Notre Dame falls to TCU, goes out in Sweet 16 for fourth straight year
Notre Dame falls to TCU, goes out in Sweet 16 for fourth straight year
Notre Dame had national championship aspirations months before the 2024-25 season began. The roster was stacked with enough talent to make those aspirations a reality.
Instead, for the fourth straight year, the Irish's NCAA Tournament run ended in the Sweet 16. Led by led by a longtime nemesis, TCU won, 71-62, in Birmingham, Alabama for its second win over the Irish this season.
For three quarters, the Irish (28-6) showed they could compete with the Horned Frogs (34-3). They went up by as much as nine near the midway point of the third quarter. Even after the Frogs took the lead near the end of the quarter, Liatu King put the Irish back in front with a layup at the buzzer.
The fourth quarter was a different story though as the Irish shot only 3 of 18 from the field. Hailey Van Lith, who now has a 7-2 record against the Irish going back to her days at Louisville, took advantage by scoring 12 of her game-high 26 points and grabbing three of her nine rebounds in the frame. By the end of the game, she was being praised by everyone:
Sedona Prince scored 21 points for the Frogs, and Madison Conner added 13. While their defense also factored into the decision, they also were part of a collective effort in which they had far more efficient shooting than the Irish. Both teams made 22 field goals, but the Frogs attempted 25 fewer shots.
King achieved a double-double in her final college game with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Hannah Hidalgo had 15 points and four steals.
Olivia Miles, perhaps also in her last game with the Irish, scored seven of her 10 points in the second quarter. However, she and Hidalgo collectively missed all eight of their field-goal attempts in the fourth.
Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89
More: Notre Dame star Hannah Hidalgo named finalist for two national awards
More: Will JuJu Watkins injury cost Notre Dame fans chance to see her play?
More: Photo gallery of Hailey Van Lith vs. Notre Dame
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
UNC set to be on road for ACC/SEC Challenge
UNC set to be on road for ACC/SEC Challenge UNC is heading on the road to face off against Kentucky. Last season, the North Carolina Tar Heels played one of the toughest schedules in all of college basketball in their non-conference slate. And now, for the 2025-26 season, it looks like they will have a few blue blood programs on their slate. The Tar Heels are already scheduled to host Kansas in the final game of a home-and-home series but now we know they will also be in Lexington, Kentucky. Per Jon Rothstein, the Tar Heels will travel to face off against the Kentucky Wildcats as part of the ACC/SEC Challenge in 2025. This is the second-straight year the Tar Heels will be facing off against a preseason top 25 team in the challenge after they hosted Alabama in the Dean Dome a year ago. Kentucky is fresh off an impressive season under the first-year head coach Mark Pope. They should be one of the favorites in the SEC again this year. Here are the reported matchups for the event: There are some very intriguing matchups once again this year with Duke hosting the defending national champion Florida Gators. NC State will also head to Auburn to face off against Bruce Pearl and the Tigers. UNC's non-conference schedule is tough once again. In addition to Kansas, they will also play Michigan State and Ohio State out of the Big Ten. Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
With no players left from last season's team photo, Baylor begins summer practice with new roster
WACO, Texas — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears. Only four of those players exhausted their college eligibility. Nine others left in the transfer portal and one-and-done guard VJ Edgecombe could become Baylor's highest pick ever in the NBA draft later this month. 'Guys you didn't want to lose and were valuable, we haven't had many that we've lost. Whenever you do, that just tears at a coach, because you feel like you didn't do your job,' Drew said this week. 'With the portal, I think we've all gotten used to a lot more turnover in a hurry, and not to take things necessarily personal.' The Bears rebuilt their roster with eight transfers and a four-player signing class with a five-star prospect and the son of a NBA champion. Among the 14 players at the first practice was Cameron Carr, the former Tennessee guard who transferred to Baylor in the middle of last season long after that team photo session. One of the former Bears was guard Robert Wright, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists a game as a freshman last season and had reportedly agreed to a lucrative NIL deal to stay before transferring to BYU for an even bigger package. 'You know people are going to leave. Rob, obviously, was someone we had an agreement with. When you make an agreement, you think you're done,' Drew said, without getting into any specifics. 'Obviously that was a surprise to us, but again, the staff did a great job of putting together a roster and team. That's part of, hopefully, the House settlement, where you get to a point where you know who's on your team and when they're locked in, they're locked in.' The eight incoming transfers have more than 500 of games played combined, including guards Dan Skillings, who played 100 games over three years for Cincinnati, and JJ White, who started 75 of 99 games at Omaha over the same period. Juslin Bodo Bodo is a 7-foot post from Cameroon, started all 71 of his games for NCAA Tournament team High Point the past two seasons. Obi Agbim, a 6-3 guard, was the Mountain West newcomer of the year after averaging 17.6 points and 3.4 assists in 29 games last season for Wyoming. Five-star prospect Tounde Yessoufou, a small forward from St. Joseph High School in California, leads the signing class that also includes Andre Iguodala II, whose father was a four-time champion over 19 NBA seasons with four teams; Italian forward Maikcol Perez and big man May Soyoye. Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston are the only teams to win at least one game in each of the past six NCAA Tournaments, though the Bears have lost in the second round the past four years since their national championship in 2021. Drew and his staff will get an early look at the new squad with Baylor representing the United States at the World University Games next month in Germany. 'Any year you get a foreign tour, it's huge. ... Since we're returning 0.0 (percent of our) scoring, this give us all an opportunity,' Drew said. 'The games will be good for those that can play in it. But the practices will be great for everyone. And then, the one thing everybody leaves out is you do these team-bonding activities. There's nothing better than being overseas, that really brings you together a lot more than when you have all the distractions you do in the United States.'
Hamilton Spectator
an hour ago
- Hamilton Spectator
With no players left from last season's team photo, Baylor begins summer practice with new roster
WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor coach Scott Drew had plenty of players for the first practice of the summer Wednesday, about two months after the team photo from last season was widely circulated on social media with an X marked over all 14 of those players since none was returning to the Bears. Only four of those players exhausted their college eligibility. Nine others left in the transfer portal and one-and-done guard VJ Edgecombe could become Baylor's highest pick ever in the NBA draft later this month. 'Guys you didn't want to lose and were valuable, we haven't had many that we've lost. Whenever you do, that just tears at a coach, because you feel like you didn't do your job,' Drew said this week. 'With the portal, I think we've all gotten used to a lot more turnover in a hurry, and not to take things necessarily personal.' The Bears rebuilt their roster with eight transfers and a four-player signing class with a five-star prospect and the son of a NBA champion. Among the 14 players at the first practice was Cameron Carr, the former Tennessee guard who transferred to Baylor in the middle of last season long after that team photo session. One of the former Bears was guard Robert Wright, who averaged 11.5 points and 4.2 assists a game as a freshman last season and had reportedly agreed to a lucrative NIL deal to stay before transferring to BYU for an even bigger package. 'You know people are going to leave. Rob, obviously, was someone we had an agreement with. When you make an agreement, you think you're done,' Drew said, without getting into any specifics. 'Obviously that was a surprise to us, but again, the staff did a great job of putting together a roster and team. That's part of, hopefully, the House settlement , where you get to a point where you know who's on your team and when they're locked in, they're locked in.' The eight incoming transfers have more than 500 of games played combined, including guards Dan Skillings, who played 100 games over three years for Cincinnati, and JJ White, who started 75 of 99 games at Omaha over the same period. Juslin Bodo Bodo is a 7-foot post from Cameroon, started all 71 of his games for NCAA Tournament team High Point the past two seasons. Obi Agbim, a 6-3 guard, was the Mountain West newcomer of the year after averaging 17.6 points and 3.4 assists in 29 games last season for Wyoming. Five-star prospect Tounde Yessoufou, a small forward from St. Joseph High School in California, leads the signing class that also includes Andre Iguodala II, whose father was a four-time champion over 19 NBA seasons with four teams; Italian forward Maikcol Perez and big man May Soyoye. Baylor, Gonzaga and Houston are the only teams to win at least one game in each of the past six NCAA Tournaments, though the Bears have lost in the second round the past four years since their national championship in 2021. Drew and his staff will get an early look at the new squad with Baylor representing the United States at the World University Games next month in Germany. 'Any year you get a foreign tour, it's huge. ... Since we're returning 0.0 (percent of our) scoring, this give us all an opportunity,' Drew said. 'The games will be good for those that can play in it. But the practices will be great for everyone. And then, the one thing everybody leaves out is you do these team-bonding activities. There's nothing better than being overseas, that really brings you together a lot more than when you have all the distractions you do in the United States.' ___ AP college basketball:
