  Big game for the Irish!

You can't beat this for a night of television for NOTRE DAME FANS!  

Then, if you're still awake around 11 PM -- you can switch over to FOX to see the finish to the DAYTONA 500 -- if the rain stops in Florida.

Big Changes Ahead For the BCS & Bowl Games

College football's leaders met this past week in Dallas to talk about the future of college football.  What resulted is talk of a four-team "playoff" for the National Championship -- and fewer bowl games for the 2014 season.  Here's a link to the New York Times story:

LINK:  FEWER BOWLS & A PLAYOFF

Gunner Kiel -- Twitter Pic...

Notre Dame QB, Gunner Kiel "tweeted" this photo today of his locker name plate in the Guglielmino Athletics Complex.  He'll be wearing uniform #1 when the Irish run into Notre Dame Stadium -- 55 DAYS FROM TODAY -- on April 21 for the Blue Gold Game.

Dave Duerson's Family Sues NFL for His Death

The family of former Notre Dame All-American Dave Duerson filed suit this past week against the National Football League claiming the NFL did not do enough to prevent or treat concussions that severely damaged their Dad's brain.

This is a sad story.

LINK:  DUERSON FAMILY FILES LAWSUIT

Photo of the Day: Justin Tuck @ Daytona 500

Two-time Super Bowl Champion and former Notre Dame All-American, Justin Tuck '04 -- is seen here in a photo he "tweeted" this morning from Pit Lane at the Daytona 500.  Justin is standing next to his teammate Osi Umenyiora.

Floyd Runs 4.42 at NFL Scouting Combine!

Notre Dame's Michael Floyd put on a show this morning running a 4.42 forty-yard dash in Indianapolis at the NFL's Scouting Combine.  Here's a link to video of Michael's forty along with a link to his results and a Sporting News story where they're talking about Floyd possibly become a top ten pick now!

LINK:  MICHAEL FLOYD -- SCOUTING COMBINE FORTY

LINK:  TRACK MICHAEL'S RESULTS AT THE COMBINE 

LINK:  SPORTING NEWS STORY

ND a #4 Seed -- NCAA BRACKETOLOGY

ESPN's NCAA Basketball Tournament selection "guru" has Mike Brey's Notre Dame Fightin' Irish a #4 seed playing Northwestern or Texas in the First Round of next month's MARCH MADNESS.

If you'd like to see where he has the IRISH playing -- click on the link below.

LINK:  ND A NUMBER FOUR SEED

You Have to Feel Good About Chris Salvi...

Chris Salvi WAS a "walk on" football player at the University of Notre Dame the past four seasons.  He paid more than $200,000 for the honor to wear the GOLD HELMET.

Well, it was announced this week that Chris has earned a FULL SCHOLARSHIP ($55,000) for a year of GRAD SCHOOL and a fifth year of competition with the Fightin' Irish.

CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS!

Here's the story:

LINK:  CHRIS SALVI -- SCHOLARSHIP

Underwater Seismic Guns in the Great Lakes!

 

The University of Notre Dame's biology department is also home for the Great Lakes aquatics species director for the Nature Conservancy, Lindsay Chadderton. 

Chadderton and crew will be using "seismic guns" to clear rusty crayfish and round gobies (photo above) from spawning reefs in the Grand Traverse Bay where they eat fish eggs.  These seismic guns are a little 'over my head' -- so, you'll want to read the South Bend Tribune story.

LINK:  SEISMIC GUNS IN THE GREAT LAKES

West Virginia Prof Wins Notre Dame Prize!

The University of Notre Dame's 2012 Sullivan Prize was awarded yesterday to Mark Brazaitis, director of the Creative Writing Program at West Virginia University -- for his collection of stories called "The Incurables."

Brazaitis wins some cash -- but more importantly his stories will be published by the University of Notre Dame Press.

LINK:  WVU PROFESSOR WINS ND AWARD

NBA Slam Dunk Contest: Orlando Wooridge!

The only DOMER to ever compete in the NBA SLAM DUNK contest was Orlando Woolridge '81 -- in the 1984 competition. 

Unfortunately for Orlando, he competed that year against Dr. J and Dominique Wilkins -- two of the all-time great dunkers.  

Here's what the SLAM DUNK contest looked like 28 years  ago -- no props, just dunks...

LINK:  ORLANDO WOOLRIDGE

Dever Finishes Fourth in Three-Cone Drill

The University of Notre Dame's Taylor Dever is one of six DOMERS down in Indianapolis this weekend performing in front of all 32 NFL Teams at their annual SCOUTING COMBINE.  Showing off his athletic ability -- Taylor finished fourth in the three-cone drill.  Here's Taylor's results in the other tests:

• 40 yard dash:  5.49 seconds
• Bench Press:  18 reps
• Vertical:  28 inches
• 20 Yard Shuttle:  4.9 seconds

LINK:  TOP OL PERFORMERS

LINK:  TAYLOR DEVER -- SATURDAY RESULTS

Champions -- Notre Dame Women's Basketball

Muffet's Fightin' Irish played their last regular season home game this evening against a "game" University of South Florida team and it wasn't easy...

The Bulls made it a game -- but, the #3 ranked IRISH were too much in the end -- winning 80 - 68 to clinch at least a share of the Big East Conference Championship (the second in school history).

CONGRATULATIONS!

LINK:  GAME HIGHLIGHTS

LINK:  POST GAME PRESSER

Senior Day! -- IRISH Women's Basketball

Muffet's four person senior class (Photo L to R:  Devereaux Peters, Fraderica Miller, Natalie Novosel and Brittany Mallory) are playing their last "regular season" game at Purcell Pavillion today.  Irish fans can watch this game and the ceremony that follows -- LIVE on the web.  Game starts at 2 PM ET!

LINK:  SENIORS' LAST REGULAR SEASON HOME GAME

IRISH -- the Rodney Dangerfield of Basketball

What's it going to take for the media to give our FIGHTING IRISH the respect they have earned?

• Only one team in America has FIVE WINS over top-20 ranked teams (at the time they played):  #20 Notre Dame
• #17 Louisville, who Notre Dame beat at Louisville -- and is in seventh place in the Big East (ND is in third) is ranked AHEAD of #20 Notre Dame
• #10 Marquette, who Notre Dame beat -- and like Notre Dame has three losses in the Big East -- is ranked ahead of #20 Notre Dame
• #9 Georgetown, who is in fourth place in the Big East -- is ranked AHEAD of the third place team in the Big East #20 Notre Dame 
• #11 Michigan, #13 Baylor and #15 Florida State -- all THIRD PLACE teams (like Notre Dame) in their respective conferences are all ranked AHEAD of #20 Notre Dame.  Yet, Notre Dame plays in what is widely regarded as the BEST CONFERENCE in basketball...

Media bias (?) you be the judge.  Just keep WINNING -- the media will have no choice but to give the IRISH the respect they deserve.

LINK:  AP TOP 20 POLL

OT: Marquette Coach's Victory Dance

Marquette University's Buzz Williams almost caused a mini-riot after their 61 - 60 victory over West Virginia in Morgantown last night -- when he did a "victory dance" at center court.  Probably not the right thing to do -- which he admitted later.  Here's the video:

LINK:  MARQUETTE COACH VICTORY DANCE

Notre Dame Hockey Blanks MSU 2 - 0 !!!

Jeff Jackson's Fighting Irish shutout the Michigan State Spartans last night -- ending a five game losing streak.  Here's a link to game highlights and an interview with Coach Jackson:

LINK:  IRISH vs. SPARTANS HIGHLIGHTS

OT: Oregon Admits to Breaking the Rules...

Ever since the University of Southern California failed to take the path of admitting WRONG to their failure to control the benefits flowing to Reggie Bush and family -- and the subsequent NCAA penalties...

Schools are now "turning themselves in" for their transgressions -- in hopes the NCAA will go easy on them...

Yesterday, Oregon joined that list.  Chip Kelly's staff got caught giving a recruiting service a $25,000 bonus for the commitment of a highly rated running back.  What will the NCAA do?

LINK:  OREGON'S ADMITS TO THEIR SIN

Notre Dame Football Stars @ NFL COMBINE

 

The NFL has descended on Indianapolis for the next few days as more than three hundred of the top college football players (who are "draft eligible") will perform in front of every NFL Team at the annual SCOUTING COMBINE. 

Over the weekend, the ND GO IRISH BLOG will track how six of our former players are doing pursuing the next chapter of their lives.  Enjoy!

LINK:  TWO IRISH PLAYERS AMONG BEST AT THEIR POSITION

LINK:  ROBERT BLANTON -- COMBINE PROFILE

LINK:  TAYLOR DEVER -- COMBINE PROFILE

LINK:  DARIUS FLEMING -- COMBINE PROFILE

LINK:  MICHAEL FLOYD -- COMBINE PROFILE

LINK:  JONAS GRAY -- COMBINE PROFILE

LINK:  HARRISON SMITH -- COMBINE PROFILE

Irish Hoops on ESPN2 -- Saturday @ NOON!

Mike Brey's #18 Fighting Irish travel to the "world's most famous arena" -- MADISON SQUARE GARDEN -- to take on the St. John Red Storm.  Tip-off on ESPN2 is scheduled for NOON ET.

Here's a link to Notre Dame's men's head basketball coach, Mike Brey, talking about Saturday's contest:

LINK:  NOTRE DAME vs. ST. JOHN'S