Irish Links: Notre Dame Named a Top 20 Basketball Program

AP Names Notre Dame No. 18 on their list of All-Time Top 100 Basketball Programs

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone knows about the storied history of Notre Dame football, but I’d argue that most fans arounds the country don’t realize that the Irish have a heckuva tradition in the hardwood as well.

On Wednesday the Associated Press unveiled their list of the All-Time Top 100 programs. It seems a large part of their criteria was how many polls each program has been in an or how many times a program has been ranked No. 1.

Notre Dame came in at No. 18, right after Maryland at 17 and before Villanova at 19. Check out the complete list at the link above

• The Irish have appeared in 32.4% of AP polls, and the poll era began in 1949.
• The Irish have been ranked No. 1 five times.
• Their best decade was the 1970s, when they appeared in 72% of the polls
• Their worst decade by far was the 1990s when they appeared in just two polls total

New all-time hits leader for Notre Dame softball

I know we’re a few days late on this, but last weekend Karley Wester became Notre Dame softball’s new all-time hits leader. In the bottom of the first against Virginia Tech, Wester beat out an infield single to break the record. The senior captain is currently third on the team in hits and batting average, two spots behind her younger sister Ali.

The Irish are 17-13, with a 4-5 record in ACC action. They will travel to Louisville this weekend to take on the Cardinals in a three-game set.

Joe Lunardi already breaking down bracketology for next season

You always wonder about guys like Lunardi or Mel Kiper Jr., what they do when the NCAA Tournament or NFL Draft is over. In Lunardi’s case, his work never sleeps — he keeps grinding.

In Tuesday night’s coverage of the NIT final four, Lunardi unveiled his No. 1 seeds for the 2018! NCAA Tournament. We aren’t even done with the 2017 tournament, and Lunardi is already predicting the No. 1’s for next season. His picks for No. 1’s next season are Arizona (West), North Carolina (East), Florida (South) and Kansas (Midwest). Apparently he did the same thing last season and was correct on three of the four No. 1 seeds.

An Opening Day without Vin Scully

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Next Monday will mark the first opening day since 1950 that Vin Scully will not be a part of. The 89-year-old Scully stepped down from being the Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster after last season.

He admitted to the AP on Wednesday that he won’t even bother watching the game because he’ll “probably have things to do.”

I will say this season will feel strange without Scully. It always was nice flipping on a Dodgers game on a late summer night and listen to Scully call the ball game.