Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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in the preseason Big East Conference coaches' poll. The Cardinals made it to the Final Four and won the league tournament last year. Syracuse is re- loading, and even in a subpar postsea- son performance the Orange still made it to the league semifinals and Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. The Bearcats lost by six points to Louisville in the Big East Tournament title game and went on to advance to the Sweet 16. Dame to thrive in what many believe will be the program's last year in the Big East before moving on to the Atlan- tic Coast Conference. It's still going to be a grind in this league, but the Irish are confident after last year's run, more experienced and more talented than the outfit head coach Mike Brey had in 2011-12. Junior point guard Eric Atkins is The pieces are in place for Notre SEASON SUMMARY primed to lead a more potent offense, senior forward Jack Cooley is one of the top big men in the league, junior guard Jerian Grant is expected to have a breakout year, sixth-year senior Scott Martin remembers what it was like when the game was played with peach baskets, sophomore Pat Connaughton should add more to his overall game after being thrown in the fire last win- ter and the Irish should get plenty of contribution from their bench beyond simply the ability to rest their starters. The Big East always produces a bevy of tournament teams, and Notre Dame will be included. The Irish overachieved in the regular season last year, but faded in the postseason again. This is the year Brey and Co. exorcise some of those March demons. We feel Notre Dame will finish 17-2 in its "Must Haves," 4-3 in its "Bubble Games" and 2-3 in its "Steals." That would put the Fighting Irish at 23-8 overall and 13-5 in the Big East. ✦ Football Calendar Calendar measures a big 12" X 12" Jan. 2013 through Dec. 2013 PLUS 4-month Bonus Page (Sept.-Dec. 2012) 2013 Notre Dame Only $15.99 ea. Plus $5.00 Shipping within U.S. Sales Tax (NC 7%, IN 7%, MI 6%) BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 1-800-421-7751 P.O. BOx 2331 • Durham, NC 27702