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He's a bellicose, sarcastic sideline ranter. But no one draws up game plans -- or makes his players believe in them -- like Louisville coach Jeff Walz.

Monique Reid, who grew up in Louisville and has been a lifelong Cardinals fan, missed most of last season with a knee injury. She re-injured the knee in January and will require surgery when the season ends. Until then, she plans to leave it all on the court.

Sometimes it seems like there's no shot Kayla McBride can't hit. Notre Dame's junior and second-leading scorer is as strong with the ball in her hands as any player in New Orleans.

Since losing in the Sweet 16 her freshman year, Skylar Diggins has helped build a culture at Notre Dame that anything less than a Final Four is not acceptable. Tuesday, the senior led the Irish to their third straight Final Four. Now, she hopes to finally secure a championship.

Notre Dame beat Duke to reach its third straight Final Four, where the Irish will meet UConn for a fourth time this season.

A defense that remains a complete headache for opponents might be Duke's key to upsetting Notre Dame. Just don't expect it to be pretty.

Skylar Diggins scored 27 points to take over the Notre Dame career scoring mark and lead the Irish to the Elite Eight.

Sure, Notre Dame will likely see another player break the scoring record Skylar Diggins set Sunday en route to another regional final berth. Will they do it with the point guard's same mastery? Likely not.

One of the must-see point guard matchups, Skylar Diggins and Angel Goodrich are no strangers to the spotlight. There's also a lot of mutual respect between the two.

Point guard play will figure prominently in Norfolk as Skylar Diggins tries to steer Notre Dame to a third consecutive Final Four.

Which No. 1 has the toughest road to New Orleans? The Fighting Irish have to travel to Iowa and would play the second round in Norfolk, Va.

With Skylar Diggins leading the way, Natalie Achonwa hitting the game winner and Kayla McBride pouring in points, Notre Dame's third victory of the season over UConn clinched the Irish their first Big East tournament title.

Exactly which team is the underdog in Tuesday's Big East final? Yes, UConn has lost six of its last seven to Notre Dame. But the Irish have never won the conference tournament, going 0-for-6 against the Huskies in championship games.

As much as Skylar Diggins proved she was ready for a coach like Muffet McGraw, the Notre Dame boss also was ready to trust her star player with her team.

It was the kind of game worthy of settling a championship, worthy of a capacity crowd and worthy of national audience. It was a game worthy of Skylar Diggins doing what she does best.

Stars are measured by big games as much as anything else. And when it comes to beating UConn and Tennessee, Notre Dame senior Skylar Diggins has delivered more often than anyone.