Sports

Irish can't clinch vs. Spartans, setting up Game 3 Sunday

Irish can't clinch vs. Spartans, setting up Game 3 Sunday

Author: Gregory McKenna

It took over 91 minutes of hockey this weekend for Michigan State to beat Notre Dame goalie Ryan Bischel. 

After the Spartans went ahead 2-1 in the second period Saturday, however, roles were reversed from Friday, when the Irish found a second period goal and then went into a shell for the final 20 minutes. A heroic performance from Bischel put the Irish one win away from the Big Ten Tournament semifinals and, likely, a spot in the NCAA Tournament. 

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McKenna: Irish seniors send off Mike Brey with more than just style

McKenna: Irish seniors send off Mike Brey with more than just style

Author: Greg McKenna

Five seniors broke their huddle, fanning out by the Notre Dame free throw line. Irish head coach Mike Brey, as he often does, kept his remarks brief during a media timeout with just under 12 minutes left in the first half. 

So Cormac Ryan, Dane Goodwin, Trey Wertz, Marcus Hammond and Nate Laszewski turned their gaze toward the Pittsburgh bench, where Jeff Capel’s No. 25 Panthers were yet to take the floor. 

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Bengal Bouts
McKenna: Men's Basketball Fails to Close (Again) Against UNC

McKenna: Men's Basketball Fails to Close (Again) Against UNC

Author: Greg McKenna

It couldn’t have started much uglier.

Fittingly, the climax of Notre Dame’s back-and-forth affair against North Carolina Wednesday night at Purcell Pavilion was scrappy, too. Down one with 30 seconds left, the Irish trusted their defense to get a late stop, just as they had on Saturday at Virginia. As on Saturday, and so often this season, Mike Brey’s team came up short. 

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Ryan Bischel's Heroics Lead Irish Hockey to Crucial Win on Senior Night

Ryan Bischel's Heroics Lead Irish Hockey to Crucial Win on Senior Night

Author: Greg McKenna

Ryan Bischel pointed to the sky, then spread his arms wide for the bear hugs from teammates he knew were coming. 

It wasn’t the first time Bischel, the only goalie in the nation with over 1000 saves this season, has kept the Irish in games while under siege. It wasn’t the first time he had put on a clinic, forcing opposition players to simply raise their hands on their heads and wonder “How on Earth did he just do that?” as Ohio State was left to ponder Saturday night. 

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Gator Bowl

Gator Bowl

Author: Elena Que

On Dec. 30 2022, Notre Dame took on South Carolina in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl, emerging with a 45-38 victory. This was Notre Dame’s 41st bowl game appearance.

Following a year of transition, adaptation and growth, the team lived up to their Fighting Irish name, coming back from a 14-point deficit in the first quarter to claim victory. This was one of their largest comebacks in bowl game history, second only to their 22-point comeback over Houston in the 1979 Cotton Bowl.

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Notre Dame VS. USC: A Rivalry Renewed

Notre Dame VS. USC: A Rivalry Renewed

Author: Ryan Broussard

Harvard vs. Yale, Alabama vs. Auburn, Florida vs. Florida State, Coastal Carolina vs. BYU. There are thousands of rivalries that exist within college football, ranging from old to new and small to big. (“Mormans vs. Mullets” always makes the cut, even if the Chanticleers and Cougars have met only once.) Despite all these rivalries though, only a select few are remembered as being truly legendary. The biggest matchups need more than just playoff potential teams to be etched into the history of college football. They also need a perfect recipe of history, Heisman level players, passionate coaches and just a little bit of hate between both the players and the fans of the opposing teams. 

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Ivey's Irish rebound with rivalry win over No. 3 UConn

Ivey's Irish rebound with rivalry win over No. 3 UConn

Author: Greg McKenna

Olivia Miles admitted she was too timid, too much in her own head during Notre Dame’s 74-72 loss at the buzzer against Maryland Thursday. 

Back on the floor at Purcell Pavilion and playing in one of college basketball’s premier rivalries Sunday afternoon, she played more like a woman possessed. Miles led the Irish with 21 points, 15 of which came on 7 of 8 shooting in the first half, and added four assists as No. 7 Notre Dame (6-1) led by as many as 18 and downed No. 3 Connecticut (6-1) 74-60 in the Jimmy V Classic. 

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McKenna: Cormac Ryan Effect in Full Force as Irish Crush No. 20 Spartans

McKenna: Cormac Ryan Effect in Full Force as Irish Crush No. 20 Spartans

Author: Greg McKenna

The mass of Michigan State fans smelled blood in the water as they took over the south side of Purcell Pavilion Wednesday night. The chants of “Go Green! Go White!” before a late evening tip were filled more with expectation than encouragement. 

A Notre Dame team coming off a double-digit loss to St. Bonaventure on Friday in Elmont, New York? That had let the Bonnies begin on a 22-9 run? That had shot 2 of 17 from three? That was near the bottom of the ACC in… assists? (You couldn’t find a more out of character stat for a Mike Brey team if you tried.)

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Table-topping: Mike Brey Loves Students. But is that Enthusiasm Reciprocated?

Table-topping: Mike Brey Loves Students. But is that Enthusiasm Reciprocated?

Author: Ryan Broussard

The legacy of the Fighting Irish has attracted and shaped legendary coaches for over a century. They’ve brought back national championships, memorable victories and developed athletes of hall-of-fame caliber. 

One of these legendary coaches is Mike Brey, who has risen to his celebrated status throughout his more than 20 years as the Notre Dame men’s basketball coach. During his first three years as head coach, Brey led the team to three straight tournament appearances after a 10-year drought. Since then, he’s developed NBA-caliber players and made 10 more March Madness appearances. However, among current and former students, Brey is known as more than just a basketball coach: he is an integral part of the campus community. 

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Baraka Bouts Champions Embody Spirit of Club, Notre Dame
Friendship Goals
Basketball Preview
Cleats for a Cause
Heading Towards Success
The Freeman Era
Rushing Through Adversity
Alcohol at Sporting Events

Alcohol at Sporting Events

Author: Daniel Paglia

On a game day in South Bend, Notre Dame fans can likely be found drinking alcohol for hours before the game in the stadium parking lots. After the game concludes, regardless of the outcome, there is frequently a migration from Notre Dame Stadium to one of the surrounding bars — Brother’s, O’Rourke’s, The Linebacker Lounge and others.

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Softball Recap

Softball Recap

Author: Grant DelVecchio

Since the program’s inaugural season in 1989, Notre Dame softball has been a paragon of consistency, having won 30 or more games every year except for the canceled 2020 season.

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Bertrand Story

Bertrand Story

Author: Greg McKenna

John Michael Bertrand and his brother JD head to the indoor facility for Notre Dame’s football and soccer programs about twice a week. Unlike JD, though, John Michael is not a middle linebacker.

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Pete Sampson Q&A
Transfer vs Recruiting

Transfer vs Recruiting

Author: Daniel Paglia and Matt Cotner

The new NCAA transfer portal allows players to transfer without sitting out for a year. This change has revolutionized college basketball. Countless players have already entered the portal after the conclusion of this season. It has never been easier to fill a hole in a roster. What does this mean for Notre Dame?

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Crunch Time

Crunch Time

Author: Caroline Pineda

The 11th-seeded men’s basketball team came close to earning a Sweet 16 berth, ultimately falling 59-53 to No. 3 seed Texas Tech in the Round of 32 in the NCAA Tournament. 

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Womens Basketball

Womens Basketball

Author: Grant DelVecchio

Between 1996 and 2019, Notre Dame women’s basketball advanced to 24 straight NCAA tournaments, nine Final Fours and won two national championships.

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Notre Dame Hockey Overview

Notre Dame Hockey Overview

Author: Matt Cotner

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.

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Basketball Overview
Football Coaches
New faces on the coaching staff

New faces on the coaching staff

Author: Daniel Paglia and Matt Cotner

As Marcus Freeman assumes his head coaching duties at the University of Notre Dame, his first staff is beginning to take shape. With the departure of any head coach comes several changes among the position coaches, and the same holds true for the Fighting Irish after former head coach Brian Kelly took the job at LSU. Several former coaches have since departed for other opportunities or have not been retained — running backs coach Lance Taylor took the offensive coordinator position at Louisville, defensive line coach Mike Elston left for his same job at Michigan, Brian Polian followed Kelly to LSU as the special teams coordinator and Del Alexander and Jeff Quinn were relieved of their duties leading the wide receivers and offensive line, respectively. Even with these losses, Fighting Irish fans have something to look forward to as Freeman and company announce the hirings of new position coaches who will bring a renewed energy to recruiting and the development of players already on campus. 

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Game Recap: UVA

Game Recap: UVA

Author: Caroline Pineda

On the road in Charlottesville, Notre Dame continued to show marked improvement and moved to 9-1 with a 28-3 drubbing of the Cavaliers. 

The Irish rushed for 249 yards behind strong performances from Kyren Williams and Logan Diggs, while Jack Coan added 132 yards and three passing touchdowns. Defensively, Notre Dame didn’t allow a score until the fourth quarter, when a field goal gave Virginia its only points of the game. 

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