Tag: Louisville

Notre Dame fencing team member Spencer Vermeule killed in car accident

Awful news.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame fencing program is in mourning after losing one of its own. Sophomore [autotag]Spencer Vermeule[/autotag], who was on the 2023 national championship team, died Saturday after the Audi A3 he was driving hit a tree and flipped over in Elkhart County. He was pronounced dead at the accident’s scene, and an investigation is continuing.

Notre Dame’s president, the [autotag]Rev. John Jenkins[/autotag], released the following statement:

“We are deeply saddened by Spencer’s tragic death. On behalf of the entire Notre Dame community, I extend our deepest sympathies to the Vermeule family, and offer prayers of comfort and peace to Spencer’s family, friends and all who knew and loved him.”

A moment for silence for Vermeuhle was planned before the women’s basketball team’s sold-out home finale against Louisville at Purcell Pavilion. We at Fighting Irish Wire join Notre Dame in offering our deepest condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time.

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

J.R. Konieczny to return from foot injury for Notre Dame’s home finale

J.R. Konieczny had soreness in his right foot and missed Notre Dame’s victory over Wake Forest.

[autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] had soreness in his right foot and missed Notre Dame’s victory over Wake Forest. It was the first time this season he hadn’t appeared in a game. However, that appeared to only be a brief absence as Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports has tweeted the following ahead of the Irish’s home finale Saturday:

Obviously, it is unknown how much action Konieczny will see against Clemson. He hasn’t played more than 18 minutes over his past five games, none of which he started. He started his previous five games before that and shot 14 of 52 from the field during that stretch (26.9%). Since then, he’s shot a more respectable 11 of 23 (47.8%).

Fighting Irish Wire will be on hand to cover the men’s basketball team’s final home game this season as well as the women’s team’s sold-out home finale Sunday against Louisville. Both teams have being playing well lately, so now is a good time to catch them.

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

Purcell Pavilion sold out for Notre Dame’s home finale vs. Louisville

Hope you’ve got your ticket already.

The Notre Dame women’s basketball team’s final regular-season game will be loud. That can be said definitively because the program posted on social media that Sunday’s contest against Louisville has been sold out:

There likely are several factors playing into this, not the least of which is that the Irish have won four straight games and five of their past six. Fans might also be on a high from the last victory over No. 5 Virginia Tech.

There also is seeding for the ACC Tournament at stake as the outcome likely will determine whether the Irish obtain a double-bye. With a 12-5 conference record, they’re in a three-way tie for third with the Cardinals and NC State. A loss not only would put those double-bye hopes in serious jeopardy, but it also probably would end any remaining chance of obtaining a top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Fighting Irish Wire will be on hand to cover this big game. It should be a good one.

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

Notre Dame remains No. 5 seed in most latest bracketologies

Sure feels like the Irish are stuck right now.

Notre Dame beat No. 5 Virginia Tech on Thursday, but most bracketologists remain unmoved. A couple of new bracketologies were released Friday, and the Irish remain where they’ve been in those particular ones. ESPN, CBS Sports and NCAA.com all have the Irish as a No. 5 seed, joining Her Hoop Stats from the day before. Only College Sports Madness currently has the Irish as a fourth seed.

Perhaps the biggest warning yet that the Irish might not get to host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament came from the Division I Women’s Basketball Committee. In the top 16 it released before Thursday’s game, the Irish were nowhere to be found. The way things are going, that probably wouldn’t have changed even if the rankings had been released after the game.

One now has to wonder if an Irish win over Louisville would be enough to bump them up in the seedings. Are they going to have to win the ACC Tournament to even have a shot at being a tournament host? It sure feels like it right now. We’ll see if they rise to that challenge.

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

Photos from Notre Dame’s upset victory over No. 5 Virginia Tech

Until Thursday, Notre Dame’s only win that really stood out was its earlier nonconference win at UConn. That changed with a 71-58 victory against No. 5 Virginia Tech. Now, it seems like almost anything is possible.

While the Irish haven’t done everything yet that would convince the selection committee to make it an undisputed top-four seed in the NCAA Tournament, this win gives them a strong argument for one. The Hokies were the better of their two remaining regular-season opponents, and another tough opponent in Louisville will come in a few days. If the Irish win that game, they will be impossible for the committee to ignore.

Did the green jerseys provide the Irish in a way they really haven’t done so for the football team? All we know is that the Irish are playing some great basketball right now, and it’s happening at the right time.

Check out some memorable images from the win over the Hokies:

CBS Sports moves Notre Dame back to No. 5 seed in latest bracketology

Five is the number of the day.

At least for the moment, the Notre Dame women’s basketball team has gotten back on track. After winning its past two games against Duke and Clemson, it has a NET Ranking of 10th and an SOS of 30th. That’s good enough for CBS Sports to move the Irish back to a fifth seed in its latest bracketology after listing them six for the past two weeks.

That means between ESPN, College Sports Madness and Her Hoop Stats, the Irish are a unanimous pick for a No, 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. So basically, not a lot has changed with the forecasters. That’s not good if the Irish are hoping to improve to a fourth side, and time is running out to make a case for that. They’ll need to be at least one of Virginia Tech and Louisville to have a chance.

We know the Irish can be better, but they just haven’t been able to take that extra step. Maybe that will change with the regular season winding down.

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 Notre Dame still can earn a top-four seed in NCAA Tournament

It’s doable.

Notre Dame is running out of chances to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume. Every bracketology currently has the Irish as a No. 5 or No. 6 seed, which is bad if they want to host the first two rounds. Recent losses to Louisville and NC State haven’t helped, and their most recent wins have done little more than keep their needle where it is.

The Irish currently have an NET Ranking of 10th and a NET SOS of 25th. Their next two opponents are lowly ones in Clemson and Boston College, so while it’s important that they win those games, they won’t help their resume. All eyes will be on their last two regular-season games against ACC-leading Virginia Tech and Louisville, which have respective NET Rankings of 14th and 23rd.

So what does this mean for the Irish’s ever-decreasing chances to gain a No. 4 seed or better for March Madness? As I have a couple of times already, here’s what my friend Lucas Mitzel had to say while also giving out some additional NET Rankings:

Notre Dame defeats Louisville for third straight victory

That’s called a winning streak.

Notre Dame hadn’t won three straight games since opening last season with five consecutive victories. Even though it had the ACC’s worst offense entering Wednesday, it was visiting Louisville, the team with not the only the conference’s worst defense but its worst record. The Irish took advantage of that and earned that coveted third straight win, 72-50.

Despite the weaker competition, it took a while for the Irish (10-16, 5-10) to put the Cardinals (8-19, 3-13) away. In the first half, their 13-point lead was cut to four, but a [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] layup in the last minute before halftime put them back up six. Burton finished with 16 points.

It was an eight-point game with eight minutes to go in the second half when [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] decided enough was enough and hit back-to-back 3-pointers to squash any comeback hopes for the Cardinals. It was the highlight of 23-point night in which he knocked down seven 3s, tying a program freshman record.

Even with a 14-point lead, the Irish added some extra insurance and finished the game on a 13-5 run even with [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] emptying the bench. Of course, the Cardinals helped by making only one of their final 12 shots. It was a fitting finish to a night in which they shot only 33.9% from the field.

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

ACC women’s basketball leaders as of Feb. 18

One Notre Dame representative is here.

The ACC is in its final few weeks before its tournament. If any team lying in the weeds is going to make a move, now is the time to get moving. Otherwise, they might as well just sit back and let the teams that deserve it more grab the best positions. Speaking of the best, here are the best statistical players in the conference:

NET Rankings of Notre Dame’s remaining opponents

A win vs. some teams would be worth more than wins vs. others down the stretch.

Notre Dame has six games left before the ACC Tournament. Of those games, four of them really will give the Irish a chance to show it can hang with some of women’s basketball’s best teams. They need a strong showing in those games, too, because while they’re a lock for the NCAA Tournament, no bracketologist currently has them as a top-four seed. That would mean not being able to host the first two rounds as it did last year.

The Irish currently have an NET Ranking of 10th after losing to Louisville and then beating Florida State. And while their NET SOS of 47th is higher than it was a week ago, it’s still very low. As my World Series history podcast co-host Lucas Mitzel relayed to me, the average NET SOS among the top 16 NET Ranking team is 26th.

The Irish can improve their odds of being a tournament host depending on how well they finish the regular season especially. Here’s their remaining schedule and the NET Rankings for their opponents: