n a buzzer-beater in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a defeat that took months for the Musketeers to move past.Xavier wont look past Lehigh on Friday, though. As Sumner said earlier this week, t

No. 1 Notre Dame women loaded with talentBy The Associated Press=Notre DameLast season: 33-2, lost in the third round of NCAA Tournament.Coach: Muffet McGraw.Nickname: Fighting Irish.Conference: Atlantic Coast.Whos gone: G Madison Cable, G Michaela Mabrey, G Hannah Huffman, F Taya Reymer, who quit the team after five games last season and has transferred to Michigan State.Whos back: F Brianna Turner. McGraw calls the 6-3 junior the best nations best player. Turner averaged 14.6 points, 7.3 rebounds despite being slowed by a shoulder injury for which she had surgery in April. McGraw believes Lindsay Allen is the nations best point guard. The 5-8 senior has started all 112 games since arriving in South Bend and averaged 5.8 assists and 9.3 points. The other returning starter F Kathryn Westbeld, who averaged 7.9 points and 5.6 rebounds.Whos new: F Erin Boley, a 6-2 McDonalds All-American with a quick release who McGraw said is the teams best 3-point shooter. G Jackie Young, a 6-0 McDonalds All-American who could be a player who does all the little things. G Ali Patberg, another former McDonalds All-America, who missed last season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in her right knee and could keep the Irish offense running smoothly if Allen gets in foul trouble.The Skinny: The Irish lost gritty players in Cable and Huffman and an outside shooter in Mabrey, but McGraw believes this might be the deepest, most talented team shes had in her 30 years as coach. The Irish are expected to make it to the Final Four for the sixth time in the past seven years and could get McGraw the second national championship thats eluded her.Vans Old Skool Australia Cheap . They hope to persuade the other team owners and commissioner Roger Goodell to put pressure on Redskins owner Daniel Snyder to drop the nickname they find offensive. "Given the way the meeting transpired," Ray Halbritter, an Oneida representative and leader of the "Change the Mascot Campaign," said Wednesday, "it became somewhat evident they were defending the continued use of the name. Vans Old Skool Australia Sale . Peter Holland and Brad Staubitz were sent to Toronto on Saturday as the Maple Leafs traded defenceman Jesse Blacker and draft picks to the Anaheim Ducks. http://www.wholesaleoldskoolaustralia.com/ . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Vans Old Skool Shoes Sale . -- In a span of seven Washington Redskins offensive plays, Justin Tuck sacked Robert Griffin III four times. Vans Old Skool Shoes Australia . This should be celebrated because it will not always be this way. With the amount of money given to players by their clubs these days, it is a wonder that so many of those teams allow the sport to continue to take away many of their assets so they can play for a different team in the middle of their season.CINCINNATI -- Last season, the Xavier Musketeers were a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and had some pundits listing them among the Final Four favorites.That was March. National recognition in November is something new on Victory Parkway.Xavier, which opens the regular season against Lehigh on Friday (7 p.m.) at Cintas Center, is ranked No. 7 in the preseason Associated Press poll, the highest preseason rating in school history.The Musketeers highest previous ranking in the preseason was 10th in 1997-98 and 2002-03. However, coach Chris Mack said he is not concerned about his players absorbing that praise.I dont worry about the attention, Mack said. It helps that people talk about you. It helps in recruiting. I know fans get excited. But, its really about what we do between the lines. I do think we have some older players that are used to having a businesslike attitude.It helps to have the top two scorers returning, junior guard Trevon Bluiett (15.1 points per game) and sophomore guard Edmond Sumner (11.0 ppg).Bluiett lost around 20 pounds during the summer to become quicker and more athletic to the rim.Sumner missed three games last season with a head injury but still compiled 112 assists. He is poised for a huge year, one that could propel him up the NBA Draft ladder.Both Bluiett and Sumner were named preseason first-team All-Big East Conference. Junior guard J.P. Macura, the Big Easts sixth man of the year last season, also returns.The Musketeers will be without a couple of key contributors on Friday. Sophomore forward Kaiser Gates is out with a knee injury, and senior guard Myles Davis is suspended due to allegations in an ongoing domestic-violence case.Xavier, which was ranked ninth in the final AP poll last year, is picked to finish second in the Big East behind defending national champion Villanova.dddddddddddd Still, the Musketeers arent thinking too highly of themselves.We dont really focus too much on preseason rankings, Macura said. Last year we werent ranked (in the preseason) and we had a great season. We just have to take every day, practice with energy, and everything else will take care of itself.The Friday game is Xaviers first since losing to Wisconsin on a buzzer-beater in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, a defeat that took months for the Musketeers to move past.Xavier wont look past Lehigh on Friday, though. As Sumner said earlier this week, the Mountain Hawks are not a slouch.Xavier is 2-0 all-time against Lehigh, including a narrow 69-63 win in 2004. This season, the Hawks are a near-unanimous favorite to win the Patriot League title, receiving all but three first-place votes. Senior forward Tim Kempton, a two-time Patriot League player of the year, is picked to win it for a third time. Junior guard Kahron Ross is a first-team all-league selection.Lehigh returns its top four scorers from last years squad that won 11 consecutive games before losing a heartbreaker in the Patriot League championship game.I think this team learned a lot from going through the journey last season, said coach Brett Reed, who is in his 10th season as Lehighs head coach. They are hungry for a new opportunity. However, they will need to take the lessons learned and apply them this upcoming year if were going to be even stronger, which will be needed to win a championship. ' ' '