Irish fans fired up for Final Four

SOUTH BEND, Ind. - Ahead of the Final Four game against UConn, ABC 57 asked Notre Dame fans four questions about this renewed rivalry.

Question One: What do the Irish have to do to beat the Huskies?

“They just got to go out there, pretend like it’s any other game. Push the ball up the court. Give the ball to their two best players, marina and the shooting guard that they have, and get a little lucky. A little luck of the irish never hurt," said Notre Dame graduate student, Alex Bechta.

“They have to continue to play tough, and they gotta stop making mistakes," said season ticket holder, Michael Castellon.

Question Two: What's the biggest challenge the women are facing?

“I think sometimes the intimidation factor of playing UConn is a big thing, but I think that if we just focus and play as a team and not really focus on the fact that it’s UConn, we’ll be fine," said former NDWBB manager, Grey Dietz.

Question Three: What chance do the Irish have of winning? 

“Probably any other day, maybe 5, 10%, considering it’s UConn, but it’s good Friday. We’re Irish Catholic, so definitely over 50%, maybe 55, 60% on today," said Bechta.

“100%. That’s a hard question! I mean, can we please win? I really hope they win!” said Dietz.

Question Four: What would a win against UConn mean?

“You finally get past UConn? Hey we got to beat them. I’m tired of watching them win, so this would be huge for us," said Castellon.

Even if the Irish don't advance, the team has already had a winning weekend with Coach Muffet McGraw earning her fourth AP Coach of the Year award Thursday.

Interestingly enough, the only coach who has won this award more times is her opponent tonight, Geno Auriemma, with nine awards.

“Knowing her, she is the best, and not only as a coach, but just as an all around figure to every person on that team," said Dietz.

“She’s probably one of the best coaches in the country. She deserves it. She’s done a spectacular job. Especially when you look at the season, she’s had so many injuries. To have this kind of a turnout is a testament to her coaching ability, so congratulations," said Castellon.