Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw still absolutely adores practice, and she always will. It appeals to the puzzle-solving side of her, and how she enjoys the process of finding the right answers.I went up to Michigan and spent some time with [Michigan mens coach] John Beilein, and it was like Christmas, said McGraw, whose Irish host No. 1 UConn on Wednesday (ESPN2, 7 p.m. ET). We had two hours, talking about the 1-3-1. I just love it. Ill watch YouTube videos about zone offense. Ill play with the sugar packets at lunch, lining them up. I cant wait for practice; its my favorite part of the day.And while they diverge in personality in some key ways, McGraw shares this trait with UConn coach Geno Auriemma. He might not express it the same way -- Hey, I LOVE practice! -- and has talked about how important a presence associate head coach Chris Dailey is, because shes still such a stickler for details.But the truth is, Auriemma is a stickler, too, and if you ever watch him conduct a practice, youll see that. He doesnt miss anything and still really enjoys teaching basketball.This all speaks to why the UConn-Notre Dame matchups have been so compelling the past several years. And why everyone is looking forward to this seasons rendition Wednesday in South Bend, Indiana.The Huskies, coming off four NCAA titles and riding a 82-game winning streak, have moved back to No. 1 in The Associated Press poll, with Notre Dame at No. 2. The Fighting Irish started the season at No. 1 in the AP top 25 and have dropped despite not losing a game. They are 8-0 and UConn is 7-0; the Irish have beaten one ranked team thus far (Washington), the Huskies four (Florida State, Baylor, DePaul and Texas).It appears, based on the poll numbers, that when then-No. 3 South Carolina lost to Duke on Sunday, those voters who had the Gamecocks at No. 1 switched their votes to the Huskies. And at least one moved from the Irish to the Huskies. So this week, UConn -- which was espnWs No. 1 team in the preseason -- has 18 first-place votes to Notre Dames 15.These are the kinds of details, though, that are unimportant to Auriemma and McGraw. They are tuned into exactly how their teams are playing and what they need to improve. But even as the personnel changes for UConn and Notre Dame, their performances remain high quality.Its going to be fun the next couple of days preparing, Auriemma said after UConns victory over Texas on Sunday. Thats still one of my favorite things to do: prepare for good teams, especially on the road.The Huskies and the Irish are smart squads, always. Their coaches expect them to learn to think for themselves. Sure, Auriemma will make the usual wisecracks about a certain Huskies player not making a good pass all season, or another who moves too fast for her mind to keep up, etc. It has long been part of his shtick, and it works. He recruits players who understand the method and see how consistently it produces results.Auriemma and his assistants have excelled for decades now at recruiting the right fits for the UConn program. And its something that Notre Dame has refined, too.The Irish always have reflected McGraw: scrappy, intelligent, tough and a bit on the reserved side. They won the 2001 NCAA championship with a team that had each starter essentially personifying the most important traits of the position she played, from point guard to center.Yet even after that championship, the Irish retained an underdog mentality. That changed when guard Skylar Diggins stayed home in South Bend, Indiana, to play for the Irish from 2010 to 13.McGraw has talked about that a lot: how the overall confidence level of the program elevated. Notre Dame trails in the series 34-11, but had a stretch from April 2011 to March 13 -- the arc of Diggins career -- when the Irish beat the Huskies in seven of eight meetings.Unfortunately for the Irish, that didnt result in an NCAA title, and theyve lost their subsequent five meetings with UConn. Three of those came at the Final Four: in 2013 (semifinals), 14 (final), and 15 (final).Yet overall, the tone of the UConn-Notre Dame rivalry clearly was altered during Diggins time with the Irish -- in a good way, even if its been a bit testy.The programs dont really like each other, but there is mutual respect. They both recognize the best qualities that each one of them brings to college sports in general, and womens basketball specifically.Auriemma can get on McGraws nerves, just as he used to with Tennessees Pat Summitt, although for different reasons. Summitt had a certain Southern decorum that typically didnt mesh that well with Auriemmas humorous Philly-style verbal sparring. (And, of course, they also had some heated recruiting battles.)McGraw, by contrast, is from the Philadelphia area, too, and understands exactly what Auriemma is doing. She just generally doesnt prefer to engage.To some degree, Auriemma has mellowed, as cliché as that sounds. He was moved to tears at the Final Four last April, reflecting on how much his team and coaches meant to him, and showed the real person underneath the clever wisecracks. The one his players remain devoted to long after they leave Storrs. He also sincerely was affected by Summitts struggle with Alzheimers disease and her death this past summer.But not only has Auriemma maintained his mastery of coaching basketball, he continues to somehow get even better. There are plenty of very good players who dont go to UConn, and several talented, motivated coaches out there. And yet, here Auriemma is at No. 1 again a year after losing the top three picks in the WNBA draft -- including Breanna Stewart, one of the best players in the history of college basketball.With Katie Lou Samuelson (19.1 PPG) and Napheesa Collier (19.0 PPG), the Huskies have sophomores who played their parts well as understudies last year. Auriemma wasnt sure how they or the other Huskies returners, including Kia Nurse (13.9 PPG) and Gabby Williams (10.3 PPG), would respond to having to carry the weight with Stewart, Moriah Jefferson and Morgan Tuck gone.So far, though, they havent missed a beat. UConn might have some concerns in how they handle opponents with a lot of size, but theyre also great at finding answers.The Irish have become particularly adept at recruiting and developing dynamic guards, and building around them. Sophomore Arike Ogunbowale leads the team in scoring (17.5 PPG). A lot of eyes also will be on Marina Mabrey (13.8 PPG), a sophomore who had 23 points at UConn last season, and freshman Jackie Young (10.2 PPG), who has a sky-high ceiling.This is also a big game for senior point guard Lindsay Allen (8.8 PPG, 7.5 APG) and junior forward Brianna Turner (13.5 PPG, 6.3 RPG). The rankings dont mean anything, really -- but it probably is a little motivating that the Irish fell to No. 2 despite being unbeaten.Wednesdays game is also a chance for the Notre Dame faithful to roar. The Irish crowd always gets up for facing UConn, and its become a consistently strong fan base for womens basketball. Notre Dame is averaging 8,037 per game this season at Purcell Pavilion, which has a capacity of 9,149.I would think its going to be a high level of intensity and energy in the crowd and in their team, Auriemma said. Were going to have to match that. Theyre deep, they have a lot of players. Were not so much right now.Five of the Huskies next six games are on the road, with three in the Midwest. Following Notre Dame, the Huskies go to Kansas State on Dec. 11. They return to Hartford, Connecticut, for Ohio State on Dec. 19, then play at Nebraska on Dec. 21.UConns second-to-last nonconference game is at Maryland on Dec. 29. The Huskies start the American Athletic Conference season at Central Florida on Jan. 1. Their only nonleague game after that is Feb. 13, when South Carolina visits Connecticut.Considering the Huskies domination of the American conference, these remaining games in December are all the more intriguing. UConn is nine victories away from breaking its own 90-game winning streak, and getting past Notre Dame obviously is the biggest hurdle remaining, along with the No. 4 Terps.So there is a lot on the line Wednesday, even as early as it is in the season. Its a matchup that has stood out on the schedule every year now, and thats a tribute to both programs. Landry Shamet Jersey . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. Maurice Taylor Jersey .Y. - New Orleans forward Anthony Davis was chosen Friday to replace the injured Kobe Bryant in the NBA All-Star game that will be played in his home city. https://www.cheapclippersonline.com/990h-randy-smith-jersey-clippers.html . And follow TSN.ca right through Deadline Day for all the updates. From Pierre LeBrun While Anaheim GM Bob Murray said earlier this season he was not going to trade Jonas Hiller despite the fact hes an unrestricted free agent on July 1, some sources have told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun that Murray might be willing to move another goalie. Montrezl Harrell Jersey . 1, meaning problems for the doping controls at both major international sports events next year. The World Anti-Doping Agency provisionally suspended the Moscow Antidoping Center on Sunday, saying its operations must improve or a six-month ban on the facilitys accreditation will be imposed. JJ Redick Jersey . But Bourque, who has missed three games with a lower-body injury, wont be in the lineup when the Habs travel to Buffalo to take on the Sabres on Wednesday.West Ham midfielder Mark Noble picks his #One2Eleven of players he has played against on The Fantasy Football Club. The Hammers skipper has played over 350 times for the club, where he has been since his youth, scoring 38 goals.So who features in his #One2Eleven? Carry on reading to find out... GOALKEEPER: Petr CechWe were 0-0 against Chelsea once and he saved my penalty, which killed me after the game. Every time I played against him I thought: What a goalie. The way he commands the box, he really stands out. I think you can see with Arsenal now, the amount of times Ive watched them now and seen the amount of goals hes saved, one-on-ones in particular. Hes definitely worth 10 or 15 points a season for sure.RIGHT-BACK: Gary NevilleI remember playing against United, and he wasnt in the starting line-up and we were on top, winning 1-0 I think. They got an injury to their right-back, and he came on and changed the game, from right-back. I think he set up a goal in that game, and to change the game from right-back is special.CENTRE-BACKS: Laurent Koscielny and Rio FerdinandWe played Arsenal at the beginning of the season and beat them 2-0. He played against Sakho, and Sakho is quick and strong. I just thought he was phenomenal that day, and I think hes got everything. Hes an unsung hero, hes great for Arsenal and compliments Mertesacker really well. Noble says Laurent Koscielny is one of the best centre-halves he has come up against, alongside Rio Ferdinand LEFT-BACK: Leighton BainesHes punished me before, I got sent off once against Everton and he put two free-kicks into the top corner. Id just scored a penalty, and we were 2-1 up, but from the resulting free-kick from my foul to get me sent off he bent one in the top corner. I just think every time weve played against him hes so clever with the ball.CENTRE MIDFIELD: TugayWhen I was a young kid I played against Blackburn, and he taught me an absolute lesson in how to play midfield. I was young and arrogant and I thought: Oh hes got grey hair, Im going to get in and around him, and he had me on a bit of string for 90 minutes. Ill always tell people about that. Obviously I love Steven Gerrard and I think Frank Lampard is one of the best goal-scoring midfielders the country has ever seen, but Ill have to go with Tugay.dddddddddddd Noble admits Luka Modric saw him coming 10 minutes before he would arrive CENTRE MIDFIELD: Luka ModricI played against him at White Hart Lane, and it was the same as Tugay. In the first 10 minutes, you try to get close to someone, give them a kick early doors and let them know, but for some reason this fella always knew I was coming, 10 minutes before I knew I was going to get there! I love watching him for Madrid, the way he plays the ball with the outside of his right peg.CENTRE MIDFIELD: Paul ScholesScholes, in my eyes, is the best player weve seen in this country in a long, long time.CENTRE FORWARD: Wayne RooneyIt winds me up every time I hear people get on his back, I just think for what hes done for the country and United is phenomenal. With the criticism he gets, hes still the best player at Manchester United in my eyes. Hes a top, top player. Any criticism of Wayne Rooney is unjustified, says Noble CENTRE FORWARD: Fernando TorresEvery time I went to Anfield he scored a hat-trick I think! Even at our place, those few years he was at Liverpool he was just unplayable. The ball used to come into him, and you think: Im going to snatch this, and then the first touch, the way they play it out to the wingers, and his finishing to boot, was just phenomenal.CENTRE FORWARD: Didier DrogbaHe always seemed to score against us, whether with his head or feet, he just grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck as a centre forward. He is a special player. The memories Ive got as a player, these are the players who stand out.Watch The Fantasy Football Club at 6.30pm on Sky Sports 1 HD on Friday Also See: The FantasyFC Soccer AM Sunday Supplement Goals on Sunday ' ' '
