Notre Dame fans react to late tipoff
With a late tipoff, the Fighting Irish waited to see how many people would show up to their second-round NCAA game against the Boilermakers Sunday. Some fans said they couldn't swing it.
Head Coach Muffet McGraw was openly upset about the 9 o'clock start time.
“It’s bad for the student athletes who have to get to class on Monday. It’s bad for the team that has to travel, and it’s really bad for our fans," she said.
“9 o’clock on a Sunday night?” said season ticket holder Lily Antsaklis.
“I hate it. I hate it," said season ticket holder Patricia Loghry.
“Where we were hoping to really get a great crowd, and you know, all the parents, kids, who have to go to bed at nine o’clock, who have school the next day, really a bad decision to play this game at 9 o’clock," said Coach Muffet McGraw.
“Disappointed. Even my kids were really disappointed. Both of my children look forward to it with the giveaways, and the cheerleaders throwing things into the stands, and I went Friday night, and the band was right there. It was fun. It’s always fun. But, it’s extremely disappointing," said Antsaklis.
“It don’t matter to me. You know, it’s a little rough in the morning going to work, but you know, they want our support, and we’re here to support them," said season ticket holder Jon Kline.
“I’ll be at home watching it on TV," said Antsaklis.
“They’ve got some pretty bound and determined regulars. We follow them wherever they go, including away games," said Loghry.
“I’m excited. We have 41 consecutive tournament victories on Sunday nights. You can’t get any better than that," said season ticket holder David Woods.
“Out of all the games to miss, UConn and an in-state rivalry are the two you definitely don’t want to miss, and when I found out it was Purdue, and then it’s 9 o’clock at night, it’s a double negative," said Antsaklis.
It may have been a double negative for Irish fans, but the team pulled off a win against Purdue in overtime, with a final score of 88 to 82.