SB Nation - Tory Jackson

Ben Ball Roundup: Early Notre Dame Notes

Nestor — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 15:11:39 -0000

How do we stop the Beast? 6-foot-8, 246-pound Luke Harangody is averaging 24.6 points and 10.1 rebounds

Our friends over at Rakes Of Mallow are still too euphoric about their hiring of new football coach. So, can't blame them for not thinking too much about the 9-2 Fighting Irish's upcoming (gulp) nationally televised non conference game against our 3-6 Bruins. May be they will get fired up about it before Saturday but they are not yet.

We can expect the Irish hoops team to be fired up on Saturday because they are going to want revenge for what we did them to Pauley last year drubbing them by a score of 89-63. They have a record of 9-2 but they are coming into this game following a 2 point loss against LMU (may be they were already looking ahead to UCLA?). Their other loss this season came against in a 15 point defeat against North Western. The best team the Irish has beaten this year is St. Louis in the third-place game of the Chicago Invitational Challenge.

Obviously the center of attention on Saturday will be Luke Harangody. It will be interesting to see how the Bruins can defend him at Joyce Center. Perhaps they can use the same formula that allowed Nelson to contain Aldrich at Pauley. Then again, may be it's too much to ask our freshmen to show the kind of poise and maturity needed to get a win in a fired up, hostile, roald enviroment. Besdes Harangody, 5-11 guard Tory Jackson is the other dependable option returining from last season. Currently their rotation looks like this:

Usual Starters -- F Luke Harangody, F Tyrone Nash, G Jonathan Peoples, G Ben Hansbrough, G Tory Jackson. Key Subs -- F Tim Abromaitis, F Carleton Scott.

Ben Hansbrough, was hobbled a bit early in the season by a sprained right ankle, but he is rounding into form. He has been in double figures from the scoring line last 5 games and almost shooting 50 percent from the 3 point line.

Meanwhile, junior forward Tim Abromaitis, who played rarely as a freshman and missed the entire 2007-08 season, has emerged as the second leading scorer in the team as he begin this year with seven straight game in double figures. So, in other words, with injury to Keefe, Coach Howland is going to have his hands full dealing with the Irish front court. More on that after the jump.

Well here is the latest on Keefe. He is out at least 2-3 weeks with a dislocated shouler. It was the same shoulder that kept him out with a huge chunk of the season two years ago with a torn labrium. Thankfully though per Jon Gold the xrays this time were negative. I have to say again Keefe was an absolute warrior on Saturday. He got off to such a great start on the defensive end. When he got hurt it was pretty amazing to see how composed he was in dealing with the pain (when it was clear on camera (and to those who were at Pauley) what was happening to him). If there is a kid who deserves a happy ending at UCLA, who has done everything Coach Howland has asked him to do over the years without complaining one bit, it's James Keefe. I hope he can get fully healthy and can make a return to make some meaningful contributions before he is done.

Now without Keefe Bruins are going to be short handed against Harangody and Abromaitis in the front court. It will be all about playing team defense:

The 6-foot-8, 246-pound Harangody is averaging 24.6 points and 10.1 rebounds.

"He's a beast," UCLA guard Michael Roll said. "It's going to be a team defense."

That means double-teams, help-side defense and players scrambling to box out.

UCLA Coach Ben Howland plans to throw a bench-full of players at Harangody, including Nikola Dragovic, Reeves Nelson, J'mison Morgan and perhaps Brendan Lane.

"Obviously losing James is really, really a tough deal for us," Howland said.

Well perhaps one guy who might be ready to step a little more will be freshman point-forward Honeycutt. Tyler is feeling pretty good after his effortless performance on Saturday. As poncho fanshotted this is what TH had to say about starting off 3-6:

"It's been real hard. I didn't expect this at all when I came here. I knew we had a tough schedule, but I thought it'd be competitive, close games. It's kind of helped us actually, kind of set us in our place. Let us know we're not all that and still have room to improve."

I was even more encouraged by this:

"I'm still getting back into it. Obviously I've only had about three practices. Eventually it will come along. I can improve on a lot. Defense, on-ball defense. I'm not used to turning the ball over that much.

Having him talk about the need to cut down on TOs and improving his "on-ball defense" is music to my ears. Honeycutt is not the only underclassmen excited about building on Tuesday's confidence gaining blowout win:

"A win against anybody right now makes a difference," point guard Jerime Anderson said. "It helps our confidence a little bit. It helps us feel better about ourselves.

"We've been working hard. That's one thing you can't take away from us. It just hasn't been transferring into games. The main thing for us was to really work hard, and it finally transferred to a game. I think we should try and build from that win."

All of the comments from this week has been encouraging. However, right now for me the key is for these guys to maintain their composure when they are on the road this Saturday. I still can't take too much from the blowout win against a cupcake team on Tuesday night. I think that effort will win something if they can replicate it again on national TV by slugging it out with what I expect to be a hungry and angry Irish team on both ends of the court.

It means the Bruins will have to come into that game with a defensive mindset. They will have to think about getting their points by generating suffocating defensive pressure, going after lose balls and then playing smart ball on the offensive end. It will mean not jacking up hurried three pointers (and you know who I am especially thinking about here) and looking for that extra pass down low to find the team-mate with easiest shot. If the Bruins can come out and give another all out effort with intensity and passion, it might just might set them up to finish rest of the non-conference season in a positive note.

GO BRUINS.

A Brief Preview of Your Fighting Irish Basketball Team

CW — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:09:23 -0000

More photos » by Joe Raymond - AP

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Nothing substantial from the coaching rumor mill so far today - Charlie didn't quit at his press conference, at least - so let's take a look at Mike Brey's 2010 squad.

In the interest of full disclosure, when Scott Martin went down with an ACL injury, I was ready to write off this Irish hoops season. Not from a record standpoint - oh no, the schedule is so putrid they would roll up some victories on the Harangody/Jackson combination alone - but from a being a quality team that could compete for a Big East title standpoint. Martin was so perfect for the Brey offense, a Rob Kurz/Ryan Ayers 2.0 that could go inside/outside, knock down threes and space the floor for Harangody on offense while still providing some size on defense. Short of the big man himself going down, there wasn't a worse injury that could have occurred. I was certain we were going to see an anomaly: a Mike Brey team that couldn't shoot, and therefore, would be just sort of awful and gruesomely entertaining to watch on the occasional Big Monday.

But then the Seth Davis preseason puff piece happened and likened Tim Abromaitis, who barely saw the floor last season, to Matty Carroll. Well, that would be one shooter, and Ben Hansbrough would be another, and Tory and Jonathan Peoples maybe could continue progress on their jumpers, and Harangody's range was extending towards the end of last season....

That was a best case scenario and it seemed quite unlikely, but here we are two games into the season and the idea that Mike Brey would have a team without shooters seems completely laughable in hindsight. I understand the competition has also been something to chuckle at, but you have to put the ball in the bucket no matter who you're against, and the Irish have been doing that from behind the arc and then some. The team is 26 for 48 from 3m for a blistering 54%. Hansbrough is 9 for 11, Peoples is 3 for 6, Tory is 4 for 7 and Tim "Matt Carroll" Abromaitis is 6 for 10 off the bench. Throw in Luke Harangody tossing in 3 of his 9 and you have the main reason (beyond the schedule ) for the Irish averaging 90.5 points per game.

As long as Peoples and Jackson can continue knocking down a decent percentage - and they will get looks, with the double and triple-teams that will be thrown at Gody all season - this offense will be in fine shape. Ty Nash can do nitty gritty things, bang with some guys and clean up misses, with Carleton Scott doing the same - plus shooting the occasional three! - when he's in the game. Abromaitis is some bonus scoring punch off the bench, and also adds some size if you wanted to go a little bigger on the outside and move Hansbrough over to point while sitting Tory. Or, if you really wanted to space things out, slide Abromaitis down to the four and put Harangody in there with him, Tory, Ben and Peoples. You need another guy to add into the rotation, but this Irish team has some different combinations it can deploy and will be competitive in every game as long as Harangody stays out of foul trouble.

My other thought with this line-up is whether this might be the best perimeter defense we've seen from a Mike Brey squad in recent years. God bless Kyle McAlarney, who elicited a record number of "laughing, shaking your head and high-fiving your nearest friend" with his three point barrages and will be sorely missed, but he wasn't exactly Gary Payton out there on the defensive end. Chris Thomas, with a banged up knee plaguing him the whole season, couldn't guard anybody his senior year. Tory is tenacious, but often undersized and forced into bad match-ups. But this team -if Brey wants to - could be a very solid defensive squad. Hansbrough played a hard-nosed style at Mississippi State and has the size, while Peoples has the athleticism to maybe make that Russell Carter leap for his senior season. Tory is a bulldog pressuring the ball, so it's possible a lot of the problems that plagued the Irish over the years, like giving up penetration to make for easy slash-and-kick threes or dunks, could be mitigated. With Harangody gobbling up rebounds and Nash/Scott jumping out of the gym to block shots, this could potentially be a considerably more balanced Irish team that we're used to seeing . Granted, it's likely the perimeter defense assumes its usual position as a sieve-like turnstile, but the personnel is there to lock things down on the outside.

Your notable games for the Irish this season:

November 27^th vs. Northwestern

December 19^th vs. UCLA (who lost to Cal State-Fullerton last night)

January 2^nd at UConn

January 9^th vs. West Virginia (one preseason Big East favorite)

January 27^th at Villanova (the other)

And then the closing stretch of the Big East schedule, which consists of @Louisville, Pitt, @Georgetown, UConn and @Marquette. Not quite as bad as the Bataan Death March in the middle of last year, but still no easy trek into the Garden. Remember, some of these teams aren't as good as last year - Louisville lost Clark and Williams, Pitt Blair and Young, Marquette James, Matthews, McNeal and Burke - but they aren't exactly going to be gimme wins either, especially with the young players stepping into the replace the losses having a full season of conference play to get seasoned.

Fun Luke Harangody goal for the season that doesn't involve winning National Player of the Year or setting the career Big East marks in scoring or rebounding :

I'd like Harangody to get a triple-double. He'll get the points and rebounds with his eyes closed, but the assists will be a little tricky simply because he is just a high volume scorer. He only averaged two a game last year with a game-high of six against Syracuse, but if it turned into an up and down game and the opposition was really throwing double teams at him, it's possible.

BtB 2009-10 Big East Preview

Chris Dobbertean — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 23:19:46 -0000

The Big East had a BIG season last year, but not quite the monster year many predicted. At the end of the year, the conference only qualified eight teams for the NCAAs, instead the nine or ten many had predicted. Louisville earned the tournament's overall number one seed, while UConn and Pitt joined them on the top line. The Huskies were the only one of this group to make it to Detroit, but the 3 seed in the East region, Villanova, knocked off the Panthers to join Connecticut at Ford Field.

Graduation and the NBA Draft sapped some of the star power from the conference during the offseason, and teams like Pitt and Marquette, look to be in rebuilding mode because of it. Louisville, whose summer included personnel losses and revelations about Rick Pitino's personal life, will be a contender but not quite the power of last year. UConn and Syracuse also lost significant personnel, but have some exciting recruits coming in to fill the voids. Two teams who fell flat last year, Georgetown and Notre Dame could be back, while Cincinnati, St. John's, and Seton Hall may be waking from a long slumber.

But the two teams who appear to be head and shoulders above the rest are the two who lost the least, Villanova and West Virginia. They'll start with the biggest targets on their backs, and they'll take plenty of shots in the early season, particularly in tournament play. Both play in loaded fields this November, the Wildcats in Puerto Rico; the Mountaineers in Anaheim.

More on all 16 teams in the largest league in the land after the jump.

Here's a recap of last year's Big East standings.

Big East Conference Standings

(updated 4.5.2009 at 12:15 AM EDT)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Louisville Cardinals	16	2	31	6
Connecticut Huskies	15	3	31	5
Pittsburgh Panthers	15	3	31	5
Villanova Wildcats	13	5	30	8
Marquette Golden Eagles	12	6	25	10
Syracuse Orange	11	7	28	10
West Virginia Mountaineers	10	8	23	12
Providence Friars	10	8	19	14
Notre Dame Fighting Irish	8	10	21	15
Cincinnati Bearcats	8	10	18	14
Seton Hall Pirates	7	11	17	15
Georgetown Hoyas	7	11	16	15
St. John's Red Storm	6	12	16	18
South Florida Bulls	4	14	9	22
Rutgers Scarlet Knights	2	16	11	21
DePaul Blue Demons	0	18	9	24

Now, here are my picks for 2009-10, presented in reverse order. If a team name appears in red, click it to go to that schools SBNation site, your source for more in depth analysis.

DePaul (last NCAA: 2004) The Blue Demons defeated a league opponent once only last season, bursting Cincinnati's bubble in the first round of the Big East tournament. The pressure is definitely on Jerry Wainwright at the moment, but this team doesn't look like it will improve much. The foundation is good, even with swingman Dar Tucker's departure for the professional game, as 6-10 Mac Koshwal is a beast inside for Wainwright, as he averaged over 12 points and nearly 10 boards a game last year, and Will Walker averaged nearly 15 points a game in the backcourt. But the rest of the squad lacks scoring punch and experience. Ohio State transfer Eric Wallace, Oregon State transfer Eric Wallace, and returnees Devin Hill (3.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and Mario Stula (1.7 ppg) will have to produce more to make up for the loss of Tucker, while Jabari Currie (5.3 ppg, 1.8 apg) and Jeremiah Kelly (4.3 ppg, 2.4 apg) will need to help Walker out more in the backcourt. DePaul will play Northern Iowa in the Paradise Jam, then East Carolina or Tennessee in their second game. They'll also head to Tampa to take on Mississippi State in the Big East/SEC Invitational.

Providence (last NCAA: 2004) The Friars won 10 Big East games in Keno Davis' first season at the helm, but ended up in the NIT. Providence's schedule is a big reason for their failure, as they defeated Cincinnati and Rutgers twice, and were swept by Villanova, making their victory total a bit suspect. Providence should drop significantly this season, as they lost four starters off an already disappointing team. Senior point guard Sharaud Curry (11.7 ppg, 4.2 apg) is the lone returning starter, so at least the offense will be in good hands. Production will have to come from 6-5 wing Marshon Brooks (10.6 ppg) and 6-4 Brian McKenzie (4.6 ppg), along with JC transfer Kyle Wright and freshman Duke Mondy, both of whom lit it up at their previous level of competition. 6-9 JC transfer Russ Permenter and 6-8 freshmen Kadeem Bates and James Still will join two redshirt freshmen, 6-6 Jamine Peterson and 6-8 Bilal Dixon, on an all new frontline. How quickly that group can adjust to the rigors of the Big East will determine how well PC can do this season. The Friars don't participate in a tournament this year, but they travel to Alabama and host former Big East member Boston College.

South Florida (last NCAA: 1992) The Bulls should be better this year, but the question is whether that will show up in the standings. Stan Heath returns three starters from a team that won only four Big East contests a season ago, including guard Dominique Jones (18.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 3.9 apg) and 6-10 forward Augustus Gilchrist (10.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg). Both of those players will receive significant help in their particular units, as Ohio State transfer Anthony Crater will take some of the playmaking pressure off Jones (as will a bigger role for senior Chris Howard, who averaged over 4 assists a game last year) and 6-11 JC transfer Jarrid Famous will combine with Gilchrist to form one of the more intimidating frontlines in the conference. 6-4 guard Mike Mercer (8.5 ppg, 33.3% from 3) returns to the team for his final season after head coach Stan Heath booted him in January for disciplinary issues. USF's freshmen, heavy on guards and wings, includes Joe Dumars' son, Jordan. The Bulls will play in the Charleston Classic before Thanksgiving, where they'll play Davidson on Day 1. A matchup with either La Salle or South Carolina awaits on Day 2. USF will also face San Diego and San Francisco in Las Vegas before Christmas.

Rutgers (last NCAA: 1991) The Scarlet Knights once again struggled in the Big East, winning only two games in the conference in '08-09. Fred Hill's team should face another tough year despite the return of 6-3 sophomore guard Mike Rosario (16.2 ppg) and an improving frontline featuring imposing shotblocker 6-9 Gregory Echenique (8.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 2.4 bpg) and 6-11 center Hamady Ndiaye (5.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg). 6-7 Jonathan Mitchell, a transfer from Florida, and 6-6 sophomore Patrick Jackson, a rarely used freshman, are expected to contribute as well. While Rutgers is set at shooting guard thanks to Rosario, JC transfer James Beatty will likely replace Anthony Farmer at the point, though junior Mike Coburn (4 ppg, 2.1 apg), last year's backup, will see plenty of time there as well. The Scarlet Knights will make the short trip to Atlantic City, where they'll face UMass in the semifinals of the Legends Classic. They'll play either Florida or Michigan State on the following evening. A December 28 trip to North Carolina also looms large.

Marquette (last NCAA: 2009) The Golden Eagles appear due for a fall in Buzz Williams' second year at the helm. Jerel McNeal, Wesley Matthews, and Dominic James, Marquette's starting backcourt of a season ago, have all graduated. And while 6-6 F Lazar Hayward (16.3 ppg, 8.6 rpg) is back, that's a lot of production Williams will have to replace. Jimmy Butler (5.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg), another 6-6 forward, should move from the sixth man role to the starting lineup, but he needs to show more offensive consistency. Two-time Wisconsin HS Player of the Year Jeronne Maymon, yet another 6-6 forward, will be expected to contribute immediately, as will 6-7 shot blocking machine Erik Williams. Marquette's all-new backcourt features two JC All-Americans, 6-3 Dwight Buycks and 6-1 Darius Johnson-Odom, and 6-1 Canadian freshman Junior Cadougan, the heir apparent to James. Maurice Acker (2.8 ppg, 1.8 apg), who replaced James when he went out with a broken foot, is also back for the Golden Eagles. Marquette plays in the Old Spice Classic this year, where they open with Xavier. They'll then play either Michigan or Creighton in what has to be called that tournament's Midwestern half of the bracket.

Pittsburgh (last NCAA: 2009) The Panthers will be in full rebuilding mode this season, as Jamie Dixon lost four starters from a season ago. However, the one starter who is back, senior guard Jermaine Dixon (8.4 ppg, 2 apg), is out until November thanks to a broken foot. Reserves Gilbert Brown (5.4 ppg), Brad Wanamaker (5.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg), and Ashton Gibbs (4.3 ppg, 43.9% from 3) will have to take on a greater role, but replacing Levance Fields at the point is the biggest issue for Pitt. Ultimately, Gibbs and Centenary transfer Chase Adams (14.6 ppg, 4.5 apg) will have to shoulder the load. The frontcourt was decimated thanks to the departure of DeJuan Blair, Sam Young, and Tyrell Biggs. 6-10 center Gary McGhee (1.2 ppg, 1.5 rpg in roughly 6 minutes per game) will see a lot more time this season, as will 6-6 swingman Gilbert Brown (5.4 ppg, 3.1 rpg), but 6-9 freshman Dante Taylor, a McDonald's All-American, could become the most exciting frontcourt player for the Panthers this season. Pitt will travel to Kansas City for the CBE Classic, where they'll open against Wichita State. Big 12 power Texas or now-perennially-rebuilding Iowa awaits on the second night.

Seton Hall (last NCAA: 2006) Bobby Gonzalez not only brings back four starters from a season ago, led by offensive force Jeremy Hazell (22.7 ppg), he has several transfers coming in to provide much needed depth. The Pirates' solid backcourt, featuring Hazell, starting point guard Eugene Harvey (12.5 ppg, 4.5 apg), and backup PG Jordan Theodore (5.9 ppg, 2 apg) receives a major reinforcement in the form of Missouri transfer Keon Lawrence (11 ppg, 2.3 apg in '07-08). An emerging frontline, featuring 6-6 Robert Mitchell (14.7 ppg, 8 rpg) and 6-9 John Garcia (8 ppg, 7 rpg), will be even better thanks to the presence of 6-8 New Mexico State transfer Herb Pope, who averaged more than 11 points and almost 7 boards a game in his single season in Las Cruces. Melvyn Oliver, a 6-11 sophomore who weighs in at an immovable 340 pounds and 6-6 Memphis transfer Jeff Robinson will also see some minutes. Seton Hall won't participate in a tournament this year, but they'll still get some time in the sun. They'll travel to Cancun to take on Virginia Tech on the second day of 2010.

St. John's (last NCAA: 2002) Last season, Norm Roberts' Red Storm won 16 games, 6 in the Big East, during a campaign that was plagued by injuries. St. John's hasn't quite been able to shake the injury bug yet, as their best player, 6-7 senior F Anthony Mason, Jr. (14 ppg, 4.3 rpg) will be out until at least late November with a hamstring injury. He only played three games last season thanks to a torn tendon in his right foot. When he returns, he'll join 6-6 junior D.J. Kennedy (13 ppg, 6.6 rpg) and 6-8 junior Sean Evans (10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg) to form a quality frontcourt. 6-3 junior Paris Horne, who led the Red Storm in scoring a season ago (14.6 ppg), and 5-9 PG Malik Boothe (6.4 ppg, 4.4 apg) will anchor the backcourt, with sophomore Quincy Roberts (5 ppg) and freshman PG Malik Stith, as the supporting cast. St. John's will participate in the Philly Hoop Group Classic over Thanksgiving weekend at the Palestra, where they'll face Siena and Temple.

Notre Dame (last NCAA: 2008) The Fighting Irish have a chance of improving on last year's disappointing 21-win NIT campaign thanks to the return of 6-8 Luke Harangody (23.3 ppg, 11.8 rpg), a player who has numerous school and conference records within reach. In the backcourt, point guard Tory Jackson (10.6 ppg, 4.9 apg) returns, but perimeter sharpshooters Kyle McAlarney (15 ppg) and Ryan Ayers (11.1 ppg) will be sorely missed. Mississippi State transfer Ben Hansbrough, brother of Tyler, will be called on to make up some of that production, though he's just as likely to score inside, as he can really drive to the basket. Unfortunately, another player who would've fit in immediately, 6-8 Purdue transfer Scott Martin, will miss the year with a knee injury. That means 6-8 junior Tyrone Nash (3 ppg, 3.6 rpg) will have to take on a greater role. Ultimately, a lack of depth will keep the Irish from rising too high in the standings, but they should be competitive for an NCAA bid. Notre Dame will participate in the Chicago Invitational Challenge, where they open with Northwestern. The second day the Irish will face either Iowa State or Saint Louis.

Cincinnati (last NCAA: 2005) Thanks to four returning starters and a couple of key newcomers, Mick Cronin's team should be able to improve on last year's 18 wins (8 in the conference), and with the losses other Big East teams suffered, they should get back to the Dance. The Bearcats' strength will be their backcourt, led by all-Big East pick Deonta Vaughn (15.3 ppg, 4.7 apg). He'll receive more help than he had last year, as PG Cashmere Wright is back after missing all of last year with a knee injury and Larry Davis (6.8 ppg) also returns from an ankle injury. 6-9 Yancy Gates (10.6 ppg, 6.1 rpg), who was one of the league's top freshmen last season anchors the frontcourt, which will also feature 6-11 Oklahoma State transfer Ibrahima Thomas (8.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) when the fall semester ends. However, the arrival of 6-6 New Yorker Lance Stephenson gives the Bearcats a second legit star. New York State's all-time leading scorer averaged nearly 29 points a contest last year, so he should provide an instant boost to a team that was weak on the offensive end last season. Cincy will play in Maui this November, where they open with Vanderbilt. If they win that, a semifinal with Maryland would likely await.

Georgetown (last NCAA: 2008) The Hoyas were touted as a Final Four team by some last year, but struggled with consistency throughout the season. DaJuan Summers left early for the NBA, which is a major blow, and Jesse Sapp, the senior point guard and defensive specialist who saw a lot more action than anticipated last year, graduated, but John Thompson III has plenty of talent returning to improve on last season's 16-15 mark. Chris Wright (12.5 ppg, 3.8 apg) is back to run the point after showing well in his first league campaign. He missed all of the previous conference season with an ankle injury. At the 2 spot, Austin Freeman (11.4 ppg, 2 apg) will be expected to improve his production in Summers' absence. The frontcourt is anchored by conference Newcomer of the Year Greg Monroe (12.7 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 1.5 bpg), but those expected to start alongside him, sophomore PF Henry Sims and freshman SF Hollis Thompson are relatively inexperienced. That means reserve Julian Vaughn (1.8 ppg, 1.7 rpg), who was expected to contribute more in his first year after transferring from Florida State, and occasional starter Nikita Mescheriakov (2.7 ppg, 1.5 rpg) may see quite a bit more time than anticipated. The Hoyas won't participate in a tournament this season, but they will head west to take on Washington in the Wooden Classic (not UCLA, which would make sense) and up to New York to face Butler in the Jimmy V Classic.

Louisville (last NCAA: 2009) Rick Pitino was the center of a lot of unwanted attention this offseason thanks to some well-publicized off the court issues. On the court, the Cards the news was also negative, as the team's two leading scorers and rebounders from last season, Earl Clark and Terrence Williams, are now in the NBA. The cupboard is far from bare for Pitino, however. He has a backcourt led by seniors Edgar Sosa (7.3 ppg, 2.3 apg) and Jerry Smith, a gifted shooter who averaged almost 8 points a game while shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc. Junior Preston Knowles shot even better from outside, 43 percent, as the sixth man last year. The Cards will need their production, along with that of 6-4 freshman sharpshooter Mike Marra and McDonald's All-American PG Peyton Siva, to replace some of the production that left with Clark and Williams. The frontcourt should be a strength, thanks to the return of 6-9 Samardo Samuels (11.8 ppg, 4.9 rpg), though he'll need to be more consistent. Samuels will be challenged by having to do more of the dirty work on the glass, as he was only the third leading rebounder on last year's team. 6-9 sophomore Terrence Jennings should also provide more punch this season, as he averaged 4.2 ppg and 2.9 rpg in only about 12 minutes worth of action as a freshman. Tony Delk, a 6-4 swingman, who averaged less than a bucket a game last year, should also see more time. Besides the traditional game with Kentucky, Louisville will play Arkansas in the Hall of Fame Showcase in St. Louis before they play home games against three mid-major opponents in the same event.

Syracuse (last NCAA: 2009) The Orange lost their three leading scorers--NBA first rounder Jonny Flynn, his Niagara Falls High School teammate Paul Harris, and Eric Devendorf--off a squad that reached the Sweet 16. But don't expect Jim Boeheim's squad to fall too far down the Big East pecking order. Two regular frontcourt starters--6-9 C Arinze Onuaku (10.3 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.4 bpg) and 6-9 F Rick Jackson (8.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 bpg)-return, as does part-time starter Andy Rautins (10.5 ppg, 36.6% from 3). The newcomers are even more intriguing. 6-7 F Wesley Johnson, who averaged over 12 points and almost 8 boards as a freshman and 12+ points and 4 boards as a sophomore at Iowa State, will fill Harris' spot in the frontcourt. 6-4 freshman Brandon Triche will replace Flynn at the point. The Orange have some talent on the bench, as 6-1 sophomore guard Scoop Jardine returns after sitting out last year injured, 6-7 sophomore Kris Joseph will provide some depth up front, but he'll have to be more consistent than he was as a freshman. 6-8 freshman James Southerland should see some time off the bench because of his ability to shoot. Syracuse makes the short trip to New York City for the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, where they'll face California in the semifinals, then either Ohio State or North Carolina. They'll travel to Tampa to take on Florida in the Big East/SEC Invitational and host Memphis in the Dome.

Connecticut (last NCAA: 2009) Jim Calhoun lost three starters off a Final Four team, Hasheem Thabeet, A.J. Price, and Jeff Adrien, but don't expect UConn to fall too far. PG Kemba Walker (8.9 ppg, 2.8 apg) got a lot of experience off the bench in '08-09 and will be ready to fill Price's shoes at the 1 spot. Freshman Darius Smith should also see some time at the point and maybe even at the 2 spot, thanks to his scoring ability. Jerome Dyson (13.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 3.1 apg) returns from a torn meniscus to provide more toughness to the backcourt. In the frontcourt, SF Stanley Robinson (8.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg) needs to show more consistency, while 6-9 senior Gavin Edwards steps into a starting role for the first time. Calhoun has some impact youngsters on his frontline, including 6-10 Ater Majok and high school teammates Alex Oriakhi and Jamal Coombs-McDaniel. If the younger frontcourt produces as the season goes on, UConn could go on another long March run. Of course, the ongoing investigation surrounding Josh Nochimson could still lead to some distractions during the season. Schedule-wise, the Huskies will host the North regional of the NIT Season Tip-Off. That should result in the first of two trips to MSG for them, as they also face Kentucky in the Big East/SEC Invitational.

West Virginia (last NCAA: 2009) The Mountaineers bring back the bulk of a team that disappointingly lost to Dayton in the first round of last year's NCAAs. Bob Huggins' frontcourt features two players who will challenge for national honors this year, 6-7 senior Da'Sean Butler (17.1 ppg. 5.9 rpg) and 6-9 sophomore Devin Ebanks (10.7 ppg, 7.8 rpg)-a player who really came on in the second half of last season. PF Wellington Smith (5.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg), a 6-7 senior, should up his performance now that he's recovered from a stress fracture in his leg, while 6-8 sophomore Kevin Jones (6.3 ppg, 4.9 rpg) is another solid reserve player for the Mountaineers. The backcourt will be new as JC transfer Casey Mitchell will be the starting shooting guard and Alex Ruoff's replacement at point guard is a real question mark. Darryl Bryant (9.8 ppg, 2.7 apg), Ruoff's heir apparent, was suspended by Huggins over the summer. Joe Mazzulla (5.6 ppg, 3.7 apg), another player who had to deal with off the court issues last year, is another option. His minutes depend on how well he's recovered from the severe shoulder injury he suffered early last season. The Mountaineers will play in the 76 Classic in Anaheim, where they'll open with Long Beach State. A matchup with either Clemson or Texas A&M awaits on the day after Thanksgiving.

Villanova (last NCAA: 2009) Leading scorer Dante Cunningham (16.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg) and swingman Dwayne Anderson (9 ppg, 6.2 rpg) may be gone from last year's Final Four team, but there's enough quality on the roster to ensure that the Wildcats remain near the top of the league. Sixth man Corey Fisher (10.8 ppg, 2.8 apg) should move over to the point full-time, while senior Scottie Reynolds (15.2 ppg, 3.4 apg) will continue to help with the playmaking, even in a more offensive role. The frontcourt corps of 6-5 Corey Stokes (9.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg), 6-5 Reggie Redding (7.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg), and 6-8 Antonio Pena (5.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg) will be joined by several newcomers. 6-11 redshirt Maurice Sutton, 6-6 Duke transfer Taylor King, and 6-7 freshman Isaiah Armwood will see considerable minutes, while 6-10 Mouphtaou Yarou, a high school teammate of Armwood, will give the Wildcats an inside dimension they haven't had in years. Nova will play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off before Thanksgiving. They'll open with George Mason before facing either Dayton or Georgia Tech on the second day.

The Wildcats will hold the Big East's auto bid in my 2009-10 Final Preseason Bracket, which I will release on November 9. There will undoubtedly be a few of their conference brethren joining them.

To wrap up this preview, here is my preseason All-Big East team, featuring the best returning players from last season.

Preseason All-Big East Team

Player of the Year: Luke Harangody, 6-8 F, Sr. (Notre Dame)

Remainder of the Team
Da'Sean Butler, 6-7 F. Sr. (West Virginia)
Devin Ebanks, 6-9 F, So. (West Virginia)
Greg Monroe, 6-11 F, So. (Georgetown)
Scottie Reynolds, 6-2 G, Sr. (Villanova)

Poll

Who is your pick to win the Big East this season?

Cincinnati

7 votes

Connecticut

9 votes

DePaul

1 votes

Georgetown

24 votes

Louisville

13 votes

Marquette

0 votes

Notre Dame

1 votes

Pittsburgh

6 votes

Providence

0 votes

Rutgers

2 votes

St. John's

1 votes

Seton Hall

1 votes

South Florida

0 votes

Syracuse

10 votes

Villanova

18 votes

West Virginia

19 votes

112 votes | Poll has closed

The NIT: Gameday Breakdown

Ken Howlett — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 19:30:19 -0000

Tonights 7:00 EST Kentucky versus Notre Dame (20-14, 8-11) quarterfinal NIT match-up revives a once intense rivalry dating back to 1929. UK and the Irish have battled on the hard-wood a total of 58 times, with the 'Cats prevailing in 41 of those contests. UK and Notre Dame last played in 2004, which culminated a 10 game UK winning streak in the series. Kentucky last lost to the Irish in March of 1990.

Interestingly enough, UK's fair coach Adolph Rupp lost seven in a row to Notre Dame (1936-'42), but he recovered to win nine in a row from 1951 to 1963.

This year, Notre Dame is led by All-America and former Big East Player of the Year, Luke Harangody, and All-Big East performer Kyle McAlarney. The terrific duo account for 38.4 of Notre Dames 76.2 points per game (50.4%), which makes them very similar to UK: Jodie Meeks and Patrick Patterson score 41.7 of UK's 74.3 points per game (56.1%). Notre Dame does boast two other players who score in double-figures, so they do have a bit more balance in the scoring column than Kentucky.

A trip to historic Madison Square Garden for the NIT Final Four is on the line tonight, so for a closer look at Mike Brey's Irish, read on:

Notre Dame Personnel

Luke Harangody: 6-8, 255 lb junior forward -- Harangody averages 23.3 points, 11.9 rebounds (3.6 off. rebounds), 2.0 assists, and 1.0 block per game. He shoots 46.3% from the field, 34.4% from the three-point line (11-32), and 77.4% from the free throw line.

Kyle McAlarney: 6-0, 195 lb senior guard -- He averages 15.1 points, 3.5 assists, and 2.6 rebounds per game. McAlarney is shooting 41.2% from the floor, 42.9% from beyond the arc (120-280), and 86.9% from the charity stripe.

Ryan Ayers: 6-7, 210 lb senior guard -- Ayers is averaging 11.2 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. He makes 44.3% of his shots, 43.4% of his trey attempts (89-205), and 79.5% of his free throws.

Tory Jackson: 5-11, 193 lb junior guard -- Jackson is averaging 10.6 points, 4.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. He shoots 41.4% from the field, 36.0% from the three-point line (27-75), and 64.7% from the free throw line.

Zach Hillesland: 6-9, 228 lb senior forward -- He's averaging 4.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game. Hillesland makes 42.3% of his shots, and 55.8% of his free throws.

Luke Zeller: 6-11, 245 lb senior F/C -- Zeller is averaging 4.9 points, and 2.8 rebounds per game. He shoots 40.0% from the field, 34.3% from the three-point line (36-105), and 61.5% from the free throw line.

Notre Dame and Opponents Statistics (National Ranking in Parenthesis)

Notre Dame Opponents

Points Per Game -- 76.2 70.9

Field Goal% -- 43.5 42.7

Free Throw% -- 70.5 67.1

3-Point% -- 39.6 (14th) 33.5

Rebound Margin -- +1.1

Off. Reb. Per Game -- 12.3 12.0

Off. Rebound% -- 31.8 30.8

Def. Rebound% -- 69.2 68.2

Assists Per Game -- 16.9 (8th) 13.9

Steals Per Game -- 5.4 5.2

Turnovers Per Game -- 9.7 10.4

Blocks Per Game -- 2.6 4.1

Irish Items of Interest

Notre Dame takes an average of 22.1 threes per game (27th nationally) ... They make an average of 8.8 threes per game (11th) ... The Irish sport a 1.74 assist to turnover ratio (1st) ... They also grab 26.9 defensive rebounds per game (14th) ... Notre Dame averages 1.1 points per possession (28th) ... They have attempted 2,164 field goals (7th) ... They average 42.6 rebonds per game (22nd) ... They give up 41.5 rebounds per game (309) ... Notre Dame lost seven games in a row between Jan. 10 and Feb. 7 ... Key ND wins -- @Texas 81-80, Georgetown 73-67, U of L 90-57, UAB 70-64 (NIT), N. Mexico 70-68 (NIT) ... Key ND losses -- North Carolina 102-87, Ohio State 67-62, @ St. Johns 71-65, @ U of L 87-73, @ Syracuse 93-74, UConn 69-61, @ Pitt 93-80, @ Cincinnati 93-83, @ UCLA 89-63, @ West Virginia 79-68, @UConn 72-65, Villanova 77-60, West Virginia 74-62 (Big East Tournament) ... Notre Dame averages 77.6 points per game at home ... In their last eight games they are averaging only 66.5 points per game ... In their last eight games the are giving up 65.6 points per game (they're 5-3 in those games) ... UK is 5-13 in games played in South Bend ... Notre Dame is a 2.5 point favorite.

CliffsNotes Analysis

Patterson versus Harangody ... that's how some see this match-up. But, I believe that UK needs to be more concerned with Notre Dame's penchant for taking and making three-point shots. As was true against Creighton, UK must defend the perimeter with vigor, or risk a blowout loss.

Turnovers, which have been down for Kentucky over the last couple of games (12.3 per game, over the last four games), must remain a non-issue. The Irish take very good care of the ball, and sport the nations best A/TO ratio, 1.74 (16.9 assists pg to 9.7 turnovers). But, they do not force many turnovers (10.4 per game).

Perry Stevenson needs to continue his improved play. UK has utilized the high-low game quite effectively recently, which the 'Cats will need tonight, hopefully to get Harangody in foul trouble.

Jodie Meeks, who against Creighton used the dribble-drive to produce points, will find himself with a height and quickness advantage versus the Irish guards. A strong game from UK's leading scorer could be in the offing (no way ND's 6-7 guard, Ryan Ayers, can contain Meeks).

Kentucky's defense has been elevated over the last couple of games also, with Patterson and Stevenson controlling the paint ... that will need to continue. As will UK's recent rebounding surge ...

Although Notre Dame is not a great rebounding team, they are 14th in the nation in defensive rebounds per game with 26.9, which means UK must crash the offensive boards if they don't want to be limited to one-and-done possessions.

If UK's intensity and focus mirror Monday night's performance in Omaha, then the 'Cats will be in the game with a chance at victory.

Thanks for reading, and Go 'Cats, survive and advance.

Almost A Knight To Forget: Notre Dame Survives Mike Rosario, Rutgers 70-65

CW — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 02:16:01 -0000

It was very ugly, got very pretty, and then very interesting, but the Irish keep their tournament hopes alive by eking one out against a woeful Rutgers team that really came to play. More analysis coming tomorrow (hey, there's Idol, Lost, Real World and the Top Chef finale tonight), but a few key points:

Great adjustments in the second half for Luke Harangody. With Rutgers committing to playing behind him, Harangody realized he needed to be patient, taking his time to either deliver a nice post move or whip it to an open shooter. I didn't count up his second half rebounds, but I'm pretty sure he collected a double-double after the break. It was a nice warm-up for round four against Mount Thabeet, and another great effort from the reigning Big East Player of the Year.
Welcome back, Tory. If Tory is back to the level we know he can play and Jonathan Peoples continues a very nice stretch of play, there's some potential for an effective three guard line-up against smaller teams. Peoples banging around inside (five boards tonight) is a great complement to K-Mac's shooting. Not sure what buttons were pushed before the Providence game, but I like it.
Mike Brey must continue to get Ty Nash minutes. I know he may be tempted to fall back on his veterans, but he has to resist that urge.
Three big-time defensive plays by Ryan Ayers in that key stretch of the second half along with some good passing. It's good to see him contributing even if the threes aren't dropping.
This should go without saying, but Mike Rosario might have a future in this game.

Notre Dame 90, Louisville 57

Mike Rutherford — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 19:22:08 -0000

Honestly, where do you start?

A part of me wants to lay into the team and advocate everyone panicking because of that type of effort this late in the season. Another part wants to write this off as a team in an offensive slump running into a team with its back to the wall playing in an arena that has historically been a tough place to win for visitors. And a third part wants to say that sometimes this sort of thing just happens. It's happened to Duke, it's happened to Clemson, it's happened to Wake Forest, it's (sort of) happened to Connecticut and it happened to the '05 Final Four team.

The truth is we won't know whether Thursday night was a sign of impending doom, an aberration or a complete fluke for another month or so.

Right now, it's simply embarrassing.

Let's start with the head.

Terrence Williams: if you want everything you say you do, you can't do that, my man. A hurt wrist isn't an excuse for playing devoid of any sense of energy or passion, it isn't an excuse for refusing to rebound and it isn't an excuse for leaving Ryan Ayers alone for uncontested three-pointers on a handful of key possessions.

Leaders don't take nights off, they don't let their energy level drop when things aren't going their way, and they don't let the teammates who look up to them get away with half-assing anything and everything for 40 minutes.

It's on you to get this fixed.

If anyone deserves to be spared from having their feet put to the flames, it's Samardo Samuels. Not only did the freshman come out looking to prove a point in the game's opening minutes, but he and Preston Knowles were the only guys on the floor competing when the game was out of reach in the second half.

It's a good sign for his progression, but not a real good sign for the team's.

Nobody thinks of Luke Harangody as a great shooter for his size, but if he had better form, wouldn't everybody? The shots look so ridiculous, but night after night he knocks them down with consistency, a fact that does make him a tremendous jump shooter for his size.

A shot that goes in by any other name is still worth two points.

I realize the game was, for all intents and purposes, over, but why Will Scott in that situation? Sure he can shoot, but against a team playing man, having Scott in makes the game 4-on-5 on both ends of the floor. Apparently Pitino was mad at Preston for something, but give me some Kuric or some Delk.

I was pissed at the end, but I still really, really wanted a Lee sighting.

I don't want to go through this without praising the Irish, because they played well and with heart, and they would have won even if Louisville hadn't spent 40 minutes thinking about Party of Five.

Pitino said earlier this week that the media needed to respect this team for what it is: an outstanding defensive squad that's going to have its struggles on the offensive end. That's fine, but teams fitting that description don't win national titles or make it to Final Fours. Teams like that do what last year's Washington State team did: look impressive in its opening weekend games in the NCAA Tournament and then get pounded when they run up against a team that can get it done on the offensive end against anybody.

Points off turnovers will work against a mid-major conference champion in the first round, but this team has to find a way to get points out of its offensive sets if it's serious about making a run to Detroit. The offense has to center around Williams, the one playmaker the team has who has proven himself capable of making the right decision (*cough* Earl *cough*) once he gets into the lane.

I suppose all we can do is hope something clicks in practice sometime very soon.

I love the way Terrence Jennings has been able to transform his game in such a short time, but somebody tell me why we were so adamant on feeding him in the post when we were down 18 early in the second half? What has he shown offensively to make the other four guys on the floor so confident that he was going to be able to score consistently on Harangody and Hillesland? That made no sense to me, but then again neither did the whole night.

Simply put, our points guards have to be better. They don't have to be Ty Lawson or Steph Curry, but they just can't be as bad as they've been for the last three games.

Why in the world did Mike Brey have Jackson, McAlarney and 'Gody in the game with his squad up 30 and less than three minutes to play? I don't think he was trying to run up the score or anything, I just think it's odd to put yourself in a position where if one of those three guys goes down you're going to be crucified by your fan base and the local media.

You really only go seven deep and those guys just had a hell of a night, let them chill for a little bit, Mike. The Big East is a rough league, I'm told.

Earl Clark seems to have adopted the pre-'08-'09 Terrence Williams mentality of making one bad outside shot justifies taking three more.

Go. To. The. Bucket. Earl.

Also, apparently it takes someone hitting him across the face with a bottle to draw a whistle. I'd be a lot more angry about it if he weren't putting up 0-fers from the charity stripe.

That's seven straight bad halves since these guys looked like national champions for 20 minutes in Morgantown. If there isn't marked improvement on Sunday against Depaul - a program whose thorough domination will be discussed tomorrow - you have my permission to loot each and every establishment on Frankfort Avenue.

Again, I apologize for not taking a firm stance one way or the other on what took place last night, the fact of the matter is I simply have no idea as far as what to make of what I witnessed. Yes, the Irish were playing for their NCAA Tournament lives, yes Louisville came into the game struggling offensively, yes the Joyce Center is a tough place to play, and yes the team was at a disadvantage not getting in until game day, but...90-57??? It's simply astounding.

Still, let's end with this: Louisville just tasted defeat on the road in the Big East for the first time all season, and still sits with a record of 9-2 and a real shot to capture the regular season crown in the toughest conference in America. The Cardinals' next seven Big East games will be nowhere near as difficult as their first seven, a stretch U of L made it through unscathed.

Last night was indescribably brutal, but the opportunity to make it a distant memory come mid-March certainly exists. This can be fixed, and Thursday can be forgotten.

Louisville 87, Notre Dame 73

Mike Rutherford — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 10:00:18 -0000

It's been sort of fascinating to observe just how blissful Monday night's overtime victory has made everyone associated with the U of L basketball program. From Rick Pitino to the morbidly obese guy at the Dairy Mart by my house, there doesn't seem to be a member of the Cardinal contingency who can stop smiling.

But why?

On the surface, Louisville's twelfth win of the season wasn't overly impressive. It was a 14-point victory over an opponent which hadn't won in Freedom Hall in 50 years in a game the Cards were favored to win by five and-a-half points.

So again, why the fuss?

It could be because this was the official "we are who we thought we were" moment for both the team and the fan base. After a December that made every U of L fan question whether or not this group which began the season ranked third in the country was even capable of making a run to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament, the Cards have defeated an arch-rival who appears bound for the Big Dance, gone on the road and handled a team they were supposed to handle, gone on the road and knocked off a squad which could easily be headed back to the Sweet 16, and beaten a team which will likely be competing for one of the four Big East Tournament double byes come the first week of March. The last two weeks have made UNLV and Minnesota feel more and more like Dayton and Purdue.

Or it could be because the Cardinal defense was the key to a victory over one of the best offensive teams in the nation. If you can hold Notre Dame to one bucket over a ten and-a-half minute stretch, then you can hold anyone to one bucket over a ten and-a-half minute stretch. And if you can hold anyone to one bucket over a ten and-a-half minute stretch, then there isn't a team in college basketball that you can't beat. A squad loaded with streaky shooters will be able to win multiple games it probably shouldn't if it can defend like that (see: 3-for-25, Villanova).

It might be because defeat appeared so imminent. Down four, without the ball, running out of time and appearing to have no idea as far as how to go about putting the ball in the basket; this was a situation where 90% of teams in Division I fold up their tents and start promising themselves that they'll do better next time. When the Irish were preparing to take the last shot, I'd already accepted defeat. The best things in life are usually unexpected.

There's a possibility that it was because, with the exception of the first minute and-a-half of the second half, the team appeared to be playing as hard or harder than it had at any other point in the season. And this is coming just two days after a gritty victory 700 miles away.

Maybe it was because of the way the two seniors came up so big. Lack of leadership has been the main point of emphasis for U of L detractors since David Padgett walked off the Freedom Hall floor for the final time, but when their team needed them the most, there was Terrence Williams giving the best overall performance of his collegiate career and serving as the calming offensive presence that this group has so desperately needed, and there was Andre McGee spearheading a tremendous defensive effort and inspiring his tired teammates to suck it up and match his intensity.

Or perhaps it was the play of the oft-criticized young post players. Samardo Samuels looked like a man who has spent the past two months waiting for Big East play to start, going right at Luke Harangody from the game's first possession on, and playing with an intensity and confidence that appeared to have been stolen at some point during the Western Kentucky loss. And then there was Terrence Jennings, shutting down the potential national Player of the Year defensive trip after defensive trip down the stretch, and looking like a guy more than capable of significantly helping this program sooner rather than later.

Any of these alone paired with the obvious fact that Louisville defeated the No. 12 team in the country would have been proper justification for glee, but when you line them all up back-to-back it becomes pretty obvious why the good vibrations have extended beyond just one night.

Monday night's win was sort of like a Christmas stocking: a bunch of small, enjoyable gifts that are technically still just one present. Except instead of chocolate coins and scratch-offs, this stocking consisted of iPhones, cars with giant bows and the mute chick from Planet of the Apes.

More thoughts:

I've always said that T-Will's performance in the win at Pittsburgh his sophomore season was his best game as a Cardinal, but Monday night shattered that. Twenty-four points, 16 rebounds, eight assists. I have no doubt that he'll be criticized at length multiple times by fans over the course of the next ten weeks or so, but the kid simply makes this team go. It's not a debate, without Terrence Williams Louisville is 1-2 in the Big East right now.

It's time we all realize what a special player Andre McGee is. Here's a senior captain who has just officially had his starting spot taken by a junior who has had constant problems with attitude and effort, and one whom he has outplayed more times than not over the last season and-a-half, and yet he still comes off the bench and plays as hard as you'll ever see anyone play before ultimately shutting down one of the quickest guards in the country with the game on the line. How many kids in the country are mature enough to maintain that type of attitude?

McGee's on-ball defense was absolutely the spark that ignited the Cards in the last five minutes of regulation and for the duration of the overtime period. When his teammates saw the way he was harassing Tory Jackson, they had no choice but to forget about how tired they were and match the intensity of the smallest guy on the court.

A big, big time effort from the biggest team guy currently donning a Cardinal uniform.

U of L's lack of backcourt talent has been discussed at length for the past six months or so, but Monday night was a prime example of why it's better to have four above average guards than one or two tremendous guards and no one else. When they had the chance to put Louisville away in the game's final minutes, Jackson and Kyle McAlarney simply didn't have the legs to do it, and McGee and Preston Knowles took advantage accordingly.

Being able to replace the offense of Edgar Sosa and Jerry Smith with the defensive pressure of Knowles and McGee is a lethal advantage against teams that are forced to play guards for 35 plus minutes night in and night out. It's why no one should be surprised when they watch teams like Notre Dame come to Freedom Hall and hit 9 of their first 12 three-pointers before missing their last eight.

Exhibit 586,789 of why Louisville basketball fans are awesome: the roar when Preston Knowles fought through three screens to deny Kyle McAlarney the ball in the middle of a possession. Most fan bases simply don't recognize or fully appreciate those types of things.

Lukewarm Edgar, the distant, at times hilarious at times unnecessarily vulgar cousin of Good Edgar and Bad Edgar decided to visit on Monday night. He made some solid plays with the ball and actually had more assists (four) than he had in any game since Austin Peay, but the outside shot wasn't there and he simply couldn't bring the type of effort defensively that we had to have to win this game.

I don't think you can call this a setback by any stretch of the imagination, it was simply McGee's game and not his. That's how this is going to work.

I realize the Irish were dead, but it's been a while since we've seen a Louisville team play as well for five minutes as the Cards did in overtime. It was fantastic. What else can you say?

How Luke Harangody is able to do what he does is still one of the more remarkable things in sports right now. I mean, here's a guy who looks, and shoots, like Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Along Came Polly, and not only is he well on his way to his second Big East Player of the Year award in as many seasons, but he has a legitimate case to be the Naismith Award recipient. The post moves, the kamikaze drives to the bucket and the open outside jumper are all one thing, but when he hits the fadeaway 16-footer with the arm of a 6-foot-9 guy in his face, all you can do is smile, shake your head and voice your amazement for the 16th time to the person sitting next to you.

Luke Harangody: I salute you...and then I draft you fourth at a YMCA pick-up game.

The way Samardo Samuels played against the Irish should have everyone excited about watching him for the next two months. This was the type of effort that has to make you believe he's going to be OK in the Big East.

He's still going to struggle around the rim and make us all scream, and he's still going to wrongly put the ball on the floor when he's double-teamed, but he showed Monday that he's going to be up to the task if teams with elite post players opt to let their big man play Samuels straight up with no help.

It'd be foolish for any of us to expect Samuels to get the better of Dejaun Blair - who just may be the best pure center in the country right now - on Saturday, but we now know that he's going to bring the intensity, and if nothing else that should make for some hellacious collisions in the paint.

It's getting to the point where, when he's in the game, I expect Terrence Jennings to block every shot taken inside of ten feet. The biggest enigma on this year's roster showed his most significant signs of life to date, coming up huge on the defensive end and on the glass in the game's waning minutes.

Jennings becoming a reliable contributor may be the most positive thing - aside from all the winning - to happen over the last two weeks. He has a defensive presence and a pair of freakishly long arms that Samuels simply can't match, and though he has a long way to go offensively, if he can simply avoid turning the ball over and finish when he gets easy opportunities around the bucket, then he'll become a huge boon for this team.

It looked to me like T-Will touched the ball before Harangody, but his dunk would have been about .8 seconds after the game was over if the clock hadn't stopped. Still, it was pretty cool.

Almost Dunking Marques Maybin is rapidly approaching hero status. The man is now a perfect 9-0, and the team has dropped the only two games he's missed since his debut in the round-robin tournament bearing his name.

I really want to give ADMM breaks here and there since there are bound to be losses on the horizon, but how can you not give the man the start every night until he tastes defeat for the first time?

However, IF the Cards do win out, I pledge to wear a No. 5 Louisville jersey, and only a No. 5 Louisville jersey, to the Derby this year.

You want that to happen.

Raftery, Bilas and McDonough should call every basketball game broadcast anywhere. Digger Phelps should not be allowed in the country.

The only disheartening thing about the last few minutes of regulation was that the players on the floor couldn't figure out what to do when Brey put Zach Hillesland on Samuels and moved four-foul 'Gody to Clark. Instead of letting Clark post Harangody up or clearing out to let him go off the dribble, Samuels - the player whom the ball had been intended to go to since it was assumed he would still be checked by Harangody - continued to clog up the lane and try to score against a taller player who had fouls to give.

We were out of timeouts at this point, so it was on the five players on the court to recognize the switch and adjust accordingly, and the fact that they didn't was sort of disappointing.

Keep shooting, Jerry. Seriously, you're a good shooter, we can all live you pulling the trigger a few more times every night.

Pitino and I took a swig out of a water bottle at precisely the same moment during the second half. It was pretty magical. I only wish that I could have hugged McGee and Jennings at precisely the same moment he did, too.

The undefeated No. 1 team in the country is coming into Freedom Hall Saturday night. Really, how awesome does it feel to say that? The atmosphere should be incredible, and a victory would cap off - or simply become the new high point - of a pretty remarkable stretch.

Get excited, people. Get real excited.

And one more time for the kids...

Survive and Advance: Irish Almost Blow It Against Longhorns, Advance to Face Tar Heels in Maui Final

CW — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 04:44:02 -0000

That was more interesting than it needed to be at the end. Tory, K-Mac and Harangody combined to play 116 of a possible 120 minutes, notching 64 points on 24-for-44 points. They might not have any legs left against North Carolina tomorrow, but it was a hell of a win tonight.

Maui Invitational Day Two: A Look Back At Indiana and a Look Ahead At Texas

CW — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:02:57 -0000

I was at work for the majority of the Indiana game yesterday, but was keeping track of it through Gametracker and streams of GChat thoughts from a couple friends. I hope they don't mind them using them, but here's a stream of some of the superlatives coming my way from fans who hadn't yet seen the Irish play yet this season:

wow

  just wow

  i love it

  nd bball

  they might be good

  imagine if they come out hot instead of ice cold

  perfection

  zeller looks athletic

  harangody has calmed down

hillesland is under control

  everyone can f*cking shoot

  unreal

its so fun to watch

  you are gonna love it

  it is just 30 ft shots all day

  people jumping and passing and shooting

  unreal

  i think mike brey is the reason we shouldnt fire charlie weis

  have a little faith

~

we look great

  but indiana is awful

  peoples under control, tory can hit jumpers now, luke z crashing the boards with authority

  everyone is better

  ayers slashing

  hitting everything

After a very cold start, yesterday was a clinic on offensive basketball. Even with Luke Harangody having a slow day (still tossing up 14 points, 5 boards, 5 steals and 2 assists), the offense didn't miss a beat, mainly because Tory Jackson played like the player we all hoped he could become for the entire time. He dominated the ball on offense, but in the way you want a point guard to. If the defense backed off, he banged home a jumper in the first half. When they pressed up on him after the break, he slipped right around for an easy lay-up (or a dish). I think I can say with near one hundred percent confidence that if Tory is hitting his jumpers, there might be no way to guard him. He is going to get quite a workout from the Texas backcourt of AJ Abrams and Justin Mason, but there's the potential for Maui as Tory's coming out party. He's disappeared for games in his career, but on Mike Brey's team of men, he may have matured the most in the offseason. Never pressing but constantly pressuring the defense.

Also a man yesterday? Lucas Zellervich, who threw up a stat line of ten points and eleven boards off the bench, but did it by hitting two of his six threes and collecting six offensive rebounds. How many players are grabbing a half dozen half dozen boards and putting up the same number of three's? If Zeller can stretch the floor and crash the boards on offense while protecting the lane on defense, he'll have finally reached the acme everyone imagined he could as a freshman. I cannot wait to see him spar with Connor Atchley, his Longhorn doppelganger.

I loved the entire attitude of the team in transition, with the number of passes twenty or thirty feet ahead reaching double digits. Probably the most notable was Kyle McAlarney's three-quarter court pass to Harangody, where he awkwardly (but beautifully) finished with a scoop lay-up. K-Mac finally found his range, which happens to include any space in the gym, and combined with Zeller and Ryan Ayers to show that there is no way to zone this team. If Ayers can consistently go one dribble and pull-up, like he did early on in the game for one of his first baskets, it is game over. He also was smoothly efficient yesterday, tossing up 13 points on 5-7 shooting and collecting five boards, two steals and an assist.

Great effort from everyone, though. Zach Hillesland didn't get a lot of scoring opportunities, but that's fine, as he contributes in a hundred other ways, twenty minutes of controlled chaos on the offensive boards and defensive side of the floor. Jonathan Peoples ran the break well and was obviously very upset he missed a wide open three, but didn't let it affect his defense, while Tyrone Nash and Carleton Scott show why a lot of people are very excited for them to get some extended minutes should the opportunity arise.

I apologize if this recap is overflowing with superlatives when Indiana is a team in a really bad place right now, but the team looked so incredibly good a majority of the time, and did so with subpar efforts from behind the arc (10-for-26-) and the free throw line (a paltry 2-for-7). Tonight's game against Texas (7:00 on ESPN Original Recipe) is going to be a great measuring stick. While the Longhorns are still adjusting to Abrams as their primary ball-handler after DJ Augustin moved onto the Charlotte Bobcats (tossing up a 25-11-5 last night, actually), Rick Barnes has a fantastic defensive team to go with the great offense he puts on the floor year-in and year-out. From our great Texas counterpart on SBN, Burnt Orange Nation:

Texas will advance if they keep Luke from catching the ball with a foot in the paint and if they can take advantage of their depth advantage with a quick, yet smart tempo.

Notre Dame will advance if the Irish guards can handle the Texas pressure and if Harangody can get others involved in the offense.

The writer admits he hasn't seen Notre Dame play a lot, which makes sense because everyone one of those points is easily countered by something this Irish team naturally does. Harangody can score from outside the paint, I would love to play at a "quick, yet smart tempo," I would be extremely surprised if Tory was bothered by their pressure and everyone is involved in the Irish offense from the go.

Beautiful but dangerous.

This is not going to be an easy game. Texas' fantastic forward Damion James (I can't type the names of Texas players without hearing Fran Fraschilla or Ron Franklin's voice in my head) is coming off a rocky outing against St. Joes, while Abrams is a quicker version of McAlarney, a true nightmare to try and keep track of on the floor. Gary Johnson, Dexter Pittman and Atchley (I'm serious, he and Zeller are nearly identical, from fans hating seeing them on the floor to totally putting it all together, although Atchley did it a year sooner) will be the primary big bodies thrown at Harangody, but expect to see Barnes go deep into his bench to make up for playing the middle game of a back-to-back-to-back. All of those misses lay-ups and threes from Indiana are going to be converted by the 'Horns, so the Irish are going to have to be a lot sharper on the defensive end.

Go Irish, Beat Horns.