By 1981, Notre Dame basketball was a signature national brand. Over the previous seven seasons, Digger Phelps had taken them to seven NCAA Tournaments, six Sweet 16s and the Final Four in 1978. They had a senior-laden squad in the fold and were primed for more. The Irish did indeed have another strong year in […]
Notre Dame basketball was on a high coming into the 1979 season. They were coming off of five straight trips to the Sweet 16 and had gotten the major breakthrough with a Final Four run in 1978. With a lot of talent left on hand, it was a year of great expectation in South Bend. […]
Digger Phelps enjoyed a long and successful career as the Notre Dame basketball coach and today he’s a fixture on ESPN’s Gameday coverage with Rece Davis and Jay Bilas. Phelps was the architect behind several big wins, including ending UCLA’s 88-game winning streak in the John Wooden era. But only once did Phelps ever reach the Final Four, and that was 1978.
Notre Dame basketball came into the 1977 season with a veteran team that was coming off three consecutive Sweet 16 appearances. The Irish continued to enjoy success and again made it to the regional semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament. But a roller-coaster ride in the regular season ended with a heartbreaking defeat in March. […]
Digger Phelps’ Notre Dame program had started to become a national force in 1974, when they ended the 88-game winning streak of John Wooden’s UCLA and subsequently made the Sweet 16. They returned to the regional semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament in 1975. The 1976 Irish basketball season was—for better or for worse—more of […]
Notre Dame basketball came into the 1975 season off a ’74 campaign that had marked a historic breakthrough. The breakthrough came from Digger Phelps, in his third season, getting to the NCAA Tournament for the first time and reaching the Sweet 16. The historic part came from ending the 88-game winning streak of John Wooden’s […]
Digger Phelps had Notre Dame basketball on the upswing coming into the 1974 college basketball season. While he inherited a program in 1972 that had just gone to consecutive Sweet 16s, every single notable player from those teams was gone. Starting from scratch, Phelps won just six games in his first year in South Bend. […]
The Digger Phelps era in South Bend was rolling. Phelps took Notre Dame to a Final Four in 1978. The Irish were a #1 seed in 1979 and their regional final loss was to Magic Johnson and eventual national champion Michigan State. The 1980 Notre Dame basketball team continued to have success and made Digger’s […]
In 1987, Notre Dame basketball was on the upswing. A three-year NCAA Tournament drought came to an end in 1985 with the arrival of heralded freshman point guard David Rivers. The Irish were even better in 1986 and got all the way to the 3-line in the NCAA bracket. But that year ended with a […]