Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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50 SEPT. 25, 2017 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED ND SPORTS BY LOU SOMOGYI T he Notre Dame women's basketball program knows much about win- ning conference titles. Over the past four years it has won four consecu- tive Atlantic Coast Conference regular season and tournament champion- ships for a total of eight overall. Prior to joining the ACC, 2017 Nai- smith Basketball Hall of Fame head coach Muffet McGraw's Fighting Irish also edged out Connecticut to capture the 2013 Big East titles. So it would seem apropos that college basketball's best program at winning league titles the past five years has assembled a demanding 2017-18 schedule that will include 11 opponents who made the postseason a year ago — highlighted by seven conference champions. Before even flipping the calendar to December, Notre Dame will have played potentially the most demand- ing schedule in the land. • After the season opener Nov. 11 versus Mount St. Mary's, the Irish hit the road for seven straight contests, including Conference-USA champion Western Kentucky Nov. 14 followed by Pac-12 regular-season champion Oregon State Nov. 19. • During Thanksgiving break, the Irish head to Estero, Fla., for the Gulf Coast Showcase Nov. 24-26. The eight-team bracket could finish with a potential championship matchup that would see Notre Dame challeng- ing the defending national champion South Carolina Gamecocks, who also won the SEC. Afterwards, Notre Dame travels to the defending WNIT champion Mich- igan Nov. 29 for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on the Big Ten Network. • December will enter like a lion when the Irish travel to Connecticut, winner of 11 national titles since 1995, including four in a row from 2013-16, and the overwhelming favorite to finish No. 1 this year as well. • The "Tour of Champions" then embarks to Philadelphia, McGraw's hometown, Dec. 9 when the Irish battle Ivy League champ Penn. • Notre Dame returns home to host defending Big East regular-season champion DePaul Dec. 17, followed by Big East Tournament champion Marquette Dec. 20. On Jan. 18, Notre Dame closes out its non-conference schedule with a prime-time matchup at home with Tennessee on ESPN. The 16-game ACC schedule begins Dec. 28 at home versus Syracuse. ✦ Irish Roundup MEN'S SOCCER (4-0, 1-0 ACC) Notre Dame started ACC play with a 3‑1 victory over Boston College Sept. 8. The Irish have risen all the way to No. 2 in the national rankings and will play their next two games at home — versus North Carolina State Sept. 15 and Bowling Green Sept. 19 — before traveling to Virginia Tech Sept. 22. WOMEN'S SOCCER (4-2-2) The Irish rebounded from a 2‑1 overtime loss to Ohio State Sept. 8 with a 4‑0 victory over Toledo Sept. 10. Notre Dame opened up conference play at No. 11 Clemson Sept. 16 and will host No. 4 Duke Sept. 21. In the last 10 games of the season, the Irish will match up with five teams currently ranked in the top 25. VOLLEYBALL (7-1) The Irish suffered their first loss of the season 3‑0 at Ohio State Sept. 8, but bounced back two days later with a 3‑1 win in a rematch with the Buckeyes in South Bend. Notre Dame captured tournament championships in the Golden Dome Invitational and Bowling Green/Toledo Invitational to start the season, and will look to do the same when it hosts the Shamrock Invitational on the weekend of Sept. 16. MEN'S GOLF Notre Dame wrapped its first tournament of the year by taking fourth place in the Badger Invitational. Junior Ben Albin was the top finisher for the Irish, recording a three‑round score of 207, good enough to put him in third place individually. Sophomore Davis Lamb, junior Miguel Delgado and freshman Davis Chatfield all finished in the top 30. — David McKinney Head coach Muffet McGraw and the Irish will square off against 11 opponents that partici- pated in postseason play last year, including seven conference champions. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND Women's Basketball Faces A Demanding Slate 2017-18 NOTRE DAME WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Time (ET) Nov. 1 Indiana (Pa.)% 7 p.m. Nov. 11 Mount St. Mary's 1 p.m. Nov. 14 at Western Kentucky 8 p.m. Nov. 19 at Oregon State TBA Nov. 24 East Tennessee State^ TBA Nov. 25 South Florida or Washington State^ TBA Nov. 26 TBA^ TBA Nov. 29 at Michigan& (BTN) 6 p.m. Dec. 3 at Connecticut# (ESPN) 4 p.m. Dec. 6 Michigan State (ACCN) 7 p.m. Dec. 9 at Penn 1 p.m. Dec. 17 DePaul (ACCN) 1 p.m. Dec. 20 Marquette (ACCN) 3 p.m. Dec. 28 Syracuse* (ACCN) 7 p.m. Dec. 31 at Wake Forest* (ACCN) 1 p.m Jan. 4 Miami* (ACCN) 7 p.m. Jan. 7 at Georgia Tech* (ACCN) 2 p.m. Jan. 11 at Louisville* (ESPN) 7 p.m. Jan. 14 Boston College* (ACCN) 1 p.m. Jan. 18 Tennessee (ESPN) 7 p.m. Jan. 21 Clemson* (ACCN) 1 p.m. Jan. 25 at Pittsburgh* (ACCN) 7 p.m. Jan. 28 at Florida State* (ESPN2) 4 p.m. Feb. 1 North Carolina* (ACCN) 7 p.m. Feb. 4 at Duke* (ESPN2) 1 p.m. Feb. 11 Georgia Tech* (RSN) 1 p.m. Feb. 15 at Virginia* (ACCN) 7 p.m. Feb. 18 at Boston College* (ACCN) 1 p.m. Feb. 22 Virginia Tech* (ACCN) 7 p.m. Feb. 25 NC State* (ESPN2) 2 p.m. Feb. 28‑March 4 ACC Tournament$ TBA % Exhibition; ^ Gulf Coast Showcase.; & ACC- Big Ten Challenge; #Jimmy V Women's Classic; * ACC game; $ at Greensboro, N.C.; ACCN — ACC Network; RSN — Regional Sports Network