🌅Personal Briefing - Saturday, April 18, 2026

Men's No. 1 travels to Durham - today, noon ET on ESPNU. Notre Dame (8-1, 1-1 ACC) faces No. 15 Duke at Freeman Field at Koskinen Stadium. Every ACC game is a résumé builder with five conference members in the top 15, and the Blue Devils - already 8-0 through most of March - always make it physical. This is the next test after the Irish dusted No. 1 North Carolina 10-5 last week to claim the top spot.

Women's ACC Tournament draw is set. No. 6 Notre Dame (12-4, 6-4 ACC) draws No. 3 Clemson (13-4, 7-3 ACC) in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, April 22 at 8:00 PM ET in Charlotte at American Legion Memorial Stadium. All games on ACC Network. Grace Maroney's six-goal breakout in Thursday's 18-3 rout of Louisville - plus the return of Tewaaraton nominee Kate Timarky - has the Irish rolling into the postseason.

Upcoming:

• Men's: at #15 Duke - today, 12:00 PM ET (ESPNU)
• Women's: vs. #3 Clemson (ACC Tournament QF) - Wed, April 22, 8:00 PM ET (ACCN)
• Men's: vs. Syracuse - Sat, April 25, 12:00 PM ET (home, ACCNX)

Last Results:

• Women's: W 18-3 vs. Louisville (April 16) - regular-season finale
• Men's: W 10-5 vs. #1 North Carolina (April 11)

Two days until the portal window closes - still no Audi Crooks decision. The Iowa State transfer continues to follow ND WBB's Instagram, Niele Ivey, Hannah Hidalgo, and KK Bransford - and nothing else has moved publicly. Multiple programs (UConn, South Carolina, Texas, Notre Dame) remain in the mix for the 6-3 center who averaged 25.8 points per game last season. The April 20 deadline is when players must be in the portal, not when they have to commit, so this could drag past the weekend. If NIL offers don't match her reported "well north of half a million" ask, Crooks - who's draft-eligible - could skip college entirely and enter the WNBA Draft.

Meanwhile, the roster around her (hypothetical or otherwise) keeps shaping up: Hidalgo is officially back for her senior year after her historic tournament run, and Cassandre Prosper went 19th overall to the Washington Mystics.

Last Result: Elite Eight - UConn 70, Notre Dame 52 (March 29)

Blue-Gold Game one week out - Saturday, April 25, 2:00 PM ET on Peacock. Tickets start at $10. Spring practice opened March 20 and wraps April 25; the team is deep into the final stretch now, with Marcus Freeman's group working through a handful of running back injuries (Aneyas Williams on no-contact with an elbow issue, freshman Kedren Young out with a torn ACL, Javian Osborne recovering from wrist surgery). Notre Dame still leads the country in returning production (67% offense, 77% defense), ESPN's latest way-too-early poll has the Irish at No. 4, and CJ Carr is the Heisman frontrunner.

Upcoming: Blue-Gold Game - Sat, April 25, 2:00 PM ET (Peacock) Season Opener: Sept. 6 at Wisconsin (Shamrock Series, Lambeau Field, NBC)

• Baseball: Florida State run-ruled the Irish 11-0 in seven innings last night at Dick Howser Stadium. Wes Mendes tossed six scoreless, FSU piled up 13 hits, and a seven-run sixth put it away. Notre Dame tries to salvage game two today at 2 PM ET and the finale Sunday at 1 PM.