Legendary coaches face off as Notre Dame tangles with Stanford
Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer and Notre Dame’s Muffett McGraw will coach against each other Friday in the Sweet 16, in Oklahoma City, for just the third time in their Hall of Fame careers and the first time in the NCAA Tournament.
VanDerveer said she is surprised she hasn’t faced McGraw more often. VanDerveer is in her 29th year at Stanford, and McGraw is in her 28th at Notre Dame.
“It’s amazing to me that in all the time we’ve been in the tournament and all the time they’ve been in the tournament, we’ve never been in the same bracket together,” VanDerveer said.
The winner will advance to the Elite Eight and play Baylor or Iowa on Sunday.
VanDerveer has a career record of 953-216. She has won two national titles at Stanford and led the 1996 U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal. She is a member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame and the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
McGraw has a career record of 784-261. She has won a national title at Notre Dame and is in the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame.
McGraw is impressed that VanDerveer is still a “student of the game.” She changed Stanford’s offense this season, with favorable results.
“She is someone I have great respect for — what she’s done for the women’s game, how she’s represented the women’s game with USA Basketball and what she’s done with Stanford,” McGraw said. “I think she’s a class person, does everything in the right way, and is really good for our game.”
Stanford (26-9) has never lost to the Fighting Irish (33-2). The Cardinal beat Notre Dame 97-67 on Dec. 2, 1990 and 88-76 on Nov. 24, 1991.
Hoops royalty: Stanford is making its eighth straight trip to the Sweet 16; Notre Dame is making its sixth in a row. They are two of just five schools to reach the Sweet 16 in each of the past six years. Notre Dame has been to the past four Final Fours, playing for the national title three times during that run.
Low seed Stanford: Stanford’s No. 4 seed is its lowest since being a No. 6 seed in 2004. The Cardinal actually lost 4 of 8 before reeling off five straight wins to reach the Sweet 16.