Tag: Marquette

Virginia Tech coach Megan Duffy talks Notre Dame at ACC Tipoff

We wish her reasonably well in her first ACC season.

[autotag]Megan Duffy[/autotag] knows all about Notre Dame. She played there for four years during its Big East days, making the all-conference first team twice and being named the conference’s most improved player once. She led the conference in free-throw percentage twice and steals and minutes once apiece.

After playing professionally for a few years, she turned to coaching. For the past five years, she coached Marquette and made three NCAA Tournament appearances, including last year when the Eagles got to play their lone tournament game at Purcell Pavilion.

Duffy now is beginning her first year at Virginia Tech. So when it was her turn to field questions at the annual ACC Tipoff in Charlotte, North Carolina, it was inevitable that she would be asked about the Irish. She was, and here was her answer to that question:

“This has been a dream to play and coach at the best and with the best every single day. My Notre Dame background back in the old Big East it was the depth of the conference, how competitive it was, and this is the same in the ACC.

We obviously understand this is the best conference in the country for all different reasons: the talent of the league, guard play, post play, and then some of the best coaches. I’ve always wanted that challenge.

Just to have it unfold as player and then you obviously build your resume as a coach. It’s special to be here at Virginia Tech and to hopefully be just a small piece of a bigger picture of women’s college basketball and continue to put a great product out there.”

Duffy won’t get to return to South Bend this season as the Hokies will be hosting the Irish on Jan. 30 in Blacksburg. Hopefully, when the time does come for her to come back to her roots, she’ll get a nice ovation from the Irish faithful. She’s earned it.

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Meet Knicks rookie Tyler Kolek, Marquette’s underdog ‘winning guy’ who was constantly overlooked

Tyler Kolek is arguably the best playmaker in the 2024 NBA Draft.

Editor’s Note: This story was originally published June 24, 2024.

Marquette Golden Eagles guard Tyler Kolek is a plug-and-play prospect who will bring a sense of grittiness and competitiveness to the next level.

Kolek, a consensus second-team All-American, was one of the best players in NCAA men’s college basketball last season. He was the NCAA season assists leader after averaging 15.3 points and 7.7 assists per game as a senior. Kolek had previously won Big East Player of the Year in 2023.

But before that, he was a mid-major standout at George Mason University. Yet proving people wrong continues to fuel his outstanding play, as he told For The Win during a recent interview.

“That chip on my shoulder, I’ve got to play that way each and every game to survive. That’s where it comes from. I was that overlooked guy,” Kolek said. “I wasn’t a five-star. I wasn’t a top-100 recruit. I wasn’t a highly recruited guy. I’ve been able to get where I am through that toughness and that chip on my shoulder and playing with that feistiness every time I step on the floor.”

He uses his exceptional court vision and playmaking to elevate the play of those around him.

Per Stats Perform, 24.6 percent of his passes led directly to a shot, which is the most of any player included on the latest consensus big board.

“I just really want to find a role on a team and really help winning,” Kolek added. “I feel like I’m a winning guy. I feel like the intangibles I bring kind of carry over to that. What I bring to a team will definitely be toughness, competitiveness, I’m just looking to build a culture wherever I go.”

This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Watch Episode 5 of Prospect Park, a video series featuring future NBA players brought to you by USA TODAY Sports and For The Win:

What should NBA teams know about you?

I’m just trying to convey how much of a competitor I am and how much of a leader I am, what I can really bring to an organization. A team is picking me to be an addition, not a subtraction to their organization. I want to show them all the qualities that I have that can uplift their culture and all of the other things that they value. I bring toughness on the floor. Leadership on the floor. Leadership in the locker room. I’m going to be a rookie this year but I feel like I’m pretty mature. I can bring that older vibe to a younger team or try to learn from veterans if I do join a locker room with a lot of veterans. I’m just open to being a sponge and really learning and eating up as much as I can.

How do you use your playmaking to impact winning?

I like to say I create shots with a pass. My pace in the ball screen, the way I can find guys with different angles, it’s something I love to do: Seeing a guy make a shot off my pass. A lot of guys like to score but that’s what brings me the most joy is getting an assist. It was ingrained in me from a young age: Being able to share the ball, playing team basketball, and a team game. To win one-on-five, you need everyone on the floor to be contributing. The ball has energy behind it. I really believe that. The more it gets zipping around, the more energy you’ll have on the offensive end and the more energy you’ll have on the defensive end and everyone will be feeling good with themselves.

How are you able to score near the basket so well?

I’m super crafty. I’m not an above-the-rim guy. I’m not going to dunk on you or anything like that. But just working on my touch, my floaters around the rim, my wide finishes. I have to get creative. You watch all these guys in the NBA. There are a lot of guys that don’t have the leaping ability. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Jalen Brunson, those type of guys. They still get it done at at a really high level. So just trying to emulate stuff that they do. Take bits and pieces from everybody’s game that would benefit mine and just constantly working on it. That was something I really improved on when I got to Marquette was my finishing package just because there are bigger, taller, more athletic guys in high-major basketball. I wasn’t accustomed to that before but after I got one year under my belt there, I really figured out what I needed to work on and get better at and I really tapped into all of the finishing stuff.

What led to you becoming a potential first-round pick?

I definitely couldn’t have pictured this a couple of years ago. It’s crazy to think about. I talk about it with my friends and my family. I still have a long way to go, obviously. I’m not a finished product by any means but to get to this point, all the hard work and dedication that I put into it and everyone sees it. Everyone sees it. Everyone that’s been around me on this journey is like: ‘Wow. I’m really impressed with how hard you worked and how dedicated you are.’ A lot of guys to get to this level have to be that. But I feel like I’ve taken it to another level. I really appreciated this process for that. 

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First Team All-ACC forward Liatu King transfers to Notre Dame

The Irish thought big in the portal, and they got who they wanted.

[autotag]Liatu King[/autotag] faced Notre Dame six times during her four seasons at Pittsburgh and lost every single time. They say if you can’t beat them, join them. But while it’s unlikely that the Irish’s dominance in their rivalry with the Panthers played a factor, King nonetheless is coming to the Irish for the 2024-25 season via the transfer portal.

The paint still was drying on the news that former Marquette forward [autotag]Liza Karlen[/autotag] had transferred to the Irish when the news about King broke. So in less than 24 hours, [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] has added two standout forwards who will turn what had been a roster weakness into a real strength. The expectations for the 2024-25 Irish couldn’t possibly be higher now, and anything less than a Final Four berth will be a big disappointment.

This past season, King was the ACC’s Most Improved Player and made First Team All-ACC. She nearly doubled her scoring average from 9.4 the previous season to 18.7. Her 10.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game would have led the Irish. She and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] will be a fantastic post duo and make life miserable for smaller teams.

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 lands Marquette forward Liza Karlen from transfer portal

Big get for the Irish.

When Marquette traveled to Notre Dame to play Ole Miss the first round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, it had a future Irish player in tow. That player was standout forward [autotag]Liza Karlen[/autotag], who was in her fourth season with the Golden Eagles. Karlen announced on Instagram that she is transferring to the Irish for the 2024-25 season:

https://www.instagram.com/liza_karlen/p/C6mZ5a2OO68/

Karlen made First Team All-Big East last season, so that alone makes this a big get for the Irish. Her career-high 17.3 scoring averaged ranked fourth in the Big East and would have just edged out [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] for second in scoring on last year’s Irish. She also would have ranked second in rebounds (7.9) and blocks (1.2).

The 6-foot-2 Karlen is the latest big the Irish are adding for next season after incoming freshman [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag]. [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] also is returning next season. We still don’t know the latest on [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag]’s knee injury, but this move gives the Irish insurance and much more. Either way, the lack of bigs the Irish had last season shouldn’t be an issue this time around.

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

Potential Thunder draft prospect Cody Williams’ tournament run ends in loss to Marquette

Potential Thunder draft prospect Cody Williams’ tournament run ends in loss to Marquette.

The Oklahoma City Thunder could have two 2024 first-round picks in the lottery range. They own the Houston Rockets’ top-four protected pick and the Utah Jazz’s top-10 protected pick. The former looks more likely to come to OKC than the latter.

As the NCAA Tournament progresses, the top prospects are in the spotlight as they draw national attention for their postseason performances.

Considering the Thunder will likely have at least one lottery pick, plenty of possible additions via the draft give fans a chance to see how they match up in high-stress situations.

One possibility is Colorado forward Cody Williams, whose freshman season ended in an 81-77 loss to No. 2 Marquette in the round of 32 on Sunday.

Williams finished with 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting and two blocks in 28 minutes off the bench.

Williams has been highly touted as one of the best prospects in his class. The 6-foot-8 wing averaged 12.6 points on 57% shooting, 3.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists. He’s projected as a complimentary scorer and playmaker with a nice feel around the basket. At 19 years old, he has plenty of room to grow at the next level.

The Thunder will likely need to trade up to pair Williams with his older brother, Jalen Williams. He could provide OKC with another versatile wing, which is a hot commodity in the league.

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Purcell Pavilion sold out for Notre Dame’s first NCAA Tournament game

Hope you have your ticket already.

After Notre Dame played its final regular-season home game at Purcell Pavilion, [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] hoped to be back for the NCAA Tournament. Thankfully, she coached the Irish to the finish needed to make that happen. And now on top of that, their first-round game against Kent State has been sold out, so Ivey will get that loud South Bend crowd she loves so much:

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It’s not known how much of that sellout crowd will stick around to watch Saturday’s second game between Ole Miss and Marquette. But for the first game at least, a loud partisan crowd will be on hand, so the Golden Flashes will have more than only the Irish to deal with. That’s just what the Irish have been playing for all year, and they have the luxury for the second straight year.

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 guard Alex Wade to enter transfer portal

It just didn’t work out for him athletically with the Irish.

Alex Wade was one of the few returning players for Notre Dame this past season. Despite this and receiving a scholarship, he still wasn’t able to crack the rotation. Having already received his degree from the university, he has decided to enter the transfer portal, which opened up earlier this week. Here’s his official announcement that he posted to social media:

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

Wade’s Irish career consisted of 13 games over two seasons. He missed all five field-goal attempts and only cracked the scoring column with one free throw against Southern Indiana last season and two more in a loss to Marquette this past season. His last appearance came in the Irish’s blowout defeat March 5 at North Carolina.

It’s unfortunate that Wade’s basketball aspirations didn’t work out for the Irish, and he can’t be blamed for taking his talents elsewhere with all of that eligibility remaining. Hopefully, his next stop turns out a lot better athletically.

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

March Madness: NCAA Tournament South Region odds, picks and predictions

Looking at March Madness futures odds to win the 2024 NCAA Tournament South Region, with expert picks, predictions and best bets.

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March Madness is upon us, and the South Region bracket features an interesting mix of former national No. 1s, blueblood programs and big-conference contenders that did not win league titles last week.

Below, we look at FanDuel Sportsbook’s NCAA Tournament South Region futures odds and and make our expert college basketball picks and predictions.

The Houston Cougars (30-4) and Marquette Golden Eagles (25-9) have the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds, respectively, in the South. Both have some injury and/or return-from-injury continuity issues to overcome, so the betting value in this region may come from further down the ballot.

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South Region futures odds

Provided by FanDuel Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 2 p.m. ET.

1 seed: Houston +140 (bet $100 to win $140)

2 seed: Marquette +500 (bet $100 to win $500)

3 seed: Kentucky +700 (bet $100 to win $700)

4 seed: Duke +650 (bet $100 to win $550)

5 seed: Wisconsin +1200 (bet $100 to win $1,200)

6 seed: Texas Tech +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400)

7 seed: Florida +1400 (bet $100 to win $1,400)

8 seed: Nebraska +2900 (bet $100 to win $2,900)

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9 seed: Texas A&M +3400 (bet $100 to win $3,400)

10 seed-*: Boise State +6000 (bet $100 to win $6,000)

10 seed-*: Colorado +3400 (bet $100 to win $3,400)

11 seed: NC State +4200 (bet $100 to win $4,200)

12 seed: James Madison +7000 (bet $100 to win $7,000)

13 seed: Vermont +23000 (bet $100 to win $23,000)

14 seed: Oakland +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

15 seed: Western Kentucky +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

16 seed: Longwood +25000 (bet $100 to win $25,000)

*-Play in a Wednesday First Four matchup

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South Region expert pick and prediction

Houston Cougars (+140)

Houston got blown out 69-41 by Iowa State in Saturday’s Big 12 championship game. But the Cougars had previously been 6-0 with impressive defensive analytics in neutral-site contests.

UH won 11 in a row before Saturday, and its ball-hawking, shot-swatting defense should travel well just about anywhere in the brackets. Coach Kelvin Sampson’s Cougar teams have made 3 straight Sweet 16s, and Houston gets a fair return here (although consider holding off to see if the Cougars drift up toward +160 or so).

Top 25: USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll

South Region contenders

Kentucky Wildcats (+700)

UK (23-9) had an early exit in the SEC Tournament, but the Wildcats won 7 of 8 games from Feb. 13-March 9, beating a trio of KenPom top-15 squads along the way.

Appropriately enough, Kentucky is the speedy colt in this South Region field. The Wildcats play an up-tempo, high-scoring brand of basketball. They are a relatively young team that appears to have grown since an off-kilter mid-winter stretch that saw the team lose 5 times between Jan. 13-Feb. 10. If UK can be responsible in defending the 3 and keep making improvements on the offensive glass, it will be a value at +500, let alone the current figure.

Wisconsin Badgers (+1200)

UW (22-13) made it to the Big Ten title game before being ousted by Illinois. But the Badgers led that championship game by 9 inside the 15-minute mark before failing to close against an Illini 5 that went 26-of-30 at the foul line.

Wisconsin beat No. 3-ranked Purdue in a Saturday Big Ten semifinal, and the Badgers had played the Boilermakers tough in an earlier loss.

South Region long shots

NC State Wolfpack (+4200)

NC State (22-14) has the hot hand. The Wolfpack beat both Duke and North Carolina en route to winning the ACC Tournament. And that tourney run came after NCSU had lost 4 straight games from Feb. 27-March 9.

North Carolina State has a slew of veteran players and is putting together better defensive performances of late. The Wolfpack are certainly not odds-on favorites but are worth a flier at this level of return.

Colorado Buffaloes (+3400)

Colorado (24-10) is a bit of a live wire. The Buffs will have to earn the 10-seed in a First Four contest (against Boise State) in Dayton, but they have some NBA-type talent and present some value at this number.

The Buffaloes are 8-1 in their last 9 games, and their defense has been considerably improved over that stretch. CU presents a tough at-the-rim and beyond-the-arc challenge for defenses. If Marquette or Kentucky were to falter in Colorado’s section of the South bracket, the Buffs could very well be the team there to pick up the pieces.

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For more sports betting picks and tips, check out SportsbookWire.com and BetFTW. Follow SportsbookWire on Twitter/X and like us on Facebook.

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Notre Dame earns No. 2 seed in NCAA Tournament, hosts Kent State first

Did you expect them to be seeded this high?

Not long ago, Notre Dame was seen as nothing more than a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Some bracketologies had the Irish as low as a No. 6. Since then, the Irish have won eight straight games and the ACC Tournament championship. That was enough for the selection committee to make them the No. 2 seed in Albany Regional 1., the highest seed for any ACC team.

The result is the Irish will get to host the first two rounds of March Madness. They’ll begin their run to a national championship against No. 15 seed Kent State. The winner of that game will face the winner of the other first-round game in South Bend between Ole Miss and Marquette. The Irish’s only previous meeting with the Golden Flashes was a 66-41 victory in the first round of the 1996 WNIT.

While the seeding isn’t a complete surprise, it’s an improvement from most bracketologists’ final projections. One of, if not the only one that had the Irish as a No. 2 seed was College Sports Madness. ESPN, CBS Sports and Her Hoop Stats all projected the Irish as a No. 3. Needless to say, the Irish did everything they needed to be a tournament host and then some.

The one hiccup for the Irish is that they were seeded in the same bracket as South Carolina, the top overall seed and heavy favorite to win the national championship. Perhaps seeing the Gamecocks in the season opener in Paris will give them an advantage for what to expect. But they have a few other games to win before it gets to that point, and that’s why they play them.

So make your plans to be in South Bend this coming weekend. The Irish will need all the support they can get as they begin that national title run.

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

Marquette’s Max Lyons makes hole-in-one on par 4, first ace of college career

There’s never a bad time to make an ace, especially when it’s an albatross.

There’s never a bad time to make an ace.

On a par 4, however? It’s almost unheard of. Almost.

Max Lyons, a junior on the Marquette men’s golf team, made a shot he will never forget Monday during the first round of the 2024 The Johnnie-O at Sea Island. Lyons made a hole-in-one on the par-4 10th hole from 324 yards out at Sea Island’s Plantation Course. It’s the first 1 of his college career.

The albatross was part of a psycho scorecard Lyons, from Phoenix, had on Monday. In addition to the ace, he had five birdies, four bogeys and a double, signing for a 2-under 70 in the opening round in St. Simons Island, Georgia.

Lyons was T-10 after the opening round with the second 18 scheduled for Monday afternoon.

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