Although the Irish will probably partake in the NIT in the upcoming weeks, Wednesday night's game against West Virginia essentially ended the season for the once-promising Notre Dame basketball team.  The Irish came out in their second straight game in two days bitterly cold and were down 36-18 at halftime.  We saw a rejuvenated Irish team in the second half, where they cut the lead at one point to 7, but it was too late of a comeback.  The Irish struggled on both offense and defense at times and were not able to put the two together at any point during the contest.  West Virginia star Alex Ruoff had 25 points for the Mountaineers, while Devin Ebanks snatched 18 rebounds.  The Moutaineers dominated on the boards, outrebounding the Irish 44-27 (with 15 offensive rebounds) in what has become too similar of a fashion for Irish fans.  For Notre Dame, Luke Harangody was on fire in the second half and finished the game with 27 points and 8 rebounds.  Kyle McAlarney had 17 points and Ryan Ayers had 11.  The Irish bench only contributed 1 point.

Another disappointing night for Zach Hillesland and the Irish

Not a lot of comments from me tonight about the actual game.  We knew it would be tough to come in and play night after night, but that is the position we put ourselves in.  We came out absolutely dreadful in the first half and we learned, once again, that you can't do that to yourselves and expect to win.  I was happy with the effort that the guys gave in the 2nd half, as it was refreshing to see them do something other than give up, but again, it was too late.  Harangody probably played flawlessly in the 2nd half, but his teammates made too many mistakes on offense and well, business as usual on defense and on the boards.

If you didn't catch the game, not only was it a matchup of the Mountaineers and the Irish, but also possibly a matchup of the two worst dressed coaches in the country.  Well done, Coach Brey and Coach Huggins.

What a disappointing season this has been.  I think we all realized that we weren't a Top 10 team, but at the very least, you expect a NCAA bid.  I think most fans of the program had reasonable expectations for the season and we knew that the Big East is a tough conference, but we looked flat-out bad at times this season.  I'm sure we'll get into it after the season, but I don't know where we can go from here.  Those of you who want Brey gone - I can see where you are coming from, but don't expect it to happen unless it is on his own terms.  That said, I could see (and hope) Brey giving his assistants a hard look in the offseason.  We need an older coach to come in and teach our team how to play some tough-nosed defense.  We can't outscore everyone all the time.  I'd also like to see someone come in as a top recruiter.  It would be nice if they had some connections to New York or Chicago.  I don't buy the admissions excuse; this program can attract top players.  No reasons it can't.

I know us Irish fans can be accused of wearing our rose-colored glasses a bit too often, but I will go out there and say that this team will be a better team next year, provided Luke Harangody returns.  Despite their limitations, McAlarney and Ayers will be missed.  They are two great outside shooters and were leaders on this team.  But let's face it, the other two seniors (Hillesland and Zeller) did not live up to expectations and were liabilities on both ends of the floor this year.  We know what we can get out of Harangody and Jackson and I am hoping that Peoples can add a little to the mix as well - at times he looked like a good bench player.  Nash improved so much this season and should move into the starting lineup next year.  The two transfers (Scott Martin and Ben Hansbrough) will add some instant offense and will have the opportunity to start.  I think the two redshirt sophomores in Tim Abromatis and Carleton Scott will surprise some people and hopefully one of the freshmen can add something as well.  Throw in those two new assistants that I spoke about above and this team can make the tournament in an (hopefully) easier conference next year.

No word yet on the upcoming NIT game.  I have no idea when it starts and really have no intention of spending time trying to find out.  Maybe next week...

Part 2 of ? is Wednesday night.  Hope you all are ready.  I'm just hoping we can score more than St. John's.  Go IRISH!!!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

March 11th, 2009 - 7:00 PM (EST)

Madison Square Garden - New York, NY - ESPN

Hope you are all ready for "Big East Tournament Action: Part 1 of ?".  If the Irish have any remaining shot at a tournament bid, they'll have to play the hell out of this tournament.  The first step is tonight, where they face the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, a team that gave the Irish a lot of hell only a few weeks ago in South Bend.  The Irish will have to play well, and hopefully at the same time conserve a little energy as this could be a long week for the team.  Let's focus on tonight and Go Irish!!!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. Rutgers' Scarlet Knights

Tuesday, March 10th, 2009 - 7:00 PM (EST)

Madison Square Garden - New York, NY - BigEast.com (No other TV)

The full list:

ALL-BIG EAST FIRST TEAM
Hasheem Thabeet, Connecticut, C, Jr., 7-3, 263, Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania
Terrence Williams, Louisville, F, Sr., 6-6, 210, Seattle, Wash.
Jerel McNeal, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-3, 200 Chicago, Ill.
Luke Harangody, Notre Dame, F, Jr., 6-8, 251, Schererville, Ind.
DeJuan Blair, Pittsburgh, C, So., 6-7, 265, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Sam Young, Pittsburgh, F, Sr., 6-6, 215, Clinton, Md.

ALL-BIG EAST SECOND TEAM
A.J. Price, Connecticut, G, Sr., 6-2, 181, Amityville, N.Y.
Wesley Matthews, Marquette, G, Sr., 6-5, 215, Madison, Wis.
Jonny Flynn, Syracuse, G, So., 6-0, 185, Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Dante Cunningham, Villanova, F, Sr., 6-8, 230, Silver Spring, Md.
Da’Sean Butler, West Virginia, F, Jr., 6-7, 225, Newark, N.J.

ALL-BIG EAST THIRD TEAM
Deonta Vaughn, Cincinnati, G, Jr., 6-1, 195, Indianapolis, Ind.
Jeff Adrien, Connecticut, F, Sr., 6-7, 243, Brookline, Mass.
Earl Clark, Louisville, G/F, Jr., 6-8, 220, Rahway, N.J.
Levance Fields, Pittsburgh, G, Sr., 5-10, 190, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Jeremy Hazell, Seton Hall, G, So., 6-5, 185, Bronx, N.Y.

BIG EAST HONORABLE MENTION
Weyinmi Efejuku, Providence, G, Sr., 6-5, 210, Fresh Meadows, N.Y.
Dominique Jones, USF, G, So., 6-4, 205, Lake Wales, Fla.
Scottie Reynolds, Villanova, G, Jr., 6-2, 195, Herndon, Va.
Alex Ruoff, West Virginia, G, Sr., 6-6, 220, Spring Hill, Fla.

BIG EAST ALL-ROOKIE TEAM
Yancy Gates, Cincinnati, F, Fr., 6-9, 255, Cincinnati, Ohio
Kemba Walker, Connecticut, G, Fr., 6-0, 175, Bronx, N.Y.
Greg Monroe, Georgetown, C, Fr., 6-10, 240, Gretna, La.
Samardo Samuels, Louisville, F, Fr., 6-8, 240, Trelawny, Jamaica
Mike Rosario, Rutgers, G, Fr., 6-3, 180, Jersey City, N.J.
Devin Ebanks, West Virginia, F, Fr., 6-9, 205, Long Island City, N.Y.

Here's the 2009 Big East Tournament schedule:

2009 BIG EAST championshiP • MADISON SQUARE GARDEN • NEW YORK, N.Y.

 

Tuesday, March 10 – First Round (BIGEAST.tv)
No. 9 Cincinnati vs. No. 16 DePaul...................................................... Noon

No. 12 Georgetown vs. No. 13 St. John’s.......................................... 2 p.m.

No. 10 Notre Dame vs. No. 15 Rutgers.............................................. 7 p.m.

No. 11 Seton Hall vs. No. 14 USF...................................................... 9 p.m.

 

Wednesday, March 11 – Second Round (ESPN)

No. 8 Providence vs. Cincinnati/DePaul winner...................................... Noon

No. 5 Marquette vs. Georgetown/St. John’s winner............................ 2 p.m.

No. 7 West Virginia vs. Notre Dame/Rutgers winner............................. 7 p.m.

No. 6 Syracuse vs. Seton Hall/USF winner.......................................... 9 p.m.

 

Thursday, March 12 – Quarterfinals (ESPN)

No. 1 Louisville vs. 8/9/16 winner....................................................... Noon

No. 4 Villanova vs. 5/12/13 winner.................................................... 2 p.m.

No. 2 Pittsburgh vs. 7/10/15 winner................................................. 7 p.m.

No. 3 Connecticut vs. 6/11/14 winner............................................... 9 p.m.

 

Friday, March 13 – Semifinals (ESPN)

Thursday afternoon winners............................................................. 7 p.m.

Thursday evening winners............................................................... 9 p.m.

 

Saturday, March 14 – Championship (ESPN)

Semifinal winners 9 p.m.  

So to break it down, our schedule looks like this (assuming we advance in every round):

First Round: ND vs. Rutgers (Tuesday, 7PM)

Second Round: ND vs. West Virginia (Wednesday, 7PM)

Quarterfinals: ND vs. Pittsburgh (Thursday, 7PM)

Semifinals: ND vs. UConn/Syracuse/Seton Hall/USF (Friday, 9PM)

Championship:  ND vs. Louisville/Villanova/Marquette/Georgetown/St. John's/Providence/DePaul/Cincinnati (Saturday, 9PM)

The Irish said goodbye to one of their more storied senior classes on Friday night and the team responded well with a 74-55 over St. John's.  St. John's, a team that upset the Irish back in early January, never was able to get into the game.  The senior quartet combined for 32 points on the night, with Ryan Ayers having another stellar game with 15 points on 5 of 8 shooting.  Junior Luke Harangody was the hot hand once again for the Irish, finishing with 31 points and 12 rebounds in his last regular season shot at Big East/NCAA postseason honors.  The Irish are looking forward to Tuesday when they face Rutgers in the first round of the tournament.  That game can be found on the Big East website, as it is not nationally televised.  The Irish are waiting on some Saturday Big East games to finalize the tournament field and there are a number of possibilities for the Irish.  We'll have more on the Big East bracket when it is finalized.

I don't know what exactly Mike Brey is basing this off on, but here is his projection for how the team needs to play in order to get to the NCAA Tournament (from the South Bend Tribune):

Irish coach Mike Brey is adamant that two wins next week at the Big East tournament returns his team back in the discussion for an at-large NCAA tournament bid. Three wins, he believes, will make it interesting. Four, he said, and it's "over baby."

I have a different outlook on it.  I think the Irish need to win 4 to get back into the discussion and win all of the games to be a lock.  That is what an 8-10 record in your conference will get you.

Luke Harangody had his 21st double-double of the season and his 46th double-double of his career.  Hopefully we'll get the opportunity to say goodbye to him at senior night in a year's time.

The Irish will finish 10th in the Big East standing after being picked 4th in the Big East preseason poll by the coaches.

Kyle McAlarney only finished with 8 points for the night but recorded his 108th 3-pointer of the season, which ties his program record from last year.  Ryan Ayers made 81 3-pointers this season, good for 10th all-time.  Ayers' 3-pointers accounted for 67% of his made shots for the season.  I am actually surprised that is not even higher.

Big East basketball on a Friday night?  I feel like a Louisville fan during football season.  Most people probably won't have access to the game, so I don't expect a lot of activity (especially since we're pretty much out of the tournament conversation) but it's senior night, so if you get a chance to watch the game, go ahead.  Luke Zeller, Zach Hillesland, Ryan Ayers, and Kyle McAlarney will all be playing in their final home game and as disappointing as this season was, we'll miss their contributions and leadership next year.  Let's Go Irish & thanks to all the seniors!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. St. John's Red Storm

Friday, March 6th, 2009 - 7:00 PM (EST)

Joyce Center - Notre Dame, IN - Big East Network/ESPN 360

If you haven't noticed recently, we've added coverage of Notre Dame baseball and hockey.  Josh is one of the more rabid hockey fans we know and we are glad he is on board covering arguably the best program on campus.  Tom will be writing a weekly recap about Irish baseball and this is his first article while we set him up with an account.  Tom is from Omaha and loves his college baseball and formerly followed the baseball team for The Observer a few years back.  A warm welcome to both Josh and Tom...

It’s typically difficult for northern teams to get out of the gate fast. Fortunately for the Irish, they’ve played northern teams so far. Notre Dame sits at 3-3 after finishing 2-1 in the Big Ten-Big East challenge, with wins against Illinois and Purdue and a loss to Ohio State, and after finishing 1-2 in the Phoenix Classic, with a win against Dayton and losses against Gonzaga and Creighton.

This weekend provides another opportunity for the Irish to get some early-season quality wins when they head to Houston for the Rice Classic. There, Notre Dame will face a formidable schedule in Oral Roberts (a solid tournament team from a year ago), #5 Rice (a College World Series qualifier last year), and Washington State (an improving team in the ever-tough Pac 10 Conference).

Continue reading this post »

UPDATE (8:06 PM): Apparently these remarks were so embarrassing that the video of the press conference he held has been taken down by UND.com.

Here's the quote, courtesy of the Chicago Tribune:

When the league conducted a straw poll in June -- once the test-the-waters guys were either gone to the NBA or coming back -- the Irish were picked to finish fourth. With Big East Player of the Year Luke Harangody returning, they were thus thrust into the top-shelf television schedule.

All of which had Brey examining his team's league gauntlet the day after Christmas, then turning to his wife, Tish, and saying this: 9-9.

"Where do I sign on Dec. 26?" Brey said. "I don't want to sell us short, but I've been through the cycle of the league nine years now. You thrive when you can, then when rotate up into that (difficult schedule), can you survive?"

Why in the world would Brey say something like that?  You have your most talented team in awhile, people are (gasp!) actually talking about you for a change, and you're okay with a .500 conference finish?

Somebody try and tell me why I shouldn't be off the Mike Brey wagon right now.  He should know that he is not the best we can do.  Not by a mile.

The Irish are hanging on by a thread in their chances for a ticket to the Big Dance and any remaining chance they have will be put to the test against #16 Villanova.  Villanova is coming off an interesting loss to Georgetown, who had been playing pretty awful basketball up until that win.  It will be interesting to see which Nova team shows up, but I think I'd have to give the early nod to Notre Dame since it's a home game.  Zach Hillesland will be out of this game, so hopefully Ty Nash gets his first start.  For the love of whoever is watching the game with me tonight, I hope Zeller does not start.  Other than that...GO IRISH!!!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. Villanova Wildcats

Monday, March 2nd, 2009 - 7:00 PM (EST)

Joyce Center - Notre Dame, IN - ESPN