ESPN Basketball Insider Dick Vitale has put much stock into No. 3 Notre Dame since before the tournament began. While they still haven't played as well as he had envisioned, the Fighting Irish have squeaked into the Sweet Sixteen after a four point win against No. 14 Northeastern and a three-point victory against No. 4 Butler.
In early September, Notre Dame linebacker and Heisman Trophy candidate Manti Te’o—just days after learning of the death of his girlfriend—led the Fighting Irish to an emotional upset of then-#10 Michigan State. However, in one of the most bizarre twists we’ve seen in college football, it now appears that the whole story about a dying girlfriend was a hoax.
Notre Dame’s faint BCS bowl hopes took a big hit this week when it was determined that starting running back Jonas Gray will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn MCL. Gray was the Fighting Irish’s top-scoring threat, scoring in eight straight games, the longest such streak by a Fighting Irish running back since 1998.
ESPN commentator and former Notre Dame coach Bob Davie has been named the new head coach at the University of New Mexico. Davie was 35-25 in five years at Notre Dame, but hasn’t coached since 2001.