March Madness continues on Thursday with the Sweet 16 round between the Wichita State Shockers and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Tipoff is at 7:15 p.m. ET; links to the free live stream and the free radio broadcast are provided beneath the preview.
No. 3 Notre Dame advanced to the 2015 NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 after a 67-64 overtime win Saturday against Butler. The biggest story from that game, though, didn't happen on the court. The mother of Notre Dame coach Mike Brey passed away on Saturday, something he didn't share with the media until after the game. When Brey did speak of his mother, a former swimmer on the 1956 U.S. Olympic team, he wasn't shy about describing the impact she had on him.
"To be around that intensity every day, maybe it wasn't the healthiest," Brey told the Associated Press with a laugh. "I'll probably need therapy later in life because of it, but I'll tell you one thing: she made me think about competing every day. ... She always made me feel like I could be special because she was. (It) gave me a lot of confidence."
Brey admitted having the NCAA Tournament to focus on was a blessing.
"I think coaches are the greatest compartmentalizers in the history of the world and have to be to survive this thing," he said. "There is such a good vibe and positive energy coming off this team, it's really good for me to be around it this week and get back and be busy and teach."
No. 11 Wichita State, meanwhile, surprised many with its 78-65 win Sunday over Kansas. For the Shockers to survive Thursday, their stingy defense must find a way to contain Notre Dame's up-tempo, free-flowing offense.
Watch the live stream HERE, or listen to the radio broadcast HERE.
