Notre Dame Basketball Program Ranked 18th All-Time by Associated Press

Considering the lack of success in the time between Digger Phelps and Mike Brey, it may come as a surprise to you millennials out there that the Notre Dame basketball program actually sits 8th all-time in men’s college basketball wins (and they were 7th before this season, when UCLA surpassed them and took an 8-win lead).

So, if that surprised you, you might also be surprised to see that the Associated Press, in a ranked list of the best college basketball programs of all-time, slotted Notre Dame in at #18, which seems pretty fair considering the dearth of Final Fours and absence of championships.

About 21% of those wins have come since Mike Brey took over in 2000, so here’s more evidence that Notre Dame basketball is competing with some of the best in the country (despite wayyyyyy fewer resources).

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Other Men’s Basketball News and Notes

Mike Brey has strict rules regarding how the Fighting Irish schedule non-conference games, and yet appears to be breaking them, as ND will visit Delaware for a December road game next year. The Blue Hens are coached by former Mike Brey player and assistant coach Martin Ingelsby, and of course Delaware is where Brey got his head coaching start after being an assistant at Duke.

Delaware is a program on the mend, but Ingelsby has done a good job so far with very little to work with, so this could be a tough test considering the road environment and Ingelsby’s knowledge of Brey’s squad.

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

Meanwhile, Tom Noie put out a couple good pieces regarding ND basketball recently, including this short piece about how the oft-overlooked Irish will actually enter the 2017-2018 season with expectations to continue to perform as they have over the past 3 seasons.

Noie also authored a very interesting article on Demetrius Jackson and how he’s adjusting to a life that consists of occasionally playing in the NBA, but for the most part involves spending time developing in the NBA D-League (soon to be called G-League?). DJ was one of my favorite players to ever play for Notre Dame (I’m sure many of you feel the same way), so it’s cool to see how he’s adjusting and getting better as he tries to work his way up through the flourishing Celtics organization.

Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Class of 2018 Recruit Danielle Cosgrove Commits to Muffet McGraw’s Squad

Muffet McGraw continues to bring in talented recruits to her program, as she secured the commitment of ESPN’s 48th-ranked player in the class of 2018. Cosgrove is a 6’3” post player from Farmingville, New York, and is considered a top-10 post player in the class.

Cosgrove was also considering 2017 national champion South Carolina, Vanderbilt, Florida, and Colorado, and joins Jenna Brown (#8 overall), Katlyn Gilbert (#24 overall), and Abby Prohaska in the 2018 Irish recruiting class.

NOTRE DAME PLAYS IN THE FROZEN FOUR TOMORROW

The Notre Dame hockey team looks to continue its underdog run tomorrow evening, as the 4th-seeded Irish take on another 1-seed, this time the Denver Pioneers at 9:30 PM ET on ESPN2.

Here’s a solid preview of the game from College Hockey News, and be sure to tune in to see if the Irish can continue to knock off favored opponents as they have in wins over Minnesota and UMass Lowell to get to the Frozen Four.

Malik Zaire Still Hasn’t Made a Decision Yet, But If You’re a Big Fan and Need to Read About It Anyway, Here’s Where Some Sports Illustrated Writers Think He Might End Up

This is the link to what I said above. Basically, Florida, Wisconsin, and Miami are all options. My bet is Florida if the SEC will allow it. But who knows?

There’s Probably Something Out There, But I’m Tired and Don’t Have Any LaVar Ball News This Week

Please enjoy this video of Christmas with the Ball family instead.

Merry Christmas!