Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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in jest that instead of the NCAA Tour- nament this spring, it should be an NBA-style, best-of-seven series between UConn and Notre Dame. The Irish actu- ally are 7-2 in the last nine encounters with the Huskies, although last year's setback in the Final Four to the eight- time national champs resonates far more with the Notre Dame players. "We still have a chip on our shoul- der," Irish senior All-American guard Kayla McBride said of possessing a killer instinct. "I think we play in the best conference in the country, and we know we're going to get everybody's best game night in and night out." Maybe they do … but it sure doesn't seem like it. LITTLE RESISTANCE The Irish were challenged only twice during their 23-0 start. First was a 79-72 victory at Virginia, its road debut in the ACC Jan. 12, with se- nior Irish center Natalie Achonwa scor- ing a career-high 26 points to go with 16 rebounds. Then there was the 87-83 victory Jan. 27 at top-10 Maryland, which leads the ACC in conference titles with 10. The Irish roared to a 41-19 lead before the Terrapins had a frantic push that pushed them ahead 64-63 with 10 minutes left. Notre Dame then responded with seven unanswered points, while sophomore Jewell Loyd, last year's National Fresh- man of the Year, tallied a career-high 31 points after sitting out the previous game with a knee injury. A week earlier, the Irish trailed 39-27 at top-10 Tennessee before cruising to an 86-70 win. Entering the Boston College game Feb. 13, no other Irish team began 24-0 — and the only other one that was 23-0 won the 2001 national title. To get there, they had to get through — who else? — Connecticut in the Final Four. The Irish and Huskies have met in the Final Four each of the past three years, each time in the semifinal. This year, they might be on a collision course in the finale. BALANCING ACT After 27 seasons at Notre Dame, head coach Muffet McGraw knows how not to take the bait whenever she is asked if this is her best team. "That remains to be seen," she said diplomatically after a 101-64 blitzkrieg of a solid 17-6 and No. 27-ranked Syra- cuse squad Feb. 9. The sentiment throughout the country since December has been that it is better than the last three Final Four squads spearheaded by graduated mega-star Skylar Diggins. That's because with five McDonald's All-Americans on the roster — thanks in part to Diggins serving as the magnet to attract other top recruits — plus Canadian National Team mem- ber Achonwa, everyone has elevated her own game without leaning on Diggins for all the answers. "We all expected a drop-off when Sky- lar left," Syracuse head coach Quentin Hillsman said. "Throw that theory out the window." Sometimes there is an inaccurate per- ception that the Irish were "unbalanced" last year. In reality, Diggins averaged 17.1 points per game, McBride 15.9, Achonwa 13.8 and Loyd 12.5. However, it was a rebuilding team with three new starters and a fledgling group that Dig-