Dance Card: Notre Dame, Big East champions

Who? The Irish of Notre Dame.

What? There are many stories explaining the name. There are fewer explaining the leprechaun.

Where? South Bend, Indiana, site of the Studebaker National Museum.

When? March 12th, in Hartford, Connecticut.

Why? They won the Big East conference tournament.

How? A Skylar Diggins steal led to a wide open Natalie Achonwa lay-up with 1.8 seconds left and a 61-59 win for Notre Dame over UConn. Kayla McBride led the Irish with 23 points.

Surprise? Predicted to finish second in the conference, they finished first and undefeated in Big East play.

RPI: 2

SOS: 7

Record: 31-1 (16-0 Big East)

Good wins: At UConn. At Tennessee. Pilight, how many teams have done that in the same season?

Bad losses: I guess Baylor by default? But seriously.

Who's running this show? Muffet McGraw, since 1987. She's a very good golfer.

Extra, Extra! The South Bend Tribune.

Senior guard Skylar Diggins leads the way for the Irish, averaging 17.2 points, just shy of 6 assists, and 3 steals per game. She powers a dominant offense that averages over 80 points per game. Junior guard Kayla McBride adds 15.2 points, while junior forward Natalie Achonwa is a double-double threat every night, putting up 14 points and pulling down 9.5 rebounds.

Though it burns my soul to say it, there's a reason Notre Dame got the Player of the Year, Freshman of the Year, and Coach of the Year awards from the Big East. Their reserves have a tendency to turn the ball over, but if you're seeing the Irish bench, you're probably already down 30 anyway.