The sports world is abuzz with Caitlin Clark becoming the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball. She hasn’t even gone professional yet, and many already are crowning her the GOAT. That label gets tossed around very liberally these days, but it’s hard to picture many athletes who have transcended their sport the way she has.
Despite what our site editor Nick Shepkowski might have said about me, Caitlin Clark is not my sister. Athleticism is not in my immediate family’s gene pool, or I would have kept following my NBA dreams years ago. Alas, the closest I can get to organized basketball these days is to write about it and create listicles about it.
I would like to demonstrate that ability right now by assembling a listicle of the top 10 scorers in Notre Dame women’s basketball history. It’s a great way to celebrate the new scoring queen in women’s college hoops, and the timing couldn’t be more appropriate:
What do the Irish need to do to host NCAA Tournament games?
It’s been another good season for Notre Dame, and the NCAA Tournament is a certainty barring a complete collapse down the stretch. The latest Bracketology rankings have them as a fifth seed. But only the top four seeds in each quadrant get to be host schools for the first two rounds. That means if the forecasters were charged with creating the bracket today, there would be no postseason action in South Bend.
This raises the question of what it will take to get the Irish that coveted fourth seed. Figuring this out requires more analysis than I’m equipped to do, so I turned to my friend and World Series history podcast co-host Lucas Mitzel for help.
Lucas likes to crunch college sports numbers, particularly as they pertain to the programs for North Central College, our alma mater as well as that of Nick Shepkowski, our site’s editor. I asked Lucas to do this in relation to the Irish’s chances of getting to host tournament games. He had a very quick turnaround from the moment I asked him, which is perfect timing given the gauntlet the Irish are about to face.
While these aren’t comprehensive figures for what the Irish need to get a fourth seed, this analysis does place a heavy emphasis on NET, the tournament selection criteria system that replaced RPI for the women a few years ago. So with that in mind, here is Lucas’ interpretation of where the Irish are at:
If there’s one thing diehard college football fans love, it’s tradition. That’s why many of them, including our own Nick Shepkowski, is upset that the regular season will be devalued by the expanded College Football Playoff beginning in 2024. Some don’t like it when nicknames or rivalry trophies are changed. Then, there are uniforms.
Reaction to the revelation of Notre Dame’s green uniforms for its Sept. 23 game against Ohio State has been mixed. While some like how spiffy they are, others see it as a reflection of the program’s apparently misplaced priorities, namely that it’s focused more on dressing well than winning games. Others don’t like that this was lumped in with the announcement that the program is extending its relationship with Under Armour.
Whatever you feel about it, chances are those feelings are reflected among these thoughts we found on social media. Take a look at the following and see if that’s the case:
It has been established more than once on this site that I am fanatical about game shows. With Notre Dame athletics on hiatus until fall save for the track team at the NCAA championships, I have time to try ideas I’ve been wanting to try for a while now. One of them was planted in my head after our own Nick Shepkowski reported on a “Jeopardy!” category that was about ACC schools. I’ve decided to take that idea and narrow the focus to “Jeopardy!” clues about Notre Dame.
Using the site J-Archive, which has records of nearly every game during the show’s current run, I have come across several Notre Dame clues. Many of them were repeats because that’s what happens when you’ve been on for 39 years. However, I feel like I’ve compiled a diverse list of clues that you should be able to respond to if you have even a basic knowledge of Notre Dame, particularly the football program. Check the end of this list for the correct responses:
For the past few months, I’ve heard quite a bit about the AI information bot known as ChatGPT. It was the subject of an episode during this past season of “South Park”. More importantly, I’ve heard how it’s such a game-changer that writing jobs are done for. We’ll see about that as I’m not too worried about it, but then again, I’m sure newspaper employees said the same thing about the internet in the mid-1990s.
When our editor Nick Shepkowski decided to ask ChatGPT what it thought Notre Dame’s 10 best football players were, I decided to follow suit and ask the same question but for the 10 best men’s basketball players instead. Keep in mind that even the bot knows this list is subjective:
“Please note that there are many other outstanding players who have played for Notre Dame and could also be included on this list.”
So keep that in mind as you go over the following list, which also includes ChatGPT’s description of each player:
Since [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] announced his intention to leave Notre Dame in January, various names have floated as his replacement. Our own Nick Shepkowski made his own list of candidates in the immediate aftermath of Brey’s announcement. While it’s nice to keep all options open, it appears the list is starting to narrow down. At least that’s what ESPN’s Pete Thamel said he believes during the most recent episode of College GameDay:
For all we know, this list could be completely bogus with none of the four landing the job. But when you cover college basketball for a living, you’re bound to hear a few whispers about who the next coach might be. For argument’s sake, let’s pretend this list is legitimate and that the search indeed will come down to these four. Then, we can debate as to who would be the best candidate for the Irish for the long haul:
Prepare to be blown away if you haven’t seen this act.
Since I was covering both games at Purcell Pavilion this past weekend, my wife and I spent two nights just off the Notre Dame campus. In between a pair of Irish losses, we made the most of our time. We attended Mass at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and we caught the national tour production of “Fiddler on the Roof”, which happened to be in South Bend for the weekend. But I also found entertainment in a way I didn’t expect, specifically the halftime entertainment for the two basketball games.
For some time now, I have seen basketball reporters on Twitter make a fuss whenever Red Panda has been the halftime entertainment at games. If she had performed at any games I had attended in the past, I have no idea because I typically get up and go to the bathroom during halftime. But during a first-half timeout during Saturday’s men’s game, a graphic on the video board said Red Panda would be performing during halftime. No longer wanting to be among the uninitiated, I chose to stay at my spot on press row.
As our wonderful editor Nick Shepkowski told me later, you never forget your first time with Red Panda. I was blown away by the things the acrobat could do. Doing only one of riding a tall unicycle or balancing and then flipping bowls perfectly onto the top of your head would be difficult for most people. But she’s been doing this for a long time now, and fans stay in their seats just to watch her.
When I returned to Purcell Pavilion for the women’s game the next day, it occurred to me that Red Panda might appear again. Sure enough, she was announced as the halftime entertainment. This time, I figured I should record the performance for my wife as well as you lovely readers. And so, ladies and gentlemen, I give you Red Panda:
One interesting fact about this past weekend is that she needed three attempts to nail the final flip during her first performance. She didn’t need any redos for her second show, so I’m glad I captured this particular one. Even a professional juggler will drop things once in a while, so I guess she’s entitled to a few imperfections of her own.
Hopefully, you’re lucky enough to be at a basketball game with Red Panda at some point in the future. Resist the urge to hit the restroom or the concession stand if you know she’s going to perform. Believe me when I say that sticking around for her is totally worth it. Here’s to her continuing to thrill basketball crowds for many years to come.
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Thank you for being a bright spot of year 36 for me.
I was excited a few weeks back when key Notre Dame target [autotag]Justin Smith[/autotag] of Chicago announced he would be making his commitment on his birthday, January 31. I thought it meant good things for Notre Dame but it also meant I had another birthday buddy out in this world.
Smith later came out and declared that he didn’t want to rush things and instead will be holding off on making a commitment to any school anytime soon. Shucks, that would have been fun. I do hope he’s enjoying his birthday despite it being literally -2 when I woke up this morning.
Anyway, 37 years ago today I came into the world on what was a pretty big week.
To review –
Sunday that week, the ’85 Bears put a bow on their season by roughing up the Patriots in one of the most lopsided Super Bowls to date.
Tuesday saw an American tragedy play out on live television as Space Shuttle Challenger blew up just after lifting off, killing all of the crew.
And I Friday I decided to show up a couple weeks early from when I was supposed to see the outside world.
If you’re doing the math at home that makes me 37. In full disclosure, 36 brought one incredible joy as my son born this past summer. The other positives of the past year could probably all be counted on one hand, however.
With that said, I just want to take a moment on my birthday to thank each of you for visiting this site and making it take off like you all have. I’m excited for what’s to come with a few plans the team and I have come up with for this next year.
A podcast is in the works, recordings are in fact already taking place. We’ll post it here for your consumption when we stack a few more episodes.
More in-person coverage at games is to come, something we’re all excited about.
And what about a Fighting Irish Wire tailgate before a Notre Dame home game this year – is that something you’d be interested in?
Thank you all for making this site work as it’s become more than just a hobby for me and instead a passion that I look forward to working on each day. A big shoutout to my team of Jeff Feyerer, Geoffrey Clark, Michael Chen, and John Kennedy as well. These guys make this site go with their ideas and passions and I can’t thank them enough (even if Mike is trying to pull a James Laurinaitis and head home to Buckeyes Wire).
It’s surprising that some Notre Dame fans call the infamous 2005 “Bush Push” game against USC their favorite involving the Irish. After all, most sports fans prefer to think of wins when considering their top games for their favorite teams. However, there’s no denying that this game was one of the best college football has offered over the past 20 years. Now, YouTube sports channel Secret Base has done a deep rewind of this legendary contest:
Like many Irish fans, I also began celebrating when it appeared time had run out on the Trojans only to be bummed at the events that followed. Why our own Nick Shepkowski continues to fondly recall this game, I have no idea. Whatever the reason, I prefer to limit my exposure to the memories of this game. Also, it was but a momentary setback for me as this happened during the middle of my Chicago White Sox’s run to a World Series championship.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
If you live in the Chicago area, you most likely know that the Bears are talking about leaving Soldier Field. A deal to buy the land currently occupied by the defunct Arlington Park is expected to close before the end of the year. Despite efforts by Chicago mayor Lori Lightfoot to keep the Bears in the city, all signs point to the team bolting for the suburbs in a few years.
When the new stadium opens, it needs to host a Shamrock Series game soon game. Soldier Field already has hosted two of them, and there’s no reason for Notre Dame not to bring this series to Arlington Heights, Illinois. A bigger stadium will be there for the filling, and that should be no problem. As our editor Nick Shepkowski said when I texted him about this, the Irish could schedule Montana State for the game, and the place still would sell out.
Assuming this stadium gets built, it will be in line to host a Super Bowl, the Final Four, maybe even the College Football Playoff or Big Ten title games. The Shamrock Series should be a layup. As soon as it’s ready to open, [autotag]Jack Swarbrick[/autotag] or whoever is athletic director needs to get on the phone and book the stadium for the first year that doesn’t already have a host city.
Chicago already has a heavy contingent of Irish fans, so you know there will be plenty of local fans present and not only folks from out of town. Imagine not having to go to the city to check out your team that only comes through once in a while. The best part is they can do it in November without having to worry about that cold wind blowing off Lake Michigan. The location and a roof will take care of that.
The Irish should have played their last game at Soldier Field. It’s in the past where it belongs. The future is coming to the Chicago area, and the Irish need to be part of it early on.
