Tag: 2018 National Championship

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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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

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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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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

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.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow AJ Spurr on Twitter @SpurrFM.

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.

Media, Alabama fans react to Happy ‘Second-and-26’ Day

Media members and Alabama fans shared social posts on Feb. 26 celebrating the epic second-and-26, walk-off win in 2018.

Today is Feb. 26, 2021. The year isn’t the important part of that date, though. It’s the month and the day. Another way to put it is 2/26, and you know what that means.

Alabama fans, today is a celebration. What is the occasion, you may ask? Well, arguably the greatest play in Crimson Tide history — the second-and-26, walk-off touchdown pass from Tua Tagovailoa to DeVonta Smith in January 2018.

The 41-yard throw won national championship No. 5 for Alabama during the Nick Saban era. It will also go down as one of the greatest sports plays of all time, regardless of the sport.

Several Alabama fans, as well as media and other notable Twitter accounts, took to social media to celebrate the occasion in the right way. Check it out below!

Georgia football play of the day

Watch the Georgia football play of the day here!

It’s Thursday, July 30 and today’s play of the day comes from Georgia versus Alabama in the 2018 National Championship game.

The Bulldogs held the momentum and a 13-7 lead over the Crimson Tide with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter. Georgia faced a third and 11 from it’s own 20 yard line when Jake Fromm dropped one in the bucket to receiver Mecole Hardman 80 yards for the score.

Watch it here:

 

Beth Morgan-Cunningham Out as Notre Dame Women’s Hoops Assistant Coach

New Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey will not retain Beth Morgan-Cunningham as assistant coach.

New Notre Dame women’s basketball coach Niele Ivey will not retain Beth Morgan-Cunningham as assistant coach. Morgan-Cunningham was Muffet McGraw’s associate head coach for the past eight seasons. In that time, the Irish have been to five Final Fours, three national title games and the 2018 national championship.

Morgan-Cunningham was one of McGraw’s players from 1993 to 1997, the last year featuring Notre Dame’s first Final Four. She graduated as the program’s all-time leading scorer (2,322 points) and was a team captain and All-American twice. That helped her get inducted into the program’s Ring of Honor in 2017. She came to McGraw’s staff after serving as VCU’s head coach for nine seasons, during which she became the winningest coach in that program’s history.

Morgan-Cunningham should land on her feet somewhere. She’s had too much success not to land another coaching job, either head or assistant. But no matter what happens, she’s done Notre Dame proud, and we all should wish her the best in her future endeavors.