Niele Ivey speaks day before Notre Dame opens NCAA Tournament

Niele Ivey is living her best life right now. Not only is she coaching Notre Dame’s women’s basketball program, the same one she’s won national championships with as both a player and assistant coach, but she’s excelling at it. She’s proven to be a …

[autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] is living her best life right now. Not only is she coaching Notre Dame’s women’s basketball program, the same one she’s won national championships with as both a player and assistant coach, but she’s excelling at it. She’s proven to be a worthy successor to the legendary [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag], whom she gave praise to live on the ACC Network right after the Irish won the ACC Tournament. That victory gave the Irish a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and a first-round date with Kent State.

Ivey didn’t repeat as ACC Coach of the Year, but she easily could have. With so many injuries, the Irish had no business coming into the tournament on an eight-game winning streak and getting the seed they did. It happened though, and the reward is her team getting to play in front of its home fans. The first of those games at least is sold out, and the second game surely will be, too, assuming there is one. It probably is a safe bet given all the momentum the Irish have right now.

Ivey met with the media the day before the Irish began their third straight tournament run. Here is some of what she had to say:

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Watch: Niele Ivey praises Muffet McGraw after ACC Tournament title win

Get some tissues ready.

Even though she’s retired from coaching, Basketball Hall of Famer and Notre Dame legend [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] has not slowed down. She’s kept busy these days providing women’s basketball analysis for the ACC Network. Still, she has not shied away from the university she established a legacy at, and [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] didn’t let viewers forget that Sunday.

After ESPN’s coverage of the Irish’s ACC Tournament title win wrapped up, the ACC Network picked up the postgame coverage, and McGraw was there as she has been the entire tournament. Ivey knew that and chose to include her in her triumphant moment, and you can see her reaction in this video from co-analyst Kelly Gramlich:

But that only was the beginning as soon after, Ivey crashed the desk during an interview with tournament MVP [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag]. After wrapping her mentor in a bear hug, she took the mic and gave her all the praise she could:

The bond that ties these women together is strong and must be admired. Hopefully, we can see this over and over again for a long time to come.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Social media reacts to Notre Dame’s ACC Tournament championship

Notre Dame has won its sixth ACC Tournament championship. That happened after beating NC State in a close 55-51 contest. Niele Ivey has won first such championship since taking over for Muffet McGraw, and we can safely say that the coaching …

Notre Dame has won its sixth ACC Tournament championship. That happened after beating NC State in a close 55-51 contest. [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] has won first such championship since taking over for [autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag], and we can safely say that the coaching excellence will continue for the foreseeable future. Not every program has that luxury.

As one can imagine, social media was filled with chatter about the Irish’s title afterwards. They ranged from former players to alumni to people who cover both this program and women’s basketball. It’s hard not to be excited about the future regardless of how the NCAA Tournament shapes up for this year’s Irish. After a couple of lean years, the Irish are back to being among the class of women’s basketball, and they no plans to divert from that anytime soon.

Here is what some people said on social media afterwards, and you likely will recognize a few of them:

Notre Dame 2024 signee named Naismith Second Team All-American

Another top talent on the way to Notre Dame is honored.

Hannah Hidalgo has set a high bar for future Notre Dame freshmen. That doesn’t mean future first-year players won’t try to top her though. One player who could do it during the 2024-25 season is [autotag]Kate Koval[/autotag].

Koval is a five-star player at Long Island Lutheran in Brookeville, New York who signed with the Irish in December. Now, she’s been named to the Naismith Trophy Girls’ High School All America Second Team.

Hidalgo made the Second Team in 2023, and [autotag]Emma Risch[/autotag] was an honorable mention. [autotag]KK Bransford[/autotag] was a Third Team honoree in 2022 and an honorable mention in 2021. [autotag]Olivia Miles[/autotag] made the Third Team in 2020, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] and [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] were senior honorable mentions.

It’s evidence that even in the post-[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] era, Notre Dame continues to attract top talent for women’s basketball, and there’s no reason to think that will stop anytime soon. Even so, a strong postseason showing would do wonders to show just how attractive the program still is.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame Athletics the Last Time the Detroit Lions Won A Playoff Game

Where were you in January of 1992?

One of the longest streaks in professional sports ended Sunday night as the Detroit Lions beat the Los Angeles Rams in what was their first playoff win since January 5, 1992.

The Lions now head to the divisional round where they’ll take on either the Philadelphia Eagles or Tampa Bay Buccaneers next weekend.

But just how long is 32 years in terms of sports?

Let’s take a look at a few of the things that were going on at Notre Dame at that time and where some key figures in the Fighting Irish athletic program were back then.

Buckle up and get in your time machine because here we go…

Notre Dame dominates Purdue – quick recap

It’s always good to beat Purdue!

The No. 14 Notre Dame women’s basketball team had no trouble at all against in-state rival Purdue Sunday, trouncing the Boilermakers 76-39.

Hannah Hidalgo had a great floor game for the Irish as she led in nearly every category.  Her 23 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists, and 7 steals played a huge part in the game being such a blowout.

Nat Marshall was huge for Notre Dame, blocking six shots and scoring 14 points in the victory.

Notre Dame started hot, jumping out to an 11-0 lead before Purdue scored a point.  The Boilermakers bounced back quickly with a 7-0 run themeselves but that was about as close as things would get.

Notre Dame held Purdue to just 7 second quarter points and held a 35-18 halftime advantage in which they never looked back.

Before the game, a Muffet McGraw statue was unveiled outside Purcell Pavillion.  Much of the sold out crowd attended that ceremony before stepping in and watching the Irish dominate.

Notre Dame is now 8-1 on the season and hosts Western Michigan on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.

Notre Dame legend Muffet McGraw to have statue outside Joyce Center

Congrats, Coach!

[autotag]Muffet McGraw[/autotag] coached herself to two national championships with Notre Dame and the Basketball Hall of Fame. Now, her likeness will live forever outside the Joyce Center. Joining the many Notre Dame coaching legends with statues on the school’s athletic complex, McGraw will have her own statue unveiled before the Irish’s Dec. 17 game against Purdue.

McGraw earned 848 of her 936 career victories at Notre Dame, where she coached the women’s basketball program from 1987 to 2020, finish below .500 only twice during that time. Only six coaches are ahead of her on the all-time Division I wins list. She was named the consensus national coach of the year three times.

McGraw coached 20 WNBA players, five Olympians and 22 All-Americans. Among her most notable players at Notre Dame were [autotag]Ruth Riley[/autotag], [autotag]Skylar Diggins[/autotag], [autotag]Brianna Turner[/autotag], [autotag]Jewell Loyd[/autotag], [autotag]Kayla McBride[/autotag] and [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag].

Join us in congratulating this Irish coaching legend. May she serve as an inspiration for Notre Dame women’s basketball players and coaches in the generations to come.

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

ESPNU to Honor Muffet McGraw on Monday

Either way, clearly a historic career by McGraw who finishes as one of the legends of women’s college basketball.  If you’re working from home Monday it’ll be a good day to have a few all-time classic Notre Dame and McGraw victories on in the background.

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Recently retired Muffet McGraw will get a day in her honor on ESPNU Monday as the channel will dedicate the day to some of her greatest accomplishments at Notre Dame.

Some all-time great moments in that slew of games but I feel like at least one of the time slots should be dedicated to the a game or two from 2000.  Knocking off number-one Connecticut or winning the national championship over Purdue in thrilling fashion, both of which were thrillers and originally aired on ESPN?

Either way, clearly a historic career by McGraw who finishes as one of the legends of women’s college basketball.  If you’re working from home Monday it’ll be a good day to have a few all-time classic Notre Dame and McGraw victories on in the background.

Niele Ivey speaks ahead of Notre Dame’s second-round NCAA tourney game

How do you feel after reading these quotes from the coach?

SOUTH BEND – As a player, [autotag]Niele Ivey[/autotag] experienced what Purcell Pavilion is like when it hosts the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. Now as the coach at Notre Dame, she knows what it’s like from the sidelines. The Irish’s first-round win over Southern Utah confirmed what she knew about the warm atmosphere the program’s fans provide. She’ll get to experience it again in the second round against Mississippi State.

While she still was reveling about the win over the Thunderbirds, she has another tournament game to prepare for. She knows what the Bulldogs will bring, and it’s her responsibility to relay that information to her team. She did that during practice the day before the Irish’s next test, and she then relayed her thoughts to assembled media during a news conference afterwards. While she obviously wouldn’t give away her exact strategy, she showed she’s been paying attention to the Bulldogs’ game.

Here is what she said during her post-practice news conference:

Notre Dame Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament History

One of the absolute best programs in the country.

Notre Dame women’s basketball is one of the best-known programs in the entire country and has been for quite some time.  Under the direction of Muffet McGraw who took over as head coach in the 1987-88 season, Notre Dame has gone to the NCAA Tournament 27 times, starting with their first bid in 1992.

Although it was a relative short time ago, Notre Dame has quickly arose towards the top of the list of best women’s college basketball programs nationally.  They’ve won two national championships, and have turned into a regular in the Final Four.

Here is how Notre Dame has fared all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

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