Tag: 2018 National Championship

Arike Ogunbowale surprises Hannah Hidalgo for Red Bull partnership

The Irish’s past and present come together.

Notre Dame legend [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] already had a partnership with Red Bull. That mainly was because she had become a professional athlete. That opportunity was not available to her when she was with the Irish.

Times have changed though, and the NIL era has made it possible for college athletes to be paid. To that end, current Irish standout [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has partnered with Red Bull herself now. That means the Irish’s past and present have come together in the corporate world.

The only thing Ogunbowale could do was surprise Hidalgo as she was being interviewed by Red Bull. Before Ogunbowale could enter the room though, Hidalgo admitted that she was cheering against the Irish before Ogunbowale hit her legendary championship-winning shot, which changed her perception.

When asked by Ogunbowale who would win a game between the current Irish and the program’s last national championship team, Hidalgo unsurprisingly picked her team. Still, the fact that they’re in the same room together, even if only for marketing purposes, is enough to make Irish fans happy:

https://www.instagram.com/caa_basketball/p/DDdJ12ovG8K/?hl=en

Here’s hoping this is the start of a long and fruitful relationship between Hidalgo and Red Bull.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball ranks sixth in AP Top 25 Preseason Poll

Get on the bandwagon right now.

The expectations for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team couldn’t be higher. This roster is stacked, and everybody is taking notice. If this year’s Irish don’t get to at least the Final Four, this season widely will be seen as a disappointment.

The AP Top 25 Preseason Poll has been released, and the Irish rank very highly on it. Specifically, they rank sixth, which is the highest they’ve been ranked in this particular poll since they began the 2018-19 season as the top-ranked team fresh off their most recent national championship.

This season will mark the return of [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag], the former national player of the year runner-up who missed all of last season with a knee injury. She’ll be teamed in the backcourt with [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag], who herself was a national player of the year runner-up a season ago. This could be the most lethal guard combo in program history.

The Irish have some injury issues of course, but every team will go through those. They’ll be ready no matter who’s available:

The regular season tips off Nov. 4 against Mercyhurst. It should be a fun few months of Irish women’s basketball.

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Notre Dame women’s basketball impersonates Niele Ivey for birthday

Happy Birthday, Coach!

If you don’t feel old yet, try this on for size: Notre Dame legendary player-turned-coach [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] is 47 today. Yes, the player who was instrumental in the Irish winning their first national championship in 2001 and the assistant coach on the 2018 national championship staff who now heads the program is 47. Naturally, it’s a time to celebrate.

For the players, assistant coaches and managers in the women’s basketball program, there’s really only one way to mark Ivey’s birthday. That way is to give their best impressions of her and record them for a video.

With [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] acting as the video’s emcee, several of her teammates and some of the other aforementioned members of the program impersonated Ivey or gave her their best birthday wishes.

The best part about this video is that you can see how sincere everyone is. They truly love her, and it’s the kind of a video that only a group that considers itself family can make:

https://twitter.com/ndwbb/status/1838604541958176889

We join in wishing the head of the program the happiest of birthdays and many blessings over the coming year. Hopefully, that includes more success on the court.

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Former Notre Dame guard Marina Mabrey traded to Connecticut Sun

Hope she gets her ring this year.

[autotag]Marina Mabrey[/autotag] won a national championship with Notre Dame in 2018. The former Irish guard is in her sixth WNBA season but does not a ring at that level. Her odds of earning that ring this year just improved significantly.

The Chicago Sky have traded Mabrey and a 2025 second-round pick to the Connecticut Sun for Rachel Banham, Moriah Jefferson, a 2025 first-round pick and the rights to swap first-round picks in 2026. The Sky are a fringe playoff team, but the Sun are only two-and-a-half games behind the New York Liberty for the league’s best record. Needless to say, it’s a better situation for Mabrey, who is headed to her fourth WNBA team.

Mabrey was second on the Sky with 14.0 points a game and was leading them with a career-high 4.5 assists a game. She also is averaging a career-high 4.9 rebounds a game. Her departure will be felt by the Sky, though they still have former Irish standouts [autotag]Lindsay Allen[/autotag] and [autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag].

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Top 10 Notre Dame women’s basketball players according to ChatGPT

Does the bot know women’s basketball?

I asked AI information bot ChatGPT to list what it believes are Notre Dame’s top 10 men’s basketball players. It only makes sense for me to give the women equal treatment. Plus the women have both a better recent past and future than the men. You know people want to know who’s made the program so special.

Please note that ChatGPT’s knowledge cuts off at September 2021, so you won’t find [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] on this list. Heck, she probably wouldn’t have made it anyway since she just completed her sophomore season. She still has a legacy to complete.

Here is ChatGPT’s disclaimer regarding the list:

“As a language model, I do not have personal opinions or beliefs, and my responses are generated based on data and information available to me. However, I can provide you with a list of some of the most notable Notre Dame women’s basketball players, based on their achievements, accolades, and impact on the program.”

It also says this:

“Please note that this list is not exhaustive and is subject to personal opinions and interpretations. There have been many talented and accomplished players in Notre Dame women’s basketball history, and different people may have different criteria for their top 10 selections.”

With that out of the way, let’s see who the information bot has deemed worthy of making this list and what it had to say about each player:

Notre Dame ranked ninth in AP preseason poll

No reason not to watch the Irish this year.

Notre Dame has bounced back from a brief period of mediocrity to become a respected women’s basketball power once again. That can be said for the certain as the Irish were voted ninth in the AP preseason poll. It’s quite the jump considering that last year, the Irish were left out of the preseason rankings for the first time since 2006. Now, they’re a top-10 preseason team for the first time since they were coming off their 2018 national championship.

The ACC will be stacked with top teams trying to take the Irish down. At seventh, Louisville is the only conference program ranked ahead of the Irish. Also in the preseason poll are NC State (10th), North Carolina (12th) and Virginia Tech (13th). Miami and Duke received votes but didn’t crack the poll. And then, you have to remember that sixth-ranked UConn is coming to South Bend for a nonconference game in December.

There are plenty of reasons to watch this year’s Irish, and the competition is a major one.

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When was the last time Clemson won a national championship in football?

Here’s the last time Clemson won a football national championship.

The Dabo Swinney era of Clemson football has been a pretty prosperous one for the school — especially when you consider its history prior.

The Tigers last won a national championship during the 2018 College Football Playoff where they came back from a 13-0 deficit at the half to win the game. Trevor Lawrence’s unbelievable brilliance as a true freshman quarterback had everyone in awe.

That championship run by Clemson had elements of surprise in it, but it turned out to me more of what we’ve grown accustomed to from the program.

Before 2018, Clemson also won a national title in 2016. Before then, however, their earliest title came in 1981.

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Notre Dame, UConn will renew rivalry for Jimmy V Classic

Get your tickets for this one, or at least stay home for it.

One of the biggest rivalries in women’s basketball is returning for 2022-23. Notre Dame has been one of the few programs to challenge UConn’s supremacy in the sport, so you know any game involving these teams will be good. [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] might be gone from the rivalry, but the feelings between these programs surely remain. That’s why their Dec. 4 clash at Purcell Pavilion as part of the Jimmy V Classic should be filled with great anticipation.

These programs met last season with the Huskies taking a 73-54 victory in Storrs. Of course, that game couldn’t compare to the numerous Final Four games that have paired them over the past decade-plus. For Irish fans, none of those contests stand more than the first of back-to-back late [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] heroics during the 2018 semifinals. Not only did it set her up for her championship-winning buzzer beater against Mississippi State two nights later, but it ruined the Huskies’ perfect season.

If you watch only one women’s basketball game this season, make this one it.

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ON THIS DAY: Relive the famous ‘2nd & 26’ national championship-winning play

“TOUCHDOWN, ALABAMA WINS!” never seems to get old.

Four years ago on this day in 2018, the Alabama Crimson Tide won the College Football Playoff national championship over the Georgia Bulldogs in Atlanta. The game had a storybook ending full of memorable moments.

None more memorable than the play that ended the game.

At halftime, down 13-0, Nick Saban decided to bench starting quarterback Jalen Hurts, and put in true freshman Tua Tagovailoa. A comeback ensued.

When the game went into overtime, the Bulldogs kicked a field goal. When the Crimson Tide got the ball, Tagovailoa took a 16-yard sack. Alabama’s kicking woes were at its peak, and it was now second down with 26 yards to go to get the first down.

What happened next is history.

Tagovailoa launched the ball deep into the arms of another true freshman, future Heisman-winning wide receiver DeVonta Smith.

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Notre Dame’s NCAA Tournament streak ends at 24

All good things must come to an end, but that doesn’t make whenever the time comes any easier.

All good things must come to an end, but that doesn’t make whenever the time comes any easier. After 24 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Notre Dame was left out of this year’s Big Dance. A 10-10 overall record and 8-7 ACC record was not nearly enough to merit an at-large bid, although this was known already. This streak would have come to an end with last year’s 13-18 squad but for COVID-19 canceling the tournament, and it turned out that only prolonged the inevitable with Muffet McGraw retiring and Niele Ivey taking over.

The Irish will not play in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1995. They also were shut out of the Women’s NIT. You have to go back to 1993 for the last time Notre Dame was completely absent from the women’s basketball postseason. Entire families have been born since then.

Hats off to the Irish on a terrific run. Two national championships, seven title game appearances and nine Final Four berths are nothing to sneeze at. Here’s hoping that dominance will return soon.

Brackets. Are. BACK.

It’s that time again – when dunks, brackets and buzzer-beaters inspire widespread incidents of March Madness. Get the jump on your friends by filling out your selections now!

In between all the games, mobile users can play USA TODAY Sports’ Couchketball virtual hoops challenge – the interactive basketball game where your skills determine the outcome.