Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Under the Dome Point���������Counterpoint: Which Team Has The Best Chance To Win The Next National Championship At Notre Dame? Men���s Lacrosse By Dan Murphy Women���s Basketball By Wes Morgan It���s been two full years since the Irish fencing The Notre Dame women���s basketball team and team brought an NCAA championship trophy to head coach Muffet McGraw have a monkey the South Bend. Notre Dame is due, and it has a few size of a Volkswagen Beetle on their backs after teams knocking on the door of a national title. The back-to-back losses in the national championship next team to cross that threshold will be the men���s game. After the 76-70 loss to Texas A&M in 2011, lacrosse program. there was almost an ���oh well, Skylar Diggins will Head coach Kevin Corrigan has brought his team get the Irish back to the title game��� vibe similar to to two of the last three Final Four weekends. His Michigan���s Fab Five in 1992. Like the Wolverines, veterans know what it takes the Fighting Irish women made it back to make it to the final game to the championship game the following of the year. In 2010, the Irish year and lost again. made it to overtime in the Top-ranked Baylor took it to ND, 80-61, national championship game and it was the first time since Tennessee before losing to Duke. in 2003-04 that a program finished runThe defense, led by Allner-up consecutive years. Only Auburn American goalie John Kemp, (1988-90) has lost three times in a row. has been of a championship The Irish are ranked No. 2, won the Big caliber for the past several East regular-season crown for the second years. They allowed the fewstraight year and have serious revenge est goals per game in the Senior captain Matt Miller on their minds. Unlike the minefield country last year. This sea- is part of a defense that that is the men���s NCAA Tournament, the son, they are off to another has consistently been one women���s side is a smoother ride for the strong start, averaging seven of the best nationally. top seeds. Since the women���s tourney photo by joe raymond began in 1982, 13 No. 1-ranked teams goals per game against two top teams. entering the championship have reached the final, The offensive firepower to get them over the and at least one No. 1 seed has made it to the Final hump may have finally arrived this year. The Four every year. Two No.��1 seeds have squared off team���s top five leading scorers from a year ago for the title 10 times, including last season. are back, including a couple sophomores who are A No. 16 seed has topped a No. 1 seed once poised for big second seasons. They���re joined by (that has never happened on the men���s side). A freshman Matt Kavanagh, who was the MVP of team seeded No. 14 or No.��15 has never won a the U-19 World Championships last summer. He���s first-round game in the history of the women���s wasted no time getting his college career off to a tournament. Programs that have been seeded strong start. No. 1-4 are a combined 297-7 in the history of the Combined with a stingy defense, the Notre event. Those are extraordinarily good odds for the Dame attack has what it takes to be lifting some Irish, which have ample fuel to push it over the hardware on Memorial Day this year. top this time.