Tag: Wake Forest

Jewel Spear announces return to Tennessee

Lady Vols’ guard Jewel Spear announces return to Tennessee.

Jewel Spear announced she will return to Tennessee for an extra year of eligibility she was granted due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Spear transferred to Tennessee from Wake Forest.

Spear was one of two players to start every game for the Lady Vols last season. She was Tennessee’s second leading scorer behind Rickea Jackson. Spear averaged 13.1 for the Lady Vols, who finished 20-13 (10-6 SEC) before being eliminated in the second round of the NCAA Tournament by North Carolina State.

She recorded a .373 three-point field goal percentage in 2023-24.

Spear was a two-time All-ACC performer at Wake Forest.

PHOTOS: Kellie Harper through the years

ACC men’s basketball leaders as of March 17

No Notre Dame players.

The NCAA Tournament officially is here with five ACC teams among those seeking a national championship. The ACC particularly drew attention from the rest of the country after No. 10 seed NC State won the conference tournament for the first time since 1987. Strangely, no one on the Wolfpack concluded the ACC season as a leader in any of the major statistical categories. Some are going to March Madness though, and here they are:

Photos of Notre Dame’s ACC Tournament second-round loss to Wake Forest

See how the season ended.

There’s no question Notre Dame has a bright future, and that’s evidenced by how well it played late in the season. As of right now though, the Irish are too inexperienced and lacking in talent to pose a serious threat to the ACC. Wake Forest made sure of that by beating them, 72-59, in the second round of the conference tournament.

Not only did this team exceed expectations with a 13-20 record, but it also won more games than last year’s veteran-laden Irish that was one season removed from an NCAA Tournament appearance. That [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] was able to take over the program this season and squeeze this much out of this particular roster is impressive, and he deserves all the time and resources required to make the Irish a winner again.

With [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag] the only rotational player to be gone next year barring someone transferring, the Irish’s final game of the season provided one last preview of the future. Here are some photos that captured that:

Notre Dame’s season ends with ACC Tournament loss to Wake Forest

Still a good year all things considered.

Even with how well Notre Dame had played lately, even the most ardent members of the fan base knew this year’s team only could go so far. Getting to the second round of the ACC Tournament against Wake Forest was more than anyone could have hoped for at the start of the season. A year many will call a success ended with a 72-59 Irish loss to the Demon Deacons.

The Irish (13-20), never led in this contest or even tied it, but that shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Deacons (20-12), once considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament, now are fighting to get in and had a lot more to lose here. Losing in South Bend recently didn’t help their cause, and falling to the Irish again would have killed their March Madness dreams.

This game showed which team is more season right now, and you can see it in the various scoring stats. The Deacons held considerable advantages in points in the paint (38-14), fast-break points (15-5), second-chance points (16-7) and points off turnovers (15-7). All of that meant a team that knew how to hustle and find easy shots. The Irish might get there more consistently one day, but that wasn’t going to happen this year.

Kevin Miller led the Deacons with 17 points. Hunter Sallis, the ACC’s minutes leader, scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half. Andrew Carr achieved a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Cameron Hildreth added 10 points.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] finished his ACC Rookie of the Year campaign with a game-high 21 points, which included make all 12 of his free throws on a day he shot 4 of 16 from the field. [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, and [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag] got nine of his 11 points, all in the first half, on three 3-pointers.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Both weekly ACC rookie honors go to Notre Dame guards

There are some special young players for the Irish.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] and [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] both have turned heads for Notre Dame’s basketball teams this season. The ACC has honored them for that multiple times. Now, for the third time this season, both have been named ACC Rookie of the Week for their respective sports in the same week.

This is the fourth ACC Rookie of the Week honor for Burton, who averaged 26.0 points a game for the week to help beat Wake Forest and Clemson. Hidalgo has won it a conference-record 12 times now, and she also was named ACC Player of the Week after averaging 24.5 points a game in big wins over Virginia Tech and Louisville. She also has been named a finalist for the Nancy Lierberman Award, which is given to the country’s top point guard.

It’s been said before, but with Hidalgo and Burton, the future is looking bright for both Notre Dame basketball teams. We already are seeing it benefit the women, and hopefully, the men will follow suit before too long.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

ACC men’s basketball leaders as of March 3

No Notre Dame players on this list.

Well, we finally have reached March. The spotlight will shine bright on every team from here on out. But nowhere where the spotlight shine brighter than on the players most expected to lead their teams. That includes the ACC’s major statistical leaders, and you can find those players below:

Notre Dame clinches ACC Tournament double-bye with win vs. Louisville

Great way to end the regular season.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Hopefully, Notre Dame has not played its final game at Purcell Pavilion this season. That depends on how the selection committee for the NCAA Tournament feels about giving the Irish a top-four seed. Regardless, the Irish continued to make their case in front of a packed house with a 74-58 win over Louisville, giving them a double-bye for this week’s ACC Tournament.

The first half was very much even until the Irish (23-6, 13-5) saw the Cardinals (23-8, 12-6) take their biggest lead at seven going into halftime. The third quarter was a much different story though as the Irish became as red-hot from the field as the Cardinals became ice-cold, though the Irish’s defense also had a hand in that. The shooting numbers in that quarter told the story: 11 of 13 for the Irish, and 2 of 17 for the Cardinals.

[autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] had a trademark game of 26 points, eight rebounds, four assists and six steals. [autotag]Sonia Citron[/autotag] scored 17 points, [autotag]Kylee Watson[/autotag] added 10, and [autotag]Maddy Westbeld[/autotag] achieved a double-double of 11 points and 11 boards.

With the victory in their final regular-season game, the Irish didn’t need to worry about Wake Forest having to upset NC State. They now get to go straight to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. That extra rest will do wonders for a team that has had depth issues all season. We’ll see how much it pays off.

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Notre Dame victorious over Clemson in final home game of season

Hopefully, there are many of these at Purcell Pavilion next year.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Notre Dame has been playing better late in the season, and the future appears to look bright. Saturday presented the final opportunity to give the fans at Purcell Pavilion a glimpse of that future.

In front of a loud crowd in their home finale against Clemson, the Irish continued to compete well and hard as they have lately. It paid off as the Irish beat their second straight NCAA Tournament-bound opponent, 69-62, after topping Wake Forest earlier in the week. That’s their fifth win in their past six games.

The Irish (12-17, 7-11) and Tigers (20-9, 10-8) showcased a battle that saw six ties and 11 lead changes, mostly in the second half. The Tigers held the lead for much of the game, but everything changed over the final eight minutes with the game tied at 50.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] went on a personal 6-0 run with a high-jumping two-handed dunk and four free throws. The Irish never let the lead slip away again, going up by as much as nine. The Irish faithful in attendance made their appreciation known late in the game and once the clock ran out.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] continued to make his case for ACC Rookie of the Year with 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, six rebounds and four assists. Davis scored all 18 of his points in the second half, which included making all eight of his free throws, and [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag] got nine of his 11 points on three 3-pointers.

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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

ACC men’s basketball leaders as of Feb. 18

No Notre Dame players.

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: