Tag: Elite Eight

Niele Ivey, Lauren Ebo, Maddy Westbeld speak after Notre Dame win

There was a lot to say after the victory.

SOUTH BEND – Although Notre Dame found itself in a battle with Mississippi State, it gladly will take a 53-48 win. The second-round victory means a trip to the Sweet 16, specifically Greenville Regional 1. One more win, and the Irish could face top-ranked and undefeated South Carolina in the Elite Eight. But for now, it’s all about the happy things.

[autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] is glad that her team was able to get this far after many had doubts because a roster shortened by injuries. [autotag]Lauren Ebo[/autotag] is basking in the aftermath of 10 points, five blocks and an Irish-tournament record 18 rebounds. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] likely doesn’t care that she didn’t score as much as in her last game, but her own 15 rebounds should allow her to be at peace with her performance.

All three appeared before the assembled media after the emotional Mississippi State contingent did. The Irish aren’t ready to shed tears for the end of the season yet because they still have at least one more game. Here are what Ivey, Ebo and Westbeld said before preparing for the NCAA Tournament’s second weekend:

Alabama earns top overall seed in 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team enters March Madness as the top overall seed.

Alabama men’s basketball has earned the top overall seed in the 2023 NCAA men’s basketball tournament after an impressive season that has netted the program an SEC regular season championship and an SEC Tournament title.

Nate Oats has continued to improve the program throughout his time in Tuscaloosa, and the 2022-2023 season has been his best yet. Now, the Crimson Tide will have its eyes set on one goal: winning a national championship.

Two seasons ago, Alabama won the SEC regular season and tournament, as the team has done this season, and made it all the way to the Sweet 16, but lost in overtime to UCLA.

According to the recently-revealed bracket, Alabama will play the winner of Southeast Missouri State and Texas A&M-CC.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow Alabama basketball as March Madness begins and the NCAA Tournament gets underway.

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ACC honors galore for Notre Dame

So many Irish folks won awards that we had to make a listicle out of this story.

When you win the outright ACC regular-season championship, as Notre Dame did, many conference honors are sure to come. That’s exactly what happened when the ACC unveiled its annual honors. The best part is the honors weren’t limited to those who are on the court every game.

All of this is happening ahead of the ACC Tournament, which begins Wednesday in Greensboro, North Carolina. Having earned one of the top four seeds, the Irish received an automatic berth to the quarterfinals, which will take place Friday. As the top seed, they will play the winner of the second-round game between Syracuse and an NC State program that has given them problems over the past year.

Joe Lunardi’s latest Bracketology has the Irish holding steady as the No. 3 seed in the quadrant featuring undefeated and top-ranked South Carolina. Should the Gamecocks draw the Irish in the Elite Eight in that scenario, they’ll have to deal with these heavy hitters that have made the Irish such a force this season:

Demetrius Jackson supporting both Notre Dame teams for weekend

Hope you’re showing as much support as he is.

SOUTH BEND – Fighting Irish Wire is on site to cover both Notre Dame basketball games this weekend. However, we are far from the only people who are enthusiastic about the next two days. [autotag]Demetrius Jackson[/autotag] was one of the Irish’s best players during their back-to-back Elite Eight trips in 2015 and 2016, and he hasn’t lost one iota of school spirit. If you don’t believe that, check out this tweet from the man himself:

And both programs are grateful for his support:

Jackson is acting as a cheerleader for the Irish during an important weekend. A win over Wake Forest would give the men consecutive wins for the first time since they started the season 5-0. Meanwhile, the women beating Duke would break a first-place tie between the programs and put the Irish in the driver’s seat in the ACC. This is the time to follow Jackson’s example and show just as much enthusiasm for both teams.

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Photos of Mike Brey through the years

Hopefully, this are what you think of when you think of the Irish coach.

[autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] established his legacy at Notre Dame a long time ago. From being named national coach of the year to making back-to-back Elite Eights to passing [autotag]Digger Phelps[/autotag] as the Irish’s winningest coach, the list of accolades is an impressive one. However, there have been too few positives for the program lately, and even he has started to doubt his effectiveness. We don’t know for sure if that factored into his decision to retire at the end of the season, but that decision has been made either way.

While many Irish fans are happy to see a new voice in charge on the horizon, they shouldn’t forget all the good Brey has brought to South Bend. You don’t achieve everything he did by chance. It takes real coaching ability to hold a job like this for as long as he has. Whatever you think of the job he’s done lately, Notre Dame won’t be the same without him.

Before Brey inevitably takes his rightful place in the Purcell Pavilion Ring of Honor, here are some of the best images of him as Irish coach over the years:

Source: Mike Brey to retire as Notre Dame coach after season

The Irish coaching legend reportedly is hanging it up.

Sources have told the South Bend Tribune that Notre Dame coach Mike Brey will retire at the end of the current season. Brey plans to tell his players after Thursday’s practice. Brey, the winningest coach in program history, has held the position for the past 23 seasons.

Brey, who has 481 wins at Notre Dame on top of his 99 at Delaware, will leave a large legacy behind. Under his tenure, the Irish have reached 13 NCAA Tournaments, three Sweet 16s and two Elite Eights. He also has one ACC Tournament championship, one Big East regular-season championship and a national coach of the year honor.

In spite of all the accolades, few of those have come lately. The Irish have missed the NCAA Tournament in four of the past five seasons, and it likely will be five of six after this year. Two of those seasons saw the Irish finish under .500, and this year also is a possibility for that distinction. Based on all of that, many Irish fans began calling for a change, and they’ll be getting their wish.

Here’s to Brey’s career, and here’s hoping his final season goes better with the weight of the future off his shoulders.

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Mike Brey attends Steve Vasturia’s wedding, sends congratulations

The coach is proud of his former guard.

One of the key players for Notre Dame’s back-to-back Elite Eight teams in 2015 and 2016 was [autotag]Steve Vasturia[/autotag]. He started every game for the Irish during those seasons, and he ultimately scored exactly 1,400 career points. Over four years, he averaged 10.2 points a game while shooting 43.8% from the field.

[autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] was such an important figure in Vasturia’s life that he invited his coach to his wedding. Brey was excited about it before the occasion even began:

Of course, Brey wasn’t the only Irish figure to attend. Several of Vasturia’s former teammates also showed up. With all of those familiar faces in attendance, it only made sense to snap a group photo, and Brey was only too happy to take part in it:

Congratulations to the newlyweds as they begin their life together. Here’s hoping that Vasturia will be able find a little time to return to Purcell Pavilion soon to watch a program back on the rise.

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Caleb Swanigan leads Purdue past Notre Dame in 2016 Crossroads Classic

RIP to a terrific player.

The basketball world is stunned by the news that former Purdue All-American and NBA player Caleb Swanigan is dead at 25. In two seasons with the Boilermakers, Swanigan averaged 19.7 points and 10.4 rebounds a game. He was a 2017 first-round selection of the Portland Trail Blazers and played 65 games for them over three seasons. He also was a Sacramento King for 10 games in between.

Swanigan played one game against Notre Dame. That occurred during the 2016 edition of the now-defunct Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. Facing an Irish team that was coming off back-to-back Elite Eights, Swanigan was the straw that stirred the Boilermakers that day as he had a game-high 26 points to go with 10 rebounds in an 86-81 win. Meanwhile, the Irish got 23 points from [autotag]Bonzie Colson[/autotag] and 22 from [autotag]Matt Farrell[/autotag].

Our thoughts and prayers go to the Swanigan family during this difficult time. He might only have faced the Irish once, but his mark on basketball in Indiana never will be forgotten.

Notre Dame women make two additions via transfer portal

The Irish have some needed post help now.

Notre Dame has benefited from the transfer portal with the addition of two veteran post players. One is 6-foot-4 forward Kylee Watson, who comes to South Bend after two years at Oregon. The other is Lauren Ebo, who gives the Irish their only true center at the moment. After two years at Penn State, she heavily contributed to Texas making back-to-back Elite Eights.

[autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] had this to say about Watson:

“Kylee is one of the most dynamic and versatile posts in her class. She can score at all three levels and is extremely explosive in transition, either running the floor or igniting the break. What I love about her most is her motor and toughness.”

Ivey also commented about Ebo:

“She brings a wealth of experience with deep runs in the NCAA Tournament the past two years. She is a true leader on and off the court. She’s a force inside and is a perfect fit for our team and our culture.”

The Irish also have added Stanford’s Jenna Brown from the portal. Here’s hoping both players can help Ivey make her first run to the Final Four as head coach.

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

How to watch No. 2 Texas vs. No. 1 Stanford in the Elite Eight

Texas is looking to clinch their first Final Four appearance since 2003.

No. 2 Texas is back in the Elite Eight for the second consecutive season after taking down No. 6 Ohio State in a 66-63 thriller. Last season Texas’ NCAA tournament run ended with a loss to South Carolina in the Elite Eight.

Awaiting the Longhorns this time around is defending national champion and No. 1 seeded Stanford Cardinal.

The two teams met earlier in the season where Texas pulled off the 61-56 upset on the road in what was a breakout game for star point guard Rori Harmon. The freshman scored 21 points on an efficient 8-16 shooting. Texas will need a similar performance from Harmon to pull off the victory again.

Slowing down Stanford’s Cameron Brink will be a focus of Vic Schafer’s game plan for this one. Brink can do it all for the Cardinal, she leads the team in both scoring and rebounding.

Here is how to tune in for this highly anticipated matchup between Texas and Stanford.