The men’s basketball team’s season ended in a 59-53 loss to No. 3-seeded Texas Tech in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament. This capped an impressive run for the Irish, who had been relegated to the First Four after an early exit in the ACC Tournament left their NCAA Tournament hopes in doubt.
Confidence in the Notre Dame men’s basketball program was low heading into the 2021-2022 season.
The 2020-2021 Notre Dame hockey season ended in the heartbreaking fashion that only a pandemic could induce: a COVID-19 outbreak that forced the team to pull out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Question marks surrounded Notre Dame heading into their third game of the season. A scare against a non-Power Five opponent in Toledo the previous week, combined with quarterback controversy and poor offensive line play, led many to question the ceiling of this Irish team. While some of these questions remained unanswered, the Irish took care of business against the Boilermakers and clinched their 57th Shillelagh Trophy with a 27-13 win over their in-state rivals. …
Atop ten matchup under the lights in South Bend — that is what the preseason rankings suggested this game would hold. However, North Carolina limped into South Bend after a disappointing 4-3 start to their season, finding themselves unranked and struggling to keep the season afloat. While North Carolina kept the game competitive, the Irish picked up their second win against the Tar Heels in as many seasons, 44-34. …
Between the end of the regular season and the Fiesta Bowl, the Irish had 35 days off. This over a month-long pause between games was a “pause” in name only for the Irish. Since they last played, Notre Dame flirted with a College Football Playoff berth, only to see their hopes dashed after an Alabama victory over Georgia in the SEC Championship all but guaranteed the Irish would be seeded fifth. The program endured the unexpected departure of head coach Brian Kelly, and righted the ship, hiring Marcus Freeman to take over the job. …
Recency bias. It affects all of us. That’s why it is difficult to remember anything that happened in this 2021-2022 Irish football season that does not include the departure of Brian Kelly, the hiring of Marcus Freeman and the collapse witnessed at the Fiesta Bowl.
Taking a step back though, one realizes this season, like any other, was filled with twists and turns. It featured the return of fans in the stands, a game day experience that many felt relieved and excited to partake in again. It featured Irish staples, with another strong season from the likes of Kyren Williams, Michael Mayer and Kyle Hamilton. It featured new faces, such as transfer quarterback Jack Coan and defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman. …
Three different presidential administrations have come and gone, as well as three Summer Olympics. But Brian Kelly still remains. On September 4, 2010, Kelly earned his first win as head coach at the University of Notre Dame
This year, the university will see its campus ablaze once again with the passions of its supporters, with the hope that that very passion won’t spread the coronavirus on campus and in the South Bend community.
While the team’s ACC record may not resemble that of a top five team in the nation, the Irish have beaten No. 2 Duke and No. 8 Syracuse and their three losses have come by a combined four goals.
The sport has returned this spring, and both teams have found success thus far this season.
The Notre Dame men’s and women’s track teams traveled to Clemson Feb. 25 to 27 to participate in the ACC Indoor Championships. Both squads looked to build off strong performances in the 2020 championships, which saw the women finish third and the men finish fourth.
The coronavirus pandemic has made scouting and player evaluations even more difficult this year than in years past, so the upcoming NFL Draft will be filled with heightened uncertainty. After a second trip in three years to the College Football Playoff, the Fighting Irish will graduate a large swath of the talent that has sustained their success over the past few seasons. Many of those graduating are hoping to hear their names called this spring at the NFL Draft.…
“These unprecedented times” are the words that seem to populate every email and TV advertisement seen today. The four-word phrase may be overused and somewhat annoying to hear so often, but it nevertheless rings true, and is felt very heavily on a game day in South Bend.
Throughout the summer, questions about the state of college athletics popped up around the country. Although NCAA President Mark Emmert stated, “We cannot, at this point, have fall NCAA championships,” the NCAA is hoping to host fall championships in the spring. Notably, this statement does not apply to college football, as the NCAA does not have oversight of the Football Bowl Subdivision championship, the College Football Playoff. While details surrounding various fall sports seasons and championship formats remain unclear, Notre Dame fall sports athletes have begun to practice.