For the third year in a row Notre Dame and Connecticut square off in the Women's Final Four. The Irish have claimed victory the last two seasons before falling in the championship game. This year the two rivals meet for the fourth time with the Irish sweeping the previous three. UConn looks to knock off Notre Dame and once again claim their stake as the nation's best while the Fighting Irish hope to end the Huskies season again and get back to the title game. Judging by the last several meetings between these two, this one should go right down to the wire.
NOTRE DAME
The Fighting Irish enter the game 35-1 overall and own the nation's longest win streak at 30 straight. This is their fifth Final Four appearance in school history and are 3-1 in their previous national semifinal appearances. They've beaten UConn each of the past two seasons in the Final Four only to lose the championship game to Texas A&M in 2011 and Baylor in 2012.
The Irish are led by All-Everything Skylar Diggins who leads the team averaging 17.3 points per game. She's also tops in assists and steals and third on the team in blocks. She'll go down as one of, if not, the best player in Notre Dame basketball history. With her on the court, Notre Dame is the best team in the country.
Diggins has plenty of help though with three other Irish players averaging double figures. Kayla McBride scores 15.9 points a game, Natalie Achonwa has been a double-double machine scoring 13.9 points and collecting 9.6 rebounds a game, and Jewell Loyd has had a terrific freshman season averaging 12.5 points a contest and hitting nearly 42% of her three pointers.
Notre Dame just knows how to win. They can start slow and then turn it on and have played their best when the competition is the fiercest.
UCONN
The Huskies come into the game 33-4 with three of their four losses coming to Notre Dame. This is the 14th Final Four appearance in school history and an NCAA record sixth in a row. UConn has won seven national championships overall with 2010 being the most recent.
Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis leads the charge for UConn averaging 17.7 points a game to go with 6.3 rebounds. Like the Irish, the Huskies have four players averaging double figures. Stefanie Dolson scores 13.8 points and grabs a team-high 7.2 rebounds, Breanna Stewart adds 13.1 points and Kelly Faris averages 10.1 points each game.
This is a very good team once again and a team that easily could be undefeated. Their four losses this year have been by a combined 18 points including a triple overtime loss to Notre Dame. One thing is for sure, they won't be intimidated facing the Fighting Irish.
PREDICTION
I think if you asked Muffett McGraw and Geno Auriemma they'd say the one team they don't want to face in the Final Four would be each other. UConn and Notre Dame have played so many times over the last three seasons that there are no secrets. The Irish have won 7 of the last 8 games between the two, but UConn could just as easily be on the plus side of that stat. This game will be tight throughout and I imagine it will come down to the final buzzer before the winner is declared. It's so hard to beat either of these teams and for Notre Dame to beat UConn four times in one season seems almost impossible. The fact remains, however, that Notre Dame is the better team and Skylar Diggins will be the best player. I think that carries them to the national championship game once again.
FINAL SCORE: Notre Dame - 70, UConn- 69
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