With Diggins back, Notre Dame could be team to beat next year

INDIANAPOLIS — The brightest star in this year's women's Final Four was Texas A&M senior Danielle Adams, whose power and presence were the tipping points in victories against Stanford and Notre Dame that brought the Aggies their first NCAA title.

By Michael Hickey, US Presswire

With Skylar Diggins returning next season, Notre Dame should again be a factor on the court in women's basketball.

By Michael Hickey, US Presswire

With Skylar Diggins returning next season, Notre Dame should again be a factor on the court in women's basketball.

But Adams will be playing in the WNBA next season. There was another supernova in Indianapolis who used the national stage to announce her presence, and she will be back to try for the title again — Notre Dame sophomore point guard Skylar Diggins.

Diggins' talents until this Final Four were largely unappreciated outside the Big East, where she was recognized as an all-conference player in arguably the toughest league in the country. But after she scored a career-best 28 points in the semifinals against two-time defending champion Connecticut, and added 23 in the 76-70 loss against A&M, the rest of the country was put on notice.

"She really stepped up her game in the NCAA tournament," said Notre Dame coach Muffet McGraw. "I think she came into this season as someone people were aware of and she gave herself a big shot of credibility."

Diggins is a South Bend, Ind., native who grew up revering all things Notre Dame. McGraw knew this was a player she could not afford to let leave home. Diggins was the 2009 Indiana high school player of the year and won a state championship her sophomore season.

That victory came at Conseco Fieldhouse, the same venue as the Final Four. Diggins was so inconsolable after Tuesday's loss that she began leaving the court before the horn sounded to seal A&M's 76-70 victory.

"After the buzzer, they're celebrating and things like that," she said. "I just wanted to get off for my team and get ready to talk to everybody and finish it out in our huddle."

McGraw said she thinks it will take Diggins some time to come to grips with the loss and put it in perspective.

"She's extremely hard on herself and she will spend the entire summer, I'm sure, thinking about this game," McGraw said. "And that's probably a good thing for us. You lose that game, and you just get motivated to come back and work a little bit harder and make sure it doesn't happen again."

Diggins might have lost a game, but she gained a huge fan in Texas A&M coach Gary Blair.

"She is an All-American in every way, and when you see a Skylar Diggins stay home and go to Notre Dame instead of going to Connecticut or Tennessee, it's very good for the game," he said.

The Maya Moore era has finally ended at UConn and Notre Dame loses only one starter off this year's team. The Irish could be the team to beat next year in the Big East, something McGraw welcomes as long as she has Diggins running the show.

"She had just a fabulous end to her season," McGraw said. "I think she really, really figured out how she could score and how she could lead us. I'm really looking forward to the next two years with her."

UConn vote:

One voter in the USA TODAY/ESPN women's coaches top 25 did not go with national champ Texas A&M. Instead the voter put Connecticut No. 1. That voter declined to make the vote public when reached by USA TODAY could reveal the name.

Under Women's Basketball Coaches Association rules, the final votes are kept anonymous. Coaches can reveal theirs if they desire. They also are not bound to vote for the NCAA tournment winner.

On Tuesday, Northern Arizona men's coach revealed he voted for Ohio State instead of Connecticut in the final poll. Men's coaches are not bound to vote for the tournament winner.

Contributing: Craig Bennett

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