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

UConn won't be #2 for much longer.  With their win against Notre Dame Saturday afternoon, they'll likely be #1.  The Huskies were able to fight off an impressive effort from the Irish on their way to a 72-65 win in the last minute of the ballgame.  The Huskies' win brings the team to 15-2 in the Big East, while ND's loss makes them 7-9 in conference action.  Jeff Adrien of UConn was most impressive on the night, leading all scorers with 25.  Notre Dame saw Tory Jackson score 17 while Kyle McAlarney and Luke Harangody added 14 each.  Sophomore Ty Nash led the Irish with 9 rebounds including 6 on the offensive side.  The story of the game was UConn star Hasheem Thabeet's defensive presence against the Irish.  The junior center swatted 8 shots while his teammates helped block 5 more.  In the end, Notre Dame played well, but unfortunately so did UConn.  It was a great game but another disappointing loss for the Irish.

Senior day is not a good day to face Jeff Adrien - he scored 25 points in the UConn victory

I know I've said it before, but what really kills me is the position we put ourselves in.  We're 7-9 in the Big East and for any shot at a postseason berth to the NCAA's, we'll need to get to 9-9 in conference and have a least 2 wins in the Big East Tournament.  And with that we'll just be on the bubble.  Chances are, we'll miss the Big Dance and that is frustrating as a fan of this team because they are a good group of guys and they're a really talented squad.  Today definitely proved that.  No Irish fan has ever said Mike Brey was perfect but he has not done his best job of coaching and a lot of things he has done has hurt our chances.  We came into this game - only a day before the beginning of March - needing a victory desperately.  When you have a POY candidate and only lose one of your starters to graduation, you should not put yourself in that position.  It kills me to watch this team piss away their shot at a dance ticket.  This wasn't the way the season was supposed to go.  Tear...

I know we all miss Rob Kurz, but I don't think it was so much that Rob Kurz was such a terrific basketball player (although I really did like the consistency of his game) more so that we are desperately missing a big man to pair up with Harangody.  Hillesland simply isn't that type of player, Zeller really shouldn't be on the court that much whether he is a forward or a guard, and Ty Nash just doesn't have the size to play against the big guys of the Big East.  It was difficult watching all 6'7" of Ryan Ayers try to guard Jeff Adrian, but with Hillesland out, that's the best we could do.  It really is an indictment on Coach Brey and his staff for failing to sign any post player for two consecutive classes before the incoming class of 2009 comes in next year.  That has really hurt the team and just shouldn't happen when you are a Big East contender.

If you follow Irish basketball and know something about the game, you probably have a man crush on Ty Nash.  The sophomore was sparingly used at the beginning of the season, much to many fans' surprise.  In fact, he only played in 1 out of the first 5 Big East conference games.  But he has been a delight to watch ever since the end of the first UConn game, where he got some scrub time and scored 8 quick points.  The guy probably won't become an offensive power, but he does so many good things when he is on the floor.  He is our only threat for offensive rebounds and is someone that will give you all he has, whether he plays 30 minutes or 5 minutes.  The real shame is Brey's hesitance to play the young player because in the last 10 or so games, as he's really helped our team more than he has hurt it and is improving so much.  He makes me happy.

Luke Harangody, I love your heart and determination, but let's look at some simple facts here.  You are 6'8" (on a good day) and Hasheem Thabeet is 7'3".  That is a good half of a foot or more difference in height.  He will block you multiple times if you try to attack him.  I have no idea how you blocked him that one time, but it usually will be the other way around.  This was probably your last time playing against Thabeet (unless we miraculously do well in the Big East Tournament) and for that I am thankful.

Not much rest for the Irish this weekend as they are back in South Bend on Monday night against a tough and talented Villanova team who lost a tough game to Georgetown earlier today.

I wish you could all feel how pissed I am.  A great game for most of the Irish (save Harangody at times thinking Thabeet was not 8 inches taller then him, Peoples' missed layup, and Brey's atrocious substitution/timeout strategy) but in the end they were just out talented.

What really kills me is how important this game was for us.  It should never have been a game where we desperately needed a win.  That is what it really all comes down to.  You take care of the St. John's and Cincinnati's, and you don't have to worry about a difficult road game at Connecticut.  More to come after I cool off...

Big game for the Irish basketball team this weekend as they face the 2nd rated UConn Huskies.  It'll be a tough game for the Irish, going up against Jim Calhoun's $1.6 million dollar salary (he just told me to shut up) and heading into Storrs where the students will put down the shrooms and Dave Matthews and be ready for this Saturday afternoon game.  I'm not enitrely confident about our prospects this afternoon, but if the Irish can somehow pull this one off, they'll be looking pretty before their last 2 games in attempt to salvage the season and end up 10-8 in the Big East.  This game could go a long way on the team's tournament resume, so let's hope they come out blazing.  Go Irish!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. UConn Huskies

Saturday, February 28, 2009 - 2:00 PM (EST)

Gampel Pavilion - Storrs, CT - CBS

If we lose, we're pretty much out of it.  If we win, we keep on truckin'.  Let's go Irish!  Leave your thoughts and comments here during the game...

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. Rutgers Scarlet Knights

Wednesday, February 25, 2009 - 7:00 PM (EST)

Joyce Center - Notre Dame, IN - ESPN U/360

One last chance to salvage the season...

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. Providence Friars

Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 12:00 PM (EST)

Dunkin Donuts Center - Providence, RI - Big East Network

Huge, huge, huge game for Notre Dame on the road.  They're pretty big underdogs (+9.5 last time I saw) but if they can pull this off they'll be in pretty good shape down the stretch.  Lose it, and they have a ways to go.  Let's Go Irish!!!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. West Virginia Mountaineers

Wednesday, February 18, 2009 - 7:00 PM (EST)

WVU Coliseum - Morgantown, WV - ESPN Regional/ESPN 360

UND.com Preview

Anytime you want to feel good about rooting for this year's Notre Dame basketball team, check out Zach Hillesland's "Dispatch From a Domer" on the "The Quad", a New York Times college hoop's blog.  Hillesland's wrote (written? - 2nd grade teacher I had but forgot her name, I hope you're not reading this) about a half a dozen blog entries thus far and they've all been terrific.  This week's addition is about his Valentine's Day action (or lack of -- he got a card from his mom, like myself).  In the previous week's blog, he provides do's and don'ts of his teammates.  One particularly funny excerpt was from teammate Scott Martin's do's and don'ts:

No. 14, Scott Martin

Do: watch “Seinfeld” with Scott. He knows and loves everything about the show, and can turn even the casual viewer into a fan.

Don’t: try and give Scott any form of a high-five. I don’t know whether he hates high-fives, or is just unaware of when they are initiated, but I have whiffed at least a dozen times with Scott.

The full list of his blog articles is below.  I really suggest reading some of them.  They're well written and funny.  Maybe he can start writing for this blog sometime?

2/17: The Lonelyhearts Club

1/29: Knowing Your Teammates

1/11: Remembering the Good Times

12/22: What Does That Mean?

12/8: Holidays with the Team

11/30: What's in a Name?

You're a pretty funny dude, Mr. Hillesland

The Irish basketball squad was able to avoid a letdown after their remarkable Louisville performance on Sunday afternoon as they beat South Florida 67-57 at the Joyce Center. Kyle McAlarney and Luke Harangody once again lead the way for the Irish with 19 points each while Ryan Ayers dropped 12 points and Tory Jackson and (my man) Tyrone Nash chipped in with 8 apeice.  The Irish had a great start to the game, leading by as much as 14 points before South Florida cut into the lead and tied them in the late second half.  Notre Dame responded and thanks to some big shots by their star players, the Irish were able to take back the lead and win in (relative) comfortable fashion.  The Irish next face West Virginia in Morgantown on Wednesday night.

Some additional thoughts:

This week is gigantic for the basketball team/program.  You're sitting at 5-7 in the Big East with two away games against tough WVU and Providence squads.  Win these two and you're doing very well.  Lose one, and while it is not over, it's definitely an uphill battle.  And if for some reason you drop both of them (which is entirely possible), your season is pretty much all over.  The good news is that the Irish are getting hot right now and have some much needed confidence.  I think the WVU game is much tougher than Providence and we'll be lucky to get out of their with a victory.  The place can be a hostile environment and Providence has gotten clobbered by some of the better Big East teams this season.  If the Irish stay focused, I think they can pull these two games off.  If not, hello NIT.

Luke Harangody had a tough game at times getting an open shot, much more so than on Thursday night.  But he made some big shots when it counted, including a 3-pointer late in the 2nd half, and was able to get to the free throw line multiple times.  What's sad for me is that he is such a great player yet he probably won't even be the Big East Player of the Year.  That'll likely go to Thabeet because he has legs that are like 6 feet long.  I am pretty confident that unless Notre Dame entirely collapses in the last few games of the season, Luke will be a first-team All-American, but it would've been nice to get him a second BE POY award.  Maybe next year...

It was good to see Kyle McAlarney and Ryan Ayers make their shots this afternoon, especially late in the game.  They both have had a rough season but when they are on, the Irish can compete with almost anyone in the country.  They are Notre Dame's best shot at a second and third scoring threat and they need to be in double figures if the Irish want to make a strong finish and land in the NCAA tournament.  Guys like Zeller and Hillesland might have the occasional big night but you can't depend on them every game like you can with McAlarney and Ayers.

Tyrone Nash is quickly becoming one of my favorites on the floor.  He played really, really well at times and provided a spark on offense for the first time this season.  It is too bad that he picked up three early fouls because if he had been able to get more minutes, I think he could've been into double figures.  Maybe it's just my man crush on Nash, but everytime he is in the game, we move the ball better on offense and there is at least a threat of us getting the occasional offensive rebound or hustle play.  I would be inclined to give Nash Zeller's minutes because of that spark and hustle he provides.  Zeller is not that great of a shooter and it has shown in almost every game besides Pittsburgh.  He consistently gets open shots from the outside yet does not connect.  Methinks he is getting open because opposing coaches would rather him shoot the ball from the outside than have to defend Harangody, McAlarney and the rest of the game.  I still think he deserves 5-10 minutes a game, but I'd like to see Nash become our 6th man.  It's better for the present and for the future.

Here's the latest standings for the Big East:

2008-09 Big East Standings

TEAM	CONF	GB	OVR
Connecticut #1	12-1	-	24-1
Pittsburgh #4	10-2	1½	23-2
Marquette #12	10-2	1½	21-4
Louisville #7	10-2	2	19-5
Villanova #13	8-4	3½	20-5
Providence	8-5	4	16-9
Syracuse #22	7-6	5	19-7
Cincinnati	7-6	5	17-9
West Virginia	6-6	5½	17-8
Notre Dame	5-7	7	14-10
Seton Hall	5-7	6½	14-10
Georgetown	4-8	7½	13-10
South Florida	3-9	8	8-16
St. John's	3-10	9	12-13
Rutgers	1-11	10½	10-15
DePaul	0-13	11½	8-18

The first four or five spots are pretty much locked up at this point but after that, there is a lot of room for us.  Syracuse and Cincinnati have the tiebreakers against us, which makes the Providence and WVU games even more important.  That Cincinnati game was a killer for us.  It really set us back.

Great news for Irish hockey fans and fans of ND athletics.  The University announced plans on Thursday to construct a new hockey facility on campus.  This new plan supercedes the old one that would have renovated part of the JACC North Dome to become slightly less-crappy, but still far away from where they should be.  Here's a snipet from the university's press release:

The University of Notre Dame will begin construction next year on a new, freestanding, on-campus ice arena designed to meet the needs of both the nationally ranked Irish hockey team and the local community, Notre Dame executive vice president John Affleck-Graves and athletics director Jack Swarbrick announced jointly today.

Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2010 on a projected 5,000-seat arena - with the venue ready for play to start the 2011-12 season.

The University's Board of Trustees approved the project at its meetings last week on campus.

"We're thrilled about the plans for a new ice arena on our campus, particularly based on the superb job Jeff Jackson and our hockey team have done to position our program as one of the best in the nation," said Swarbrick.

Obviously a lot of the thanks has to go to Jackson for producing some terrific hockey teams over the past few seasons, but Irish fans should really be thanking new AD Jack Swarbrick for his contributions to this project.  Here's a great quote from Coach Jackson about Swarbrick's involvement over the past 6 months:

"I give Jack Swarbrick a lot of credit for having the vision to see that it was something that was probably necessary," Jackson said. "I wish he would've been here three years ago to push this idea because we might be so much further ahead".

And even more, from a great interview with Coach Jackson in College Hockey News.

Jackson: He (Jack) started in August. And he came to me and asked what we had to do to make the program as great as it can be. And I think he did that with all the programs, not just ours. I think he saw an opportunity to go beyond what was planned before. ... There is still more fund raising they're going to do, but the commitment is there. It was time to make it public that this was a committed project.

He asked if I was willing to wait another year in order to have a facility on campus. I said absolutely. The only thing is, I feel bad for the kids who I told were going to have a new place in 2010.

If that's not a shot at former athletic director Kevin White, I don't know what is.  Still, this is a great success for the Irish hockey program as a whole and for Jack Swarbrick, who has shown his willingness to give Notre Dame athletics what it needs to succeed.  He'll be making a lot of big time decisions in the next year or so and it is refreshing to see that he's not afraid to make a statement with his decisions.  Congrats to the hockey team and coach Jackson and AD Jack Swarbrick.

Do the Irish have any shot tonight?  I certainly hope so, as I'm heading over to the JACC shortly.  C'mon, Irish, give me something tonight!!!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. University of Louisville Cardinals

Thursday, February 12, 2009 - 7:00 PM (EST)

Joyce Center - Notre Dame, IN - ESPN2

This year started off with much promise.  A top-10 team, a potential All-American in Luke Harangody, and tons of national exposure made the Notre Dame basketball team a hot topic among Irish fans early this year.  But after a 89-63 loss to UCLA, most Irish fans have given up on the team and conceded the year.  Notre Dame's loss to UCLA was their seventh straight loss (you have to go back to 1993 to see that again) and it puts them at 12-10 and raises the possibility that the Irish might not get a postseason trip this year, even to the NIT.

The game was essentially over from the beginning, where the Bruins rushed out to a 14-2 lead to start the game and limited Notre Dame's Luke Harangody to only 5 points in the entire game.  Harangody was previously averaging 24 points per game.  Coach Brey opened up the game by benching guard Tory Jackson, who did play well coming off the bench with 17 points but it really didn't make much of a difference.  The Irish are off until Thursday night when they play the Louisville Cardinals at the JACC in probably their last hope to salvage this season.

Not a good day for Zach Hillesland and the struggling Irish

This is another huge game for the Irish (I think we've been saying that for the past month or so), but it really is.  A win today and that would be two terrific OOC wins and some momentum heading into next week when we play Louisville at the JACC.  UCLA is a very good team, but I think they're beatable, but then again I'm not too familiar with them because of my East Coast bias (that's for you, Jay Bilas).  For more information about the Bruins, check out our SBN colleagues at Bruins Nation, a really great site devoted to UCLA basketball and football.  Interesting fact: the Bruins hold the edge to the Irish in their storied rivalry 27-19 and the last the time Notre Dame won at Pauley Pavilion was back in 2004.

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. UCLA Bruins

Saturday, February 7th, 2009 - 1:00 PM (EST)

Pauley Pavilion - Los Angeles, California - CBS

UND.com Preview

The Observer Preview

We were hoping that some of the football team’s good fortune would rub off on the Irish basketball squad on Wednesday night, but it didn’t happen.  Instead, the team continued their second half woes and dropped their 6^th straight to an average Cincinnati squad.  The team battled well in the first half, tying it up at half, but let the Bearcats take the lead for good in the second half, getting outscored 56-46.  Most of the troubles can be attributed to poor defense (Cincinnati shot 45% from the floor and 44% from the 3-point line) and poor play from our starting guards (a combined 6-22 for the night including 0-6 from beyond the arc).  Luke Harangody played well again with 28 points and 14 rebounds, but when he’s the only offensive threat, you can’t win these types of ball games.  Other teams have figured out how to stop our offense and it is not by stopping Luke.  It’s by stopping his teammates from catching on fire.

So where do we go from here?  Who knows.  This team is struggling and if they want to change the course of the season, they better find an answer soon.  They have upcoming games against UCLA (on the road) and Louisville (at home), two of the top teams in the country.  I think they could pull the upset in Los Angeles since UCLA is not known as a great offensive team and likewise against Louisville, who Notre Dame nearly bounced a few weeks ago before sending the season spiraling down the toilet.  Let’s let the season play out before we get too wild and crazy, although I can’t see why you would be optimistic about any type of turn-around considering their play of late and the way Brey’s teams have given up in the past (see 2004-2005).

Can Coach Brey salvage the season against the Bruins?

After receiving an official commitment from Pro-Bowler 5-star Manti Te'o and a verbal commitment from junior Chris Martin, things are certainly looking up for the Irish.  But will football's good fortunes carry on to the basketball court?  For the sake of Digger Phelps and the Leprechaun Legion, I certainly hope so.  This is an absolute must win for Mike Brey and the Irish and it would go a long way in improving/establishing some NCAA Tournament cred.  Let's hope we get a W out of the team and enjoy Cincinnati (and Coach Brey, avoid cabs at all costs).

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. Cincinnati Bearcats

Wednesday, February 4th, 2009 - 7:30 PM (EST)

U.S. Bank Arena - Cincinnati, OH - ESPN360

UND.com Preview

Congrats to the Irish coaching staff on this one...

OMG, is he going to pick ND?!?!?!?

People usually make fun of me for following recruiting, but when I read on message boards that people are taking personal days tomorrow so that they can follow the day's events, I'm thankful it's only a mild obsession.  Still, it's an obsession for about 50% of the diehard fans out there and its a good way to follow your team more closely and gain a better understanding of the direction of the program.

The 2009 recruiting class started off rather nicely with a number of high profile commits, 5-stars Cierre Wood and Chris Watt just to name a few.  Summer went by with a number of verbal commitments, but when the season came ravaging apart, some of the momentum the Irish had came crashing down as well.  There were player deflections (CB Marlon Pollard and WR Nyshier Oliver) and the Irish were dropping on the lists of a lot of talented players.  But things are picking back up and the Irish have a shot at a number of big-time players tomorrow.  The class is currently ranked #23 by Rivals, but could propel into the top-15 if certain things go right.  Here is a rundown of some of the guys left on the board:

Manti Te'o - LB (Hawaii) - Manti Te'o is not your average Notre Dame recruit.  He's from Hawaii, is Mormon, and is the best linebacker in the country.  But that hasn't stopped one of the top players in the country from listing Notre Dame as one of three schools he might sign with on Wednesday (USC and UCLA being the other two).  No one has much of a clue about Te'o's destination as of right now, although if you go by historical precendent, you would probably eliminate Notre Dame.  But Te'o has always listed the Irish has one of his top schools and has held it in high regard throughout the recruiting process.  Te'o is from a LDS family and plans on going to school for one season, departing for a mission for two years, and then readmitting back into college to finish up his collegiate career (and become a scary 21-year old sophomore).  I can't begin to tell you what a player of this caliber would mean for the program.  He's as much of a can't miss prospect as you're ever going to get and could start from Day 1.  If he did pick the Irish, it would be an upset for sure.

Is there a Leprechaun underneath that rainbow?

Jawanza Starling - S (Florida) - Reports are coming out that Starling, a safety out of Tallahassee, is down to USC and Notre Dame.  Nowhere knows where he's headed as he has been pretty quiet throughout most of his recruitment.  I'm pretty surprised that we've been in it as long as we have, but as I've said, he's had somewhat of an unusual recruitment.  He is a fantastic player and was offered by almost every major program and would be one of the stars of the class.

Byron Moore - S (California) - Byron Moore has had an interesting recruiting season this past year.  Originally committing to UCLA, Moore changed his mind over the summer and pledged for USC.  Later on, he decommitted and is now deciding between Notre Dame, USC and Colorado.  He is good friends with Irish WR commit Shaq Evans and figures to be Notre Dame's best shot at a signing day commit, although we have to wonder what he is waiting for.  He visited in November and could have ended it much sooner but has kept his recruitment alive.

Damien Thigpen - WR (Virginia) - Thigpen was originally a verbal to Tennessee, but it seems like new coach Lane Kiffin has dropped his scholarship.  The Irish only offered a week ago and haven't had much time to make an impact or receive an official visit.  Thigpen will probably decide tomorrow and pick UCLA, but Irish fans should hold out some hope that he delays his decision and takes a trip to South Bend.  It would be nice to pry him away from Tennessee, which stole former Irish commit Nyshier Oliver.

Marlon Pollard - CB (California) - There is an outside chance that he could change his commitment back to the Irish from UCLA.  Until he actually does, however, we won't waste our time talking about it.

As you can see, there's a chance that all five of the remaining guys could end up in Los Angeles next year, including the possibility of losing three to USC (which I think is a very possible situation).  I hate to be the pessimist, but if we get one or two of those guys I will be very happy.  We're due for some good things for once on signing day, but the coaching staff has done all they can do and it us up to the player now.  We'll try to update throughout most of the day on Wednesday.

Despite it's disappointing home court loss to UConn on Saturday night at the Joyce Center, Mike Brey's Notre Dame squad was looking to rebound against yet another top-10 opponent when they took on Marquette on Monday night.  Sadly for Irish fans, that rebound didn't happen as the Golden Eagles took down the Fightin' Irish 71-64 to push ND's losing streak to four and home losing streak to two games.  The game was very close throughout much of the game, but MU's Jerel McNeal sealed the deal when he hit a big shot to put them up by 5 with only 2:15 left to go.

For the second straight game, Notre Dame's top shooters failed to connect from the outside even when they were open.  The Irish were only 8-for-26 from behind the 3-point line and only completed 36% overall.  While Harangody had another terrific night (29 points, 17 rebounds), McAlarney and Ayers went a combined 1-12 from 3-point land.

It's really difficult to predict where the Irish go from here.  They face a top 5 team on Saturday at Pittsburgh, a place where they've struggled to play.  I suppose a win is not out of the question, as we've seen how this team has played against Louisville away from home, but the team is going to have to do something that they haven't been doing in awhile: giving Harangody a hand.  I've got to think that McAlarney and Ayers will get over their slump, although it seems obvious that the opposing team's objective is to allow Harangody to score his 25-30 PPG and limit McAlarney's shots, although he has had a number of good looks.  I liked the lineup that we saw at time on Monday night, as Zeller provided some good minutes (although continues to think he is a threat offensively), Peoples had one of his best games ever, and Tyrone Nash showed some good defense and good effort in his 8 minutes on the floor.

It seems to me that Notre Dame has lost it's killer edge.  We've been close to a number of great teams, but haven't figured out how to close it out.  Either we miss easy shots or play lousy defense and this is not a team that is good about coming back from deficits later on in the game.  I think it's easier for a guard to take over a game later on than it is a big guy, so either McAlarney or Tory Jackson are going to have to start playing better down the stretch and taking over a game.  We'll learn a lot more about this team's psyche in Pittsburgh on Saturday afternoon, but if you've been following this team, you can't be too optimistic about it.

Let's hope Coach Brey has something up his sleeve for tonight's big game against Marquette.  The home court winning streak is long gone but it's still a huge game for the Irish and probably a must-win.  Let's get back to .500 in conference...GO IRISH!

Notre Dame Fightin' Irish vs. Marquette Golden Eagles

Monday, January 26th, 2009 - 7:00 PM (EST)

Joyce Center - Notre Dame, IN - ESPN

UND.com Preview

This, according to our pal Michael Rothstein at the FW Journal Gazette:

Notre Dame is making a change in its starting lineup.

What it'll be, though, remains to be seen.

 

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said through a spokesperson Sunday that the Irish will start Monday's game against Marquette differently than it has for the rest of the Big East season.

Brey, though, wouldn't elaborate.

It would be logical to assume, though, that Notre Dame will have junior forward Luke Harangody, senior guard Kyle McAlarney and junior guard Tory Jackson in the starting lineup.

So the focus shifts to senior forward Zach Hillesland and senior swingman Ryan Ayers. Ayers had one of his worst performances of the season Saturday against Connecticut, shooting 1 of 10 from the field. Hillesland was 1 of 5 from the field yet has struggled throughout the majority of the Big East season.

Likely replacements in the lineup would be senior forward Luke Zeller or junior guard Jonathan Peoples, depending what Brey wants to do with the lineup. Playing Marquette, which is one of the smaller teams in the Big East, could allow Brey to look at a three guard lineup. Or, he could start Zeller and create a mismatch for the Golden Eagles.

I think Michael has the two likely candidates to be replaced, but I'm not sure that the two guys he mentions as replacements will provide any real difference to our team.  Zeller "is who we thought he was" (at the beginning of the season) and Peoples has some very big deficiencies in his game.  He's not a great shooter, ball-handler, or defender, but he provides enough toughness and energy to give a few minutes each game.

Still, it is easy to see why Brey wants a lineup change.  Both Hillesland and Ayers have had some extremely disappointing games of late and they might be better served to come off the bench.  Hillesland has had a very tough time finishing and until something changes, is a complete non-threat on offense.  Ayers has had some cold (freezing?) nights shooting the ball and responded well to his benching last season and to the new role as the 6th man.  If I had to guess, I could see Zach H. staying put and Ayers coming off the bench.  Again, however, I don't see how taking out a player with weaknesses and inserting another player with weaknesses helps out at all.

That leaves one question: will sophomores Tyrone Nash or Carleton Scott get any playing time this weekend?  They showed the ability to play Big East basketball in the final minutes of the game, but Brey handing over the keys to them this far into the season would be unprecedented for him in his 9 seasons at Notre Dame.  It'll be interesting to watch...

Does Ty Nash get his shot tomorrow night vs. Marquette?