Tag: women’s basketball

Former Notre Dame women’s basketball star named head coach in ACC

All the best to Megan…except when she takes on the Irish

Former Notre Dame women’s basketball standout Megan Duffy has been on the coaching climb since her playing career came to an end. That climb has taken her Virginia Tech where she’ll be the new head coach.

Duffy heads to Blacksburg after spending the last five seasons at Marquette. She guided the Golden Eagles to a 110-46 overall record and appearances in the NCAA Tournament each of the last two seasons.

“I am ecstatic to join Virginia Tech Athletics as the leader of the women’s program,” Duffy said Wednesday morning. “The opportunity to continue the winning tradition with Hokie Nation and to be a part of the passionate, savvy Blacksburg community makes this a dream job for me.” – Megan Duffy

Previous to Marquette, Duffy was the head coach at Miami (Ohio) for two seasons, helping them to a 44-20 overall mark.

Duffy was the leading scorer on the 2005-06 Notre Dame team, putting up 15.6 points per game.  She was on four Fighting Irish teams that made the NCAA Tournament, a pair of which made the Sweet 16.

Duffy played three seasons in the WNBA before getting her coaching start at St. John’s. She also had assistant stops at George Washington and Michigan before landing the Miami (Ohio) job.

Iowa-LSU championship rematch breaks viewership record

Iowa and LSU shattered their previous record for viewership in the Hawkeyes Elite 8 victory.

On Monday night the Iowa Hawkeyes and LSU Tigers women’s basketball teams faced off in a rematch of the 2023 NCAA women’s national championship game. That game set viewership records with an average of 9.9 million viewers and peaked at 12.6 million.

The Elite 8 showdown shattered those numbers. According to a report from Scooby Axson of USA TODAY Sports, this game was the most-watched women’s basketball game ever with 16.1 million viewers.

According to ESPN, the game drew the second-most viewers of any basketball game since 2012.

Caitlin Clark got a bit of redemption from last year after pouring in 41 points with 7 rebounds and 12 assists. She continues to set records in her swan song season as Clark is set to take her talents to the WNBA following the season.

Likewise, Angel Reese of LSU announced that she would also head to the professional level after the Tigers’ defeat at the hands of Iowa.

Next up for the Hawkeyes will be another rematch. Clark and Iowa will take on Paige Bueckers and the UConn Huskies in the Final Four. The Huskies defeated Iowa 92-72 in the 2021 Sweet 16. Clark scored 21 in that game while Bueckers scored 18.

Recently, UConn’s head coach Geno Auriemma called Bueckers the “best player in the country.” It will all get settled on the court in this matchup of two basketball powerhouses. The winner will face off with the winner of South Carolina-North Carolina State in the national championship on Sunday.

WATCH: Shawn Poppie introduced as Clemson women’s basketball coach

Clemson women’s basketball: Shawn Poppie formally met with the media as part of his introduction as Clemson’s new women’s basketball coach Tuesday.

Clemson has a new face for its women’s basketball program.

Shawn Poppie was officially introduced as the school’s new coach at an introductory press conference with reporters Tuesday.

Poppie was hired last month after Clemson parted ways with Amanda Butler, who had led the program for six years. Clemson hasn’t been to the NCAA women’s basketball tournament since 2019, Butler’s first season.

“This (hire) coincides with the tremendous growth of women’s basketball,” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said during his opening statement at Tuesday’s press conference. “It’s undeniable, watching games (Monday) and certainly over the last couple weeks, couple years. .. Really, really significant growth in that sport and really, really exciting for Clemson to double down on our anticipation, our excitement, and our investment in all 21 of our programs. But in particular, on this day, women’s basketball.”

Poppie joins Clemson after two seasons at Chattanooga. He posted a 48-18 record as head coach there and led the Mocs to NCAA Tournament appearances in both years.

Here’s everything Poppie said at Tuesday’s introductory press conference, as well as remarks from Neff.

Tennessee fires women’s basketball coach Kellie Harper after five seasons

Three-time national champion Kellie Harper is dismissed as head coach at Tennessee.

As more and more eyes turn to women’s college basketball, the pressure to win continues to rise. For the Lady Vols, the latest decision to not keep Kellie Harper as head coach is evidence for that. On Monday, Tennessee Volunteers AD Danny White announced the departure.

“After a thorough review of our women’s basketball program, I have informed Kellie (Harper) we are making a change in leadership,” White stated. “Decisions like these are never easy to make especially with someone who has done so much for the Lady Vols as a three-time national champion student-athlete.

“Her love and passion for Tennessee and the Lady Vols is second to none. She has invested so much heart and soul into our program and truly has given her all for Tennessee. I thank Kellie for her stewardship of our women’s basketball program and wish her and Jon well in the next chapter of their lives.”

Harper played under the legendary Pat Summitt from 1995 to 1999. She went on to play in the WNBA in 1999 for the Cleveland Rockers before turning to coaching in 2000. She had stints with the Auburn Tigers and Chattanooga Mocs as an assistant before becoming a head coach of Western Carolina in 2004. She spent the last five years with her alma mater.

Harper has a head coaching record of 393-260 since 2004. As a leader of the Lady Vols, she only missed the NCAA women’s tournament once. It was the year that the postseason was canceled due to COVID-19. The Lady Vols were bounced this year in the second round to NC State, who is gearing up for a Final Four matchup with No. 1 South Carolina.

I doubt this is the last time we hear of Kellie Harper as a head coach of a women’s program.

As for Tennessee, it has been 12 years since the late Pat Summitt retired, and the program has failed to reach those heights again. Replacing a legend is never easy. The best return was back-to-back Regional Finals under Holly Warlick in 2013 and 2014.

The search for the next head coach at Tennessee begins now.

With Shawn Poppie hire, Clemson hopes to turn its women’s basketball program into contender

NCAA Women’s Basketball: Clemson is hoping to turn its women’s basketball program into an annual contender. To do so, the university tabbed Chattanooga’s Shawn Poppie as its new head coach on Tuesday.

Clemson is hoping to turn its women’s basketball program into an annual contender.

To do so, the university tabbed Chattanooga’s Shawn Poppie as its new head coach on Tuesday. The 38-year-old Poppie replaces Amanda Butler, whom the university parted ways with after a disappointing 12-19 season that included just five wins in conference play. Butler had led the program for six seasons. Clemson hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2019, Butler’s first year.

In two seasons at Chattanooga, Poppie led the Mocs to a 48-18 record and two NCAA Tournament appearances. Poppie was named the 2023-24 Southern Conference Coach of the Year. Chattanooga won the Southern Conference championship in each of the past two seasons. They lost, 64-45, to No. 3 seed NC State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shawn and his family to Clemson,” Clemson athletic director Graham Neff said Tuesday. “As we worked through our search process, his name kept coming up in several circles, and the on-court results speak for themselves. He’s coached and recruited at a high level, has experience in the ACC and in the upstate, and we are confident in his ability to get our program to the next level.”

Poppie received a six-year contract from Clemson worth $3.375 million annually through the 2029-2030 season. The agreement was officially approved by the Board of Trustees’ compensation committee on Tuesday. Poppie will earn $500,000 next season, plus an additional $25,000 until the final year of the contract when he’s expected to be paid $625,000. He will also receive a signing bonus of $435,000.

More details about Poppie’s contract, including bonuses, can be found at The Clemson Insider, which first reported the news of Poppie’s hire.

“I am beyond excited to be joining the Clemson Tiger family as the next head women’s basketball coach,” Poppie said in a statement Tuesday. “I am thankful to Graham Neff, Stephanie Ellison-Johnson, and the Clemson University administration for making our family feel welcome. It truly has been a humbling experience getting to know why Clemson is so special — it’s the people. With the resources in place and everyone moving in synergy together, I believe we can compete in the ACC, the best women’s basketball conference in the country.”

Poppie has ties to the ACC, having spent six years as an assistant coach at Virginia Tech. Before becoming the head coach at Chattanooga, Poppie had been promoted to associate head coach on Kenny Brooks’ Virginia Tech staff ahead of the 2020-21 season.

TAKEAWAY

The popularity of women’s basketball, particularly at the college level, is at an all-time high because of celebrated players like Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, LSU’s Angel Reese, and more. Understandably, Clemson wants to become a serious player in the sport. Doing so won’t be easy, but every program has had to start somewhere.

Look no further than the Tigers’ in-state rival in Columbia.

South Carolina was hardly a national or even regional power prior to the late 2010’s. Now, the Gamecocks regularly offer one of the best programs in the country. They have won two national championships since 2017 under coach Dawn Staley and are bidding for a third. South Carolina is a perfect 34-0 this season, and their 109-40 win over Clemson back in November was their 13th straight victory over the Tigers.

While short on championships, the ACC has been a premier women’s basketball league for several years. A total of eight league schools — Virginia Tech, NC State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Louisville, Florida State, Duke, and North Carolina — reached the 2024 NCAA Women’s Tournament. It’s the sixth straight year that eight ACC teams made the tournament.

To that end, Poppie’s familiarity with the ACC from his time in Blacksburg is something Clemson and Neff clearly valued.

What’s also clear is that the Tigers’ five-year drought from the NCAA Tournament was unacceptable to Neff and others within the administration — as well it should be.

In Poppie, Clemson has hired a coach with a proven record of getting teams to the NCAA Tournament. True, Poppie will face an uphill battle to build the Tigers into a program that consistently competes in March, but there’s nothing to suggest that he isn’t a good fit for the school, or that the Tigers were in better hands prior to his arrival.

Case in point: South Carolina 109, Clemson 40.

First round of Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball tournaments only on one streaming service

More streaming-only games on the horizon:

The first round of the 2024 Big Ten men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be exclusively broadcast on Peacock, according to a release from NBC Sports.

The women’s tournament began Wednesday, March 6, while the men’s tournament tips off Wednesday, March 13.

The first round of each tournament only includes games between the conference’s bottom four teams — No. 11 vs No. 14 and No. 12 vs No. 13 specifically.

Related: ESPN Bracketology: Latest update on Wisconsin entering final stretch

The second round is where most of the real action begins, and is where Wisconsin is currently slated in both brackets.

The Wisconsin women’s team is the No. 10 seed entering the tournament and is scheduled to face No. 7 Penn State at 5:30 p.m. central on Thursday, March 7.

The Wisconsin men’s team, meanwhile, is currently the No. 5 seed with a few conference games remaining. A 2-0 record could bring them to the double-bye category and have them avoid the second round entirely.

Either way, neither Badger basketball team will be playing its Big Ten Tournament contest on Peacock.

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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

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark makes history, what’s next?

Caitlin Clark is now chasing the Hall of Famer, “Pistol” Pete Maravich.

Unless you were sleeping under a rock yesterday, you saw or heard about the history-making performance by Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball star Caitlin Clark.

Clark was only eight points away from history and of course, it was a three-ball from way downtown that set the record. It happened in under three minutes into the game. She wasn’t done as the Iowa native poured in another 41 points in the contest. Clark recorded a double-double as she dished out 13 assists as well. Iowa took care of business in the 106-89 victory over Michigan.

Caitlin Clark officially stands alone as the all-time scoring leader in NCAA women’s basketball history. That number will only continue to grow as the Hawkeyes have four more games in the regular season.

As for what is next, Clark has her eyes on the men’s all-time record set by the Hall of Famer, “Pistol” Pete Maravich. His mark of 44.2 points per game is clearly out of reach, but she can pass his mark for career points. The mark sits at 3,667.

Currently, Clark has 3,569 points which is just 98 behind Maravich. Given that she averages 32.8 points per game, she should certainly be able to break that mark before the regular season comes to a close on Mar. 3.

Even though the women’s crown now belongs to Caitlin Clark, we will all have our eyes on one of the records we thought would never be broken.

Notre Dame Routed at Home by NC State

Rough night for the Irish

Things started poorly for the Notre Dame women’s basketball team Thursday night in South Bend and they didn’t get any better throughout the evening.

The Irish were outscored by the Wolfpack 16-2 in the first 7:35 of the contest and spent the entire night just trying to get back within shouting distance.

The Irish struggled on the night, shooting just 26.9% from the floor in what resulted in a 59-43 loss.

Maddy Westbeld led Notre Dame with 14 points while Sonia Citron scored 13.  Hannah Hidalgo added 10 but was just 4-19 from the floor.

Madison Hayes led North Carolina State with 15 points.

The Irish fall to 18-6 overall and 8-5 in ACC play while NC State moves to 22-3 overall.

Notre Dame returns to action Monday night when they’ll travel to Duke.

How to buy No. 15 Notre Dame vs. Pitt women’s college basketball tickets

See the No. 15 Fighting Irish at home on Sunday against Pitt. Tickets still remain for as little as $22.

The No. 15 Notre Dame women’s basketball team looks to get a victory in ACC play Saturday night as they’re at home to take on the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Pittsburgh has struggled this year going just 7-15 overall and just 1-8 to date in ACC play. That lone victory came on January 25 at Virginia.

Notre Dame is 16-4 overall this season and is looking for a third-straight victory.  Last Saturday night the Irish won in primetime at Connecticut and dominated Georgia Tech on Thursday.  Freshman sensation Hannah Hidalgo looks to stay red-hot as she’s coming off a 35 point performance on Thursday.

Notre Dame hosts Pittsburgh on Sunday, February 4.  Can Pitt perhaps upset the 16th ranked Irish or will Notre Dame continue their winning streak?

The cheapest ticket to get into Sunday’s Fighting Irish game is $22.

If you’re looking for a more luxurious experience, the most expensive ticket would only cost you $98.

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