May 17, 2004
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Notre Dame head coach Muffet McGraw has always enjoyed word games. In fact, on any given Irish road trip, you’re likely to see her carrying around the latest copy of the New York Times or USA Today crossword puzzle, occasionally turning to her staff for help with a particular clue. However, when it comes to Notre Dame women’s basketball, the answers have been perfectly clear – the Irish are one of the nation’s premier programs and show no signs of giving up that distinction any time soon.
Consider the following: in the last eight seasons, only five teams have advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen six times – Notre Dame is one of them. Also, just six schools have won 20-or-more games in each of the past 11 years – Notre Dame is one of them. During the last eight seasons, only three programs have attracted Top 20 recruiting classes – Notre Dame is one of them. And finally, over the last eight years, only nine teams have won 200 or more games (averaging at least 25 wins per year) – Notre Dame is one of them.
In 2003-04, the Irish added to their ongoing legacy, setting a school record with seven regular-season wins over Top 25 teams on the way to a 21-11 record, a No. 20 ranking in the final ESPN/USA Today coaches’ poll and their fourth trip to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen in the last five years (and second in a row). Notre Dame also made sure the Joyce Center was a house of horrors for visiting teams, going a perfect 15-0 at home for the third time in the last five seasons while extending their home winning streak to 20 games, the second-longest string in school history and the eighth-longest active run in the nation heading into the ’04-05 season.
This year’s Irish squad was a veteran crew with four starters and eight monogram winners back in the fold. The team was bolstered by the experience it gained in last year’s NCAA Sweet Sixteen, and fortified with more than enough talent to compete with any team in the country. The primary question that loomed at the start of the season was whether or not Notre Dame could take that next step and grow into a unit that would capture the attention of the college basketball world.
The Irish would embark on a five-month journey to discover the answer to that question, and the trip would not always be a smooth one. Notre Dame has never backed down from tough competition in the past and the 2003-04 campaign was no exception. The Irish played a rigorous schedule that was ranked among the Top 20 in the nation all year long and featured 11 games against Top 25 opponents, as well as 16 games against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament.
The tests began early as Notre Dame faced a pair of ranked teams (and eventual NCAA participants) in Auburn and Colorado at the WBCA Classic in mid-November. The Irish looked sharp in their season-opening 77-64 win over Auburn and were poised to win the WBCA Classic title one night later at Colorado before the Buffaloes rallied to send the game to overtime and won a narrow decision in the extra session. The positive energy that came from a solid opening weekend was tempered over the next three weeks, as home wins over Valparaiso and Wisconsin were offset with disappointing losses on the road at Michigan State, eventual NCAA runner-up Tennessee and Washington.
The Irish rebounded nicely to end the month of December, winning their last four games, including their first road victory of the year at Colorado State. But again, Notre Dame’s momentum was blunted with consecutive road losses at Purdue and Georgetown. The latter setback in the BIG EAST Conference opener was especially disheartening, as the Irish held a six-point lead in the final 43 seconds before the Hoyas came back for the win.
Returning from Washington, D.C., with a 7-6 record and games with nationally-ranked Virginia Tech and Connecticut looming on the horizon, Notre Dame’s fortunes did not appear particularly good. However, in what McGraw often said was the turning point of the season, the players stepped off the bus and immediately headed to the practice gym at the Joyce Center to begin working out on their own – a sign of accountability, discipline and desire that would come to symbolize the second half of the Irish season.
Back in front of its home fans, Notre Dame began its turnaround with a 53-40 win over Virginia Tech, using a signature defensive performance that was commonplace for the Irish in BIG EAST action. Still, it wasn’t until fourth-ranked Connecticut came to the Joyce Center three nights later that many Irish fans and interested basketball observers realized the potential for greatness Notre Dame possessed.
Playing with a brash confidence and relaxed nature, the Irish attacked the Huskies from the opening tip, bolting out to a 14-point lead midway through the first half. Five times in the second period, UConn pulled within a single possession against Notre Dame. And five times, the Irish repelled the Huskies’ charge, scoring the final 13 points of the game to post a 66-51 victory, marking the third time in the last four seasons that Notre Dame has dealt Connecticut a double-digit loss. Coupled with the Irish men’s basketball team’s wins over Syracuse and Connecticut later in the year, Notre Dame was the only school to boast victories over the 2003 and 2004 NCAA champions on both the women’s and men’s side.
The win over UConn would be only the first salvo in a streak that saw the Irish win 12 of their final 15 regular-season games. Included in that run were heart-stopping home victories over nationally-ranked Villanova and BIG EAST Tournament champion Boston College, as well as a pair of decisive wins over Top 25 stalwart Miami. Over that stretch, Notre Dame’s defense was superb, holding opponents to an average of less than 50 points per game, including a school-record streak of seven consecutive games where Irish foes were limited to 52 points or less.
For the third consecutive year, Notre Dame found the going rough at the BIG EAST Championship, dropping a six-point decision to Rutgers in the quarterfinals. Still, the Irish had built up an impressive body of work during the regular season and they were rewarded with a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, playing host to Missouri Valley Conference champion Southwest Missouri State in the opening round at the Joyce Center. In one of the more exciting games in the 2004 NCAA Tournament, Notre Dame fought off a determined SMS squad and won 69-65 in overtime.
Two nights later, the Irish booked their place in the Sweet Sixteen, and completed an undefeated home season in the process, with a 59-46 win over Middle Tennessee. In the East Regional semifinal against top-seeded Penn State, Notre Dame gave the Lady Lions all they wanted and then some, holding PSU’s high-powered offense in check the entire way and opening up a pair of five-point leads. The score was tied with a minute to play and Notre Dame had a chance to retake the lead, but two shots misfired and Penn State scored the final six points to escape with a 55-49 win, ending the season for the Irish.
Notre Dame had much to be proud of during the 2003-04 season, including several individual accomplishments. Junior forward Jacqueline Batteast emerged as one of the nation’s brightest stars, averaging a career-high 16.0 points and 8.6 rebounds per game with 13 double-doubles. An AP honorable mention and Basketball Times Fifth Team All-America pick as well as a first-team all-BIG EAST selection, Batteast was at her best against top competition, averaging 16.3 points and 9.0 rebounds with five double-doubles in 11 games against Top 25 teams. She also was outstanding in Notre Dame’s three-game NCAA Tournament run, averaging 22.0 points and 11.7 rebounds per game with three double-doubles to earn a spot on the NCAA East Regional All-Tournament Team.
Sophomore guard Megan Duffy was another breakout performer for the Irish this season. After averaging just 3.0 points and 2.3 assists per game as a freshman, she more than tripled her scoring output to 9.9 ppg., and doubled her assist total to 3.9 apg., while scoring in double figures 17 times. For her efforts, she was named the BIG EAST Most Improved Player and was an honorable mention all-conference choice.
The 2003-04 season was one of growth and maturity for Notre Dame and the promise for the future of Irish women’s basketball is exceptionally bright. The Irish have eight monogram winners and four starters set to return next season, along with three talented freshmen. Together, this group will look to mesh into a cohesive unit that has its eyes set on a singular goal – a third trip to the NCAA Final Four and the program’s second national championship.
— ND —