SOUTH BEND | Muffet McGraw's Notre Dame women's basketball team returns all five starters from 2008, and her roster is as deep as Lake Michigan.

But according to the woman who led Notre Dame to a national championship in 2001, Becca Bruszewski is "the X factor."

"She had a great summer and a great fall, and we're expecting big things," McGraw said of the junior from Wheeler. "I think she's somebody that's kind of been in the background, but I think she's ready to break through."

A starter in all 31 of Notre Dame's games last season, Bruszewski accepted the praise gladly.

"I'll take that," she said with a smile. "I feel versatile enough to go inside and outside, that I think it's hard for post players to guard me just in the post, because I step out, and the same thing with guards outside."

One of those five returning starters, Bruszewski seems to figure strongly into the Irish's plans for the 2009-10 season. Right now, McGraw said, she's slotted in at the center position, with players such as senior Erica Williamson battling injury in the preseason.

McGraw admitted one of her team's biggest overall challenges will be finding ways to cover talented post players, such as Connecticut's all-everything junior forward Maya Moore.

Overall, defense was the word on everyone's lips, after last season ended with a first-round NCAA tournament loss to No. 10 seed Minnesota at the Joyce Center. In that game, the Irish surrendered 79 points to a team that averaged just over 62 per contest during the regular season.

"Right after that loss, we cracked down on defense to the extreme," Bruszewski said Thursday. "It's a tough lesson to learn, but it's been learned.

"We're not going to let that happen again."

Still, the Irish have plenty to smile about entering competition this season.

The five returners combine with a host of talented bench players, including South Bend native and freshman Skylar Diggins, the No. 1 overall guard in the 2009 class according to Scout.com.

That means tough decisions might have to be made regarding rotations and playing time, but Bruszewski doesn't see that as much of a problem.

"It's going to make practice that much more intense, it's going to bring a challenge, and obviously, that's something we're looking forward to," she said.

McGraw added that the Irish would probably scrimmage more against themselves this year, as opposed to using volunteers from the student body. The reason: that additional depth, which also has expectations rising for the Irish this season.

Last year, the Irish were picked to finish fourth in the Big East in the preseason coaches' poll. This time, McGraw said, the bar is set a little higher.

"We're expected to finish at the top," she said. "I definitely think there's a greater sense of urgency among the players."

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