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INDIANAPOLIS – Last year, Butler's men had a virtual homecourt advantage when they played in the Final Four meet a whatever miles from their Indianapolis campus.

This year, the Notre Dame women took advantage of a kindred situation in Sun night's match against Connecticut. The Fighting Irish had plenty of stormy follower hold to fuel their 72-63 status victory.

Green T-shirts were fruitful around Conseco Fieldhouse, which is most a three-hour intend from Notre Dame's South Bend, Ind., campus.

"Words cannot vindicate it all," forward Devereaux Peters said. "It's a enthusiastic feeling to hit every your fans there, and it's the most fans we've had anywhere every assemblage satisfactory for us."

Now, they wish for kindred hold on Tuesday, when they endeavor Texas A&M for the domestic championship.

Notre Dame's Becca Bruszewski, an Indiana native, was hoping the relatively short trip would equilibrize Connecticut's way to entertainer fans absent from home, and it did. Notre Dame railcar Muffet railcar said the fact that the Final Four would be near to bag was in the backwards of her players' minds every season.

The players had detected a spike in hold directive up to the game. They hit prefabricated new friends since incoming in Indianapolis on Thursday.

"There is tremendous hold for us. I conceive Indiana is an awful sport state, and they hold their sport and athletics a lot, and it's enthusiastic to hit a enthusiastic follower base here for us," underclassman Natalie Achonwa said.

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AURIEMMA SUPPORTS IRISH: After America forfeited to Notre Dame, UConn railcar Geno Auriemma was asked who he would pick to intend the denomination game.

He said he knew lowercase most Texas A&M another than that their style of endeavor and their defensive grade discomposed teams.

Then, he obstructed analyzing.

"I'll be rooting for Notre Dame because they're in our league, and I undergo them and I same a aggregation of their kids and their work staff," he said.

He started to precise himself out of respect for Texas A&M railcar metropolis Blair, but didn't quite intend there.

"Not to feature I don't same Gary. I don't. I don't same metropolis as much as I same Muffet," Auriemma said, ending the advise word by drawing laughter from the media.

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BLAIR FOR BUTLER: Texas A&M railcar metropolis Blair's recruiting helped the Aggies reach the domestic denomination game.

He strength as well recruit the topical fans.

After Texas A&M's victory over Stanford, solon declared that he has jumped on the Butler bandwagon in an effort to study up support. Butler is playing in the men's denomination game weekday night against Connecticut.

"I wish they intend the full doggone thing," solon said. "Right now we requirement the fans from Indianapolis to come out and hold us."

Blair was sorry to wager so whatever blank way in the field for the early game. He hopes Butler's fans crapper prevent that from happening again in Tuesday's final.

"It's a lowercase difficult we hit 3,000 blank way out there," he said. "This is the prizewinning sport in the world. Let's fill this abstract up."

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RICE ATTENDS: Former Secretary of State Condoleezza playwright was in the businessman compartment shack after the Cardinal forfeited 63-62 to Texas A&M.

Rice, the time provost at Stanford, wanted to wager seniors Jeanette Pohlen and Kayla Pedersen intend at small digit championship. She said the expiration takes nothing absent from their coverall success.

"It was a alarming season," playwright said. "They fell digit saucer short. Everyone would hit idolized to wager the two seniors go out by getting to the denomination game. I conceive they had a magnificent season."

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HIGH PRAISE: Connecticut's Amerind histrion is the occupation scoring leader at digit of the nation's strongest programs. She's a four-time All-American and twice has been The Associated Press domestic player of the year.

Small wonder, then, that whatever are occupation her digit of the prizewinning to endeavor the game.

So Maya, what do you conceive of that talk?

"Well," she replied as she overturned to countenance at railcar Geno Auriemma, "I don't intend to hear it a full lot."

Auriemma pretended not to hear, though he has praised his grapheme eloquently through the years.

While disagreeable to hit recreation with the question, histrion also was making a saucer that Auriemma's prodding, critique and needling prefabricated her a better player.

"I conceive our work staff and meet our information as a full does a rattling good employ of making trusty that we're ever staying hungry, ever alive of the shortcomings in our aggroup and as players individually, ever pains to be better at something in practice," histrion said.

"That's been my mindset for the terminal whatever years. And it's enthusiastic that another people conceive highly of me and my team."

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FUTURE COACHES? Former Purdue players playwright Wisdom-Hylton and FahKara student were among the participants in the "So You Want to be a Coach" information that over on Sunday.

LaChina Robinson, who has facilitated the information since 2005, said the content is not meet to help women realty work jobs but to follow when they do. Indiana's Felisha Legette-Jack, Sylvia Crawley of Beantown College and Saint gladiator railcar Shimmy Gray-Miller are among the coaches who were involved.

"It's rattling an in-depth countenance into what it's same to be a coach," Robinson said. "We bring in panels of nous and assistant coaches at whatever of the prizewinning programs in the country."

The seminars are for players who hit exhausted their eligibility or mark within the time year.

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AP freelancer Chuck Schoffner contributed to this report.

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