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-R.J. Stempak | Tuesday, March 28, 2017
The NBA playoffs begin in less than a month, so here are the first-round matchups that I want to see. Starting with the Eastern Conference: Cavaliers vs. Heat. If the current standings hold, this would be the premier first round matchup in the conference. This series has everything a spectator could want: the greatest player in
R.J. Stempak | Tuesday, March 7, 2017
Sadly, we are coming to the final months of the NBA season. The playoffs are nearly set in the West, all spots nearly secured except the eighth seed. Kevin Durant’s injury complicates the Warriors’ smooth ride to the first seed with Kawhi Leonard’s Spurs storming in close behind them. Other than that, the Thunder pretty
R.J. Stempak | Tuesday, February 28, 2017
No. 4 Notre Dame improved its record to 2-0 on a windy afternoon Sunday, defeating Michigan 16-5. The Irish (2-0) showcased unrelenting offense and stalwart defense in the matchup, conceding only one goal in the second half while outshooting the Wolverines 54-21. Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan said his team kept the pressure on Michigan
R.J. Stempak | Tuesday, February 21, 2017
NBA All-Star weekend saw less defense than usual in the All-Star game, another big-man-winning-the-skills competition, some stuff about the earth being flat in the three-point contest and yet another disappointing dunk contest. Anthony Davis won All-Star game MVP honors, but that was quickly shoved to the back of the trophy case because he found out
R.J. Stempak | Thursday, February 16, 2017
No. 4 Notre Dame will begin its season Saturday in Frisco, Texas, in a neutral site game against Georgetown. The Irish will look to start the season off on the right foot, especially after graduating top point-scorer Matt Kavanagh and defensive stalwart Matt Landis. Irish head coach Kevin Corrigan said the team is looking for an identity,
R.J. Stempak | Tuesday, February 7, 2017
This column was going to have a simple premise: “Thank goodness the NFL is finally over so everyone can start focusing on the NBA like they should have been doing three months ago.” But then Tom Brady did Tom Brady things, except to a greater level than anyone could have imagined. I have to be
R.J. Stempak | Tuesday, January 31, 2017
No. 20 Notre Dame scored the first points of the game Monday night but could not get much else going throughout the first half against No. 21 Duke. The Irish (17-6, 6-4 ACC) turned it around in the second 20 minutes but could not regain the lead en route to dropping its third straight game, 84-74. Irish
R.J. Stempak | Tuesday, January 31, 2017
At the top of my Twitter feed sat a tweet that read: “I’m figuring it out.” Optimism is exhausting. Pessimism is toxic. I didn’t make any New Year’s resolutions, partly because telling myself that this arbitrary cutoff will mark the beginning of a “new me” just makes me laugh, and partly because I am always
R.J. Stempak | Monday, January 30, 2017
The single-game road trip for the Irish ended in devastating fashion at Georgia Tech, as junior guard Matt Farrell missed a jumper with seven seconds remaining, giving the Yellow Jackets (13-8, 5-4 ACC) just enough time to race down the court to connect on a layup as time expired, putting the final score at 62-60.
R.J. Stempak | Tuesday, January 24, 2017
With the NBA All-Star starters just released, and the reserves set to be released soon, the annual tradition of critiquing the All-Star voting process is in full swing. This year is special, as the system changed from solely fan voting to incorporating votes from the media and the players themselves. The main complaint of the