Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/542018
of NBA-bound freshmen, versus an undersized Notre Dame captained by senior leaders in Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton — would meet in the Elite Eight. Both teams held up their end of the bargain, facing off for a bid to the Final Four in Cleveland March 28. The score was tied 31-31 at halftime, but Notre Dame led for a large portion of the sec- ond half, including 59-53 with 6:16 to play. Kentucky clawed back in it, tying the game at 66-66 with 1:14 to play on a layup by freshman center Karl-An- thony Towns, the eventual No. 1 over- all NBA Draft pick. The Cats made two free throws with six seconds left to take a 68-66 lead, and Jerian Grant missed a desperate three-pointer at the buzzer, eliminating the Irish from the tournament. "We really thought we had a great chance of beating them, and I thought we displayed that," Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. "But I think you've got to give them credit. They made some big plays. They made some timely three-point shots at key times." Basketball "U" The Irish might be world-renowned for their football program, but it was the men's and women's basketball programs that took center stage this past year. The women's team qualified for the national championship game, falling 63-53 to UConn in the final, while the men's team advanced to the Elite Eight, falling 68-66 to then-unde- feated Kentucky. Both teams eventually sent first- round picks — Jewell Loyd for the