Overtime Thriller Win Against Providence

31st Jan 2008



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Notre Dame 81
Providence 74

It was “camo” night tonight at Notre Dame to show support for the Army and Mike Brey who went to Kuwait in 2007. But wow. Notre Dame barely managed to keep their winning streak alive at the Joyce Center tonight and pulled through to beat the Friars in OT. This extends the home winning streak to 32 games, the 3rd longest in the NCAA. The Irish led for most of the game but Providence stayed close at all times and put the game into overtime after two twenty minute halves. The key players of the game for Notre Dame were Luke Harangody and Tory Jackson who both had phenomenal games.

The beginning of the first half started out rough for the Irish with some turnovers and foul trouble, but Luke Harangody stepped up. He had 8 points in a span of 51 seconds and got Notre Dame rolling. They were leading 18-6 at one point due to a pair of McAlarney threes and spread out passing. But once the Irish led 21-9, the Friars punched back with a 13-0 run to gain the lead, 22-21. However, Tory Jackson scored a last second layup to send Notre Dame into the locker room leading 32-31 at the half.

The second half started off well with Harangody’s fourth three-point play of the game only a few seconds in. Tory Jackson began to pick up his play and started taking some more shots like I had suggested in my preview for this match. But big man Ray Hall of Providence was having the biggest game of his career and presenting a challenge for the Notre Dame defense. He finished with ten points, that’s more than he’s scored all season prior to this game (8 points). After making his first two free-throw attempts on the night, he missed the next eight and possibly cost his team the game. Hall could not handle the Irish fans and actually even air-balled one of his free throws. But don’t take anything away from this kid, he played spectacular otherwise.

Providence eventually was leading 61-59 with only 18 seconds left in the second half, but a key steal by Luke Harangody and two made free throws sent the game into OT. Although, with only four seconds left, Tory Jackson stole the ball from Providence and took a deep shot that was straight on but slightly short. So both teams went into overtime tied 61-61 with the momentum in favor of Notre Dame.

Rob Kurz hits a three to start overtime but Dwain Williams responded immediately with one of his many very deep threes. Williams finished with 20 points, 12 of which were from beyond the arc. And than the Irish jumped out to a decent lead, but slipped a little and allowed Providence to get within three points with less than a minute left. But some missed shots by the Friars forced them to foul and put the game out of reach. Tory Jackson made some key free-throws late in the contest to put it away and keep the winning streak alive. The final score after one overtime was 81-74, Notre Dame.

Obviously, the MVP of the game is Luke Harangody who had the highest scoring game of his career. He finished with an impressive 31 points and 14 rebounds. Free-throws were a key to his success as he made 9 of 10 from the line to help assure an Irish victory. Luke once again showed unbelievable strength down low and made some aerobatic shots as well. His spin and fade shot was rather successful tonight when Hall was standing in his way. Once again, if you read my Preview post for this game, I stated that Harangody is going to dominate this game and guide Notre Dame to another victory.

Let’s not forget Tory Jackson though. I was very, very impressed by the way he played and the effort that he put in. He finished with 14 points, second for the team, and seven assists while making some important free-throws down the stretch. Jackson was driving the ball to the basket strong and if the shot wasn’t there, he had Harangody ready for the dunk. Tory must’ve read my blog because he did exactly what I wanted him to do and it worked out well for both him and Notre Dame.

Some negative things. Providence dominated the offensive glass all night and constantly had second or even third attempts at scoring. Notre Dame did a terrible job boxing out the Friars and were out rebounded 41 to 35 tonight. This is highly unusual for the Irish who are one of the top rebounding teams in the nation. You can’t blame this on Luke though, considering he had 14 of the total and even had to deal with a 6′11″ center. Another problem was first half turnovers, Notre Dame had 9. They fixed this problem in the second half though, with only four, a final total of 13. I wouldn’t say that the Irish played well as a team, but they managed to come away with a W.

Some notes. Charlie Weis was at the game supporting the basketball team, while he prepares for Signing Day on the 6th. Luke Harangody is a beast and one of the best players in the Big East, if not the NCAA. Providence had 33 attempts from beyond the arc, only making 8, 24.2%.

Notre Dame moves to 15-4 overall and 5-2 in the Big East which places them solely in second place, only behind Georgetown. Up next for the Irish is DePaul on Saturday in South Bend. Notre Dame will look to extend the streak to 33 and most likely clinch a spot in the rankings. Overall, what an exciting yet nerveracking game to watch, but everything turned out okay in the end. I’ll have a preview for the DePaul game up tomorrow and as always, Go Irish!

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Welcome Jon Tenuta

31st Jan 2008



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Former Georgia Tech Defensive Coordinator, Jon Tenuta, will be joining the Irish staff and should have a great impact on the Notre Dame defense. He will be replacing Bill Lewis who has decided to retire after three years with Notre Dame as Secondary coach. Lewis has been coaching since the 60s, mostly in the NCAA, but spent eight years with the Miami Dolphins. Thank you Bill for your time at the University of Notre Dame.

Now about Tenuta, the official announcement is most likely going to be made shortly after the 6th, which is Signing Day. Either way the announcement should be coming soon and made official. The addition of Jon Tenuta should have an immediate impact on the Irish defense and especially improve the blitz. He is truly one of the better defensive coaches in all of college football and will provide Corwin Brown with much needed assistance. Under Tenuta, Georgia Tech led the nation in sacks per game with 3.7 and Notre Dame was one of his many victims. When the Irish played GT on September 1st, the Notre Dame quarterbacks were sacked a total of 9 times for 69 yards while being held to only 3 points.

Jon will possibly be and Assistant/Defensive coach, so we could be expecting a lot more blitzes next season. I’m sure Tenuta will also be able to help Corwin with the entire defense as a whole and help make it much better. I’m very excited for the addition of Jon Tenuta and I feel that he will make a tremendous difference. Look out for the official announcement as we come even closer to Signing Day. As always, Go Irish!

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Junior: Zach Hillesland

31st Jan 2008



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This 6′9″ Forward from Toldeo, Ohio has just recently been placed into the starting lineup for Notre Dame. He replaced Ryan Ayers, one of the team’s best three-point shooters. If you read my older posts about the basketball team I constantly mentioned this guy. I’ve always thought Zach stood out and was one of the better players on the team, but it’s just recently been recognized. He has tremendous skill and has great control for a man of his size. Hillesland takes the ball to the rim as if he were a guard or small forward.

Zach may not be one of the teams top scorers, but he shows great poise and talent when on the court. He needs to drive the ball to the basket more and draw some fouls, to gain some more recognition. Currently he averages 5.2 points per game, which he plays roughly 20.1 minutes of. Hillesland also manages to get over 5 rebounds a game, using his height to his advantage.

If Zach continues to stay in the starting lineup, expect him to become more confident in his abliity and his numbers to increase. He is very talented and has yet to prove what he is able to do, to his team and himself. Hopefully he will have a great game tonight against Providence and secure his spot over Ryan Ayers. The game is at 7:00 EST on ESPN or ESPN2. As always, Go Irish!

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Preview: Notre Dame vs. Providence

30th Jan 2008



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The Fighting Irish of Notre Dame will be put up against the Friars of Providence tomorrow night on national television. The game will be on either ESPN or ESPN2 at 7:00 PM EST. Providence is currently 12-7 overall and 3-4 in the Big East. This ties them for third to last in the Big East with Villanova who is also 3-4. The Irish are now in second in the Big East behind the Hoyas who have only one loss which was to Pittsburgh.

Notre Dame received a lot of votes in the polls this week but were just a little shy from breaking into the top 25. With a win tomorrow and a win on Saturday against DePaul, the Irish have a real good shot at getting in there. But the first step is extending the home winning streak against the Friars.

Providence doesn’t have any true star on their team and win with a team effort. They have five players who average 10+ points, but zero who average more than 14. They play a lot of guards who are somewhat tall for that position, but no true big man to stop Harangody. Their highest scorer is Jeff Xavier, a six-foot-one guard from Rhode Island averaging 13.1 points a game. Although, the Friars are the third best three-point shooting team in the Big East, making 38.0% of their attempts.

Notre Dame of course leads the Big East from beyond the arc due largely to Kyle McAlarney. Kyle is coming off one of the biggest games of his career at Villanova where he scored 30 points. He made five of eight from beyond the arc and if he can come close to doing that again, I gurantee an Irish victory. But in my opinion, Kyle will play well for sure, but Luke Harangody is going to dominate this game. The Friars do have a 6′11″ center, Randall Hanke, but he weighs ten pounds less than Harangody who is only 6′8″. Luke will use his strength to overpower Hanke and dominate in the paint.

Tory Jackson is one of the nation’s leaders in assists, averaging 5.9, but needs to develop a shot. Jackson can pass the ball and help his teammates out, but he needs to start contributing more in the score. He scores an average of only 6.7 points a game and rarely ever shoots. He can take the ball to the hoop and draw a foul with his quickness and athleticism but for some reason chooses not to most of the time. Notre Dame would be much more successful if Tory would take some more shot attempts. If he’s not making any, fine, give the ball to Harangody or McAlarney, they will score.

Either way I think the Irish will win the game in a blowout, considering the game is at home and Providence doesn’t present a great challenege. Luke Harangody will have a big game and Notre Dame will improve to 5-2 in the Big East and 15-4 overall. As always, Go Irish!

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Sophomore - Luke Harangody

29th Jan 2008



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The Notre Dame men’s basketball team has been able to rely on Sophomore forward, Luke Harangody all season. In his sophomore year the 6′8″ big man from Schererville, Indiana leads the Fighting Irish in scoring with an average of 19.3 points per game. That’s good for first in the Big East, a slight edge over Brian Laing of Seton Hall with 19.1 a game. Harangody uses his 250 pound body to bully his opponents over and dominate the glass. Luke helps the Irish average 42.7 rebounds per game, which is a stunning fourth in the nation and second in the Big East. He accounts for 9.6 of the 42.7 which places him in second individually in the Big East.

Harangody first began dominating at Notre Dame rather early his rookie year. As a freshman he averaged 11.2 points and 6.2 rebounds in only 20.6 minutes a game. This year he only plays an average of 6.6 minutes more but his numbers are much higher. Luke has improved tremendously and has worked his body into better shape since his first year on the Notre Dame basketball team. His free throw percentage is down very slightly compared to last year, but is still exceptional at 80.2%.

So far this season, Luke has had a double-double in nine of eighteen games that have been played. His two biggest games were at home against West Virginia which he scored 29 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, the other in a loss away at Marquette with 29 points again and 14 rebounds. However, Harangody’s more recent impressive performance was Saturday at Villanova where he put up 25 points and 10 rebounds. Although, Kyle McAlarney was the star of that game though with 30 points.

Luke Harangody is going to continue to improve and learn to use his body to an even greater advantage. He was recently named to the Midseason Wooden Award list of thirty players. The John R. Wooden Award is given every year to the nation’s top player. Harangody was one of only three Big East players named to the list, the others were Roy Hibbert of Georgetown and Sam Young of Pittsburgh. Providence presents the next challenge for Harangody and the Irish Thursday night at home in South Bend. As always, Go Irish!

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Big East Player of the Week: Kyle McAlarney

28th Jan 2008



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Notre Dame starting guard, Kyle McAlarney was announced Big East Player of the Week today. His 30 points for the Irish in their win over Villanova was the most outstanding performance of the week in the Big East. McAlarney scored 15 of his 30 points from beyond the arc, thats five three-point baskets. He shot 10-15 from the field overall, a 66.7% shooting percentage. Along with his 30 points, Kyle had five assists in the game in Philadelphia. McAlarney is averaging 18.2 points per game, just a little below team scoring leader, Luke Harangody. Kyle McAlarney’s play helped improve the Irish to 14-4 overall, 4-2 in the Big East. Up next for McAlarney and the Fighting Irish is Providence at home.

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The Big East at a Glance

27th Jan 2008



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The Big East is one of the toughest conferences in College Basketball. There are currently four teams ranked in the Top 20 as of today, but this will change by the next poll. A big question this year is, how many teams are going to make the NCAA tournament out of the Big East? There are at least eight teams that have the talent to succeed in the NCAA tournament, but will they all get in? The upcoming Big East tournament should let everyone know which teams are for real. I hope to attend one of Notre Dame’s games at the Madison Square Garden in New York and watch the Irish defeat their opponent.

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Georgetown is on top of the Big East with only one conference loss to Pittsburgh. They barely managed to escape West Virginia last night on a questionable play that would’ve won the game for the Mountaineers. The final score was 58-57, but the referees missed a goaltend call as the buzzer went off in the second half. They have an impressive 16-2 record with their other loss coming from number one Memphis.

Louisville is one game behind the Hoyas with two Big East losses to Seton Hall and Cincinnati. The January 1st game against Cincinnati was very close and the Bearcats edged the Cardinals by one point, 58-57. Up next for the Cardinals is at Connecticut tomorrow night on ESPN.

Notre Dame stands in third place in the Big East with a 4-2 record. Both losses were completely lopsided to Georgetown and Marquette, who were both ranked in the Top 25 at the time of the games. Luke Harangody is leading the way as a Sophomore averaging a Big East best 19.3 points, and second in rebounds with 9.6 per game. Notre Dame’s two upcoming games against Providence and Depaul will be at home where they’ve won 31 contests in a row.

Pittsburgh, currently ranked 17th, have struggled recently losing at Cincinnati and at home to Rutgers. Junior Forward Sam Young has played exceptionally well all season averaging 18.3 points per game. The Panthers however have a tough couple games coming up, Villanova, Connecticut, and West Virginia. Pittsburgh will drop out of the rankings after the Rutgers upset.

Marquette is also two games behind Georgetown in the Big East with a 4-3 record and 14-4 overall. Marquette has lost to West Virginia, Louisville, and Connecticut in the Big East, and their other loss coming to Duke early in the season. The Golden Eagles will be playing South Florida and Cincinnati next.

West Virginia got ripped-off last night against ranked Georgetown, losing their third Big East match. Conference losses are to Notre Dame in South Bend, Louisville in Kentucky, and Georgetown at home. Up next for the Mountaineers are Cincinnati, Providence, and Pitt.

Connecticut pulled off a huge win last night against highly ranked Indiana. The final score was 68-63, and the Huskies played beautifully, similar to their past successful teams. Two of their three Big East losses were away from home to Notre Dame and Georgetown, but were upset at home against Providence. Lousiville, Pitt, and Syracuse will be put up against Connecticut next.

Seton Hall just moved up in the standings today with a home win over the Cincinnati Bearcats, 64-61. The Pirates losses are to Connecticut, Marquette, and Pittsburgh. But with red hot Rutgers and dominant Georgetown coming up, Seton Hall with have trouble staying up in the conference standings.

DePaul is also 4-3 in Big East play so far this season, but are below .500 overall, with a 9-10 record. They managed to beat Villanova the first time in early January, but the Wildcats came back and defeated the Blue Demons 13 days later. Other Big East losses for DePaul include Georgetown and yesterday to Marquette. Syracuse and Notre Dame will look to take on the Blue Demons in early February.

Cincinnati sits right behind DePaul with a 4-4 conference record and a loss to Seton Hall earlier today. This forms a two game losing streak for the Bearcats, the other against Connecticut. Notre Dame and St. John’s had beaten also Cincinnati earlier in January. I expect the Bearcats to extend this losing streak to four games, with West Virginia and Marquette up next.

Syracuse defeated Providence today, 74-61, improving to 4-4 in Big East play. Their four in-conference losses are to Cincinnati, West Virginia, Villanova, and Georgetown. The Orange will have a chance for revenge against Villanova February 2nd, but will take take on DePaul the 30th in Chicago.

Villanova, surprisingly is very far down in the Big East standings, resting at 3-4. Their most recent loss came yesterday afternoon to Notre Dame at home, 90-80. The Wildcats have now lost two games in a row, the other to Rutgers, and have Pittsburgh up next away from home. Sophomore Scottie Reynolds has led the team this far and is going to need some assistance if Villanova hopes to make a run in the NCAA Tournament.

Providence played Syracuse today and couldn’t come away with a win. The Friars have lost to Marquette, DePaul, and Seton Hall as well thus far in conference games. Providence will now take on Notre Dame and West Virginia.

Rutgers started off slow but have pulled off two big upsets recently, over Villanova and Pittsburgh yesterday. Before the two victories, the Scarlet Knights had lost their first six Big East games. It will take a lot for Rutgers to catch up, but with their new-born confidence, anything is possible. Seton Hall, Louisville, and St. John’s will all look to quiet the Scarlet Knights in the coming weeks.

South Florida has struggled this season with only one conference win so far, however, they do have a 10-10 overall record. The Bulls are on a six game losing streak after their victory over Rutgers January 2nd. South Florida will have to face Marquette on Tuesday, but after that they have last place St. John’s.

St. John’s is currently in last place in the Big East with only one conference win as well. After their upset of Cincinnati, the Red Storm have lost five matches in a row. The streak will most likely extend to six considering Georgetown will be their next challenge. However, they will get to play South Florida on the second of February, which should be a close game considering both of their records.

Some interesting facts; Seton Hall scores the most points, averaging 82.6. Connecticut averages the most rebounds with 43.5 per game. Georgetown has the highest field goal percentage, 50.6%. Lastly, Notre Dame has the highest three-point shooting percentage, making 41.0%.

The Big East Conference will continue to heat up and competition will become even better. We are in store for a wild Big East tournament where I’m sure many upsets will occur. Don’t be surprised if Georgetown doesn’t win because anything can happen in conference games. As always, Go Irish!

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McAlarney Steps Up as Irish Beat Nova

26th Jan 2008



Notre Dame 90
Villanova 80

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Pictures at Bottom of Post

Notre Dame captured it’s first road win of the season in Philadelphia this afternoon. The Wildcats were not able to handle the three-point shooting of the Fighting Irish. The Irish are now 4-2 in Big East play and Villanova falls to 3-4. The Wildcats just came off a loss to Rutgers and could not bounce back at the Wachovia Center today. Notre Dame on the other hand, improved tremendously after the lopsided loss to Georgetown.

Notre Dame is now 14-4 on the year with twelve scheduled games remaining. This win today in Philly is definitely a confidence-booster for the young Irish team who had previously not won away from home in Big East contests. Key factors in the game were the play of Kyle McAlarney, three-point shooting, second half defense, and a few other things.

Kyle McAlarney lead the way for the Irish today with his three-point shooting and key baskets. He finished with 30 points, half of which were from three, and some crucial free throws down the stretch. Two or three of his five made three-pointers came from beyond NBA range, constantly quieting the rowdy Villanova fans. McAlarney’s presence just made each Irish player better and allowed them to make some plays. Ryan Ayers answered some of Kyle’s threes with his own, letting everyone know that he can shoot as well. Notre Dame would’ve have lost the game if Kyle McAlarney did not perform the way he did.

Villanova’s only lead came very early in the game when they scored the first four points. They did manage to tie it up at 15-15, but other than that, Notre Dame held a commanding lead the whole game. The largest lead for the Irish was 18 points and they led by at least ten for most of the afternoon. The Wildcats could just not gain enough momentum to catch up, but came close with a couple defensive stands and shots that got the crowd on their feet. In the end Notre Dame came away with a ten point victory, making a statement to the voters.

The Irish defense had a few struggles in the first half, such as stopping Villanova’s inside play. The Wildcats drove to the basket with ease and rarely had to take jump shots in the first twenty minutes. However, Mike Brey made sure that wouldn’t happen again in the second half and forced Villanova to shoot from the outside. The Wildcats finished with a 45.1% shooting percentage making 32 of their 71 shot attempts.

Notre Dame had the exact opposite problem. They couldn’t drive the ball to the basket and had to resort to shooting the three. This turned out to be great, like it normally does, because they were 9 of 21 from beyond the arc. From the field, Notre Dame made 27 of 53 shots, 50.9%. One of the biggest differences in the game was free throw shooting between the two teams. Notre Dame was at the line 38 times, making 27 of them, most coming in the end of the game. Villanova however, only got to the free-throw line 12 times, making 9. This probably turned out to be an even greater factor than Kyle McAlarney’s shooting.

Although, Villanova did out-rebound the Irish 37 to 40, which appears close, but did not seem like it in the game. As I watched the game, Villanova appeared to get a lot more rebounds, especially on the offensive side. Antonio Pena of Villanova led the way for the Wildcats with 17 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. Big East player of the week, last week, Scottie Reynolds finished with only 13 points, most coming late in the game, making little impact on the outcome. He had trouble shooting and could not get into rhythm as McAlarney stole the spotlight.

Luke Harangody had trouble against Antonio Pena early in the game, but finished with 25 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. His outstanding second half play made up for his slow start. Luke used his size and strength to overpower his opponents and get to the line, completing a couple three-point plays. I personally thought he had a quiet game until the end, but either way he scored some points and recorded another double-double.

As most of you probably know, I was at the game and managed to take some pictures throughout the game. My seats were up high, but in the center of the court so there aren’t any close ups. Also, take into consideration that my camera doesn’t have a real zoom and is made for close shots. However, I did sneak down to the lower seats towards the end of the game and got some pictures of the bench, Mike Brey, and some free-throw attempts. So basically check the pictures out and feel free to leave some comments.

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College Football Blog Awards 2007

25th Jan 2008



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2007 College Football Blog Awards

Well this will be my first time participating in the College Football Blog Awards. However, I might be a little late. Basically, college football fans and bloggers all come together to vote for multiple awards. There are many awards for things such as best design, best new blog, best post, etc. I am not allowed to vote for myself. So here are my nominations and feel free to vote yourself by clicking the link in my sidebar. *Hint* - Best new blog? Best design?

 

Best New Blog: Irish Band of Brothers

Best Community: The Irish Roundup

Funniest Blog: Fire Mark May

Best Analysis: Blue-Gray Sky

Best Writing: The Rock Report

Best MSM Blog (Professional): Irish Insights

Best Looking Blog: Bevo Sports

Best Audio: Dome and Domer

The Job Award: Blue-Gray Sky

Best Big East/Notre Dame Blog: OC Domer

 

There are my votes for some of the categories. I left the others blank either because I couldn’t decide or didn’t know any to vote for. So hurry up and vote because voting closes Sunday at midnight. Get some votes in there for me, haha, I would love to win Best New Blog. Good luck to all blogs and thank you Every Day Should Be Saturday for the contest.

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Preview: Notre Dame vs. Villanova

25th Jan 2008



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Notre Dame men’s basketball team will be taking on Big East rival, Villanova tomorrow afternoon in Philadelphia. The Wildcats have moved up to 18th in the rankings as of January 21st. The Irish however still have not yet been ranked. After big losses to both Marquette and Georgetown, voters have still not seen a legitimate reason for putting them into the Top 25. Notre Dame will look to rebound from the Georgetown loss, Villanova from the Rutgers upset on Wednesday.

These two teams share identical overall records, 13-4, but Notre Dame has one less loss in Big East matches. The Irish are 3-2 in Big East games, both losses coming in away games. The Wildcats are 3-3 in the Big East with their losses also coming from away contests. Playing at home in Philadelphia, gives the Wildcats a great advantage. It is very difficult to win away games in the Big East and this has been proven true throughout the season. Notre Dame has yet to win on the road, but many feel that they will get a ‘W’ in tomorrows game.

Some statistics. Notre Dame barely outscores Villanova with 78.6 points compared to 77.5. The Irish out-rebound the Wildcats 43.1 to 37.0, have more assists, 18.7 to 13.9, and a better field goal percentage, 45.1% to 44.4%. Notre Dame also averages less turnovers, more blocks, and a better free-throw percentage. Based upon the stats, Notre Dame appears to have the slightest edge on Villanova but this means nothing considering the game is at the Wachovia Center.

Notre Dame will need to be able to shoot from three tomorrow, which they couldn’t do against Georgetown. In order for the Irish to win the game, Kyle McAlarney will need to perform better than last week and start making some shots. All of his teammates will need to help him get into rhythm so that they will have the best chance to win the game. Don’t forget Harangody, he won’t be up against a seven footer again, but he won’t be able to walk right over Dante Cunningham of Villanova. If these two players step up for Notre Dame and the surrounding cast pitches in, the Irish could keep this a close game and leave Philly with a win.

Villanova has a stud in Scottie Reynolds who is only a Sophomore and leads the team in scoring with 17.4 points per game. Notre Dame will look to shut him down and take him out of the game, but even than, freshman Corey Fisher will have no problem taking over his role. The six-foot-one guard out of the Bronx can play and is second on the team in scoring. The Wildcats always have strong guards, and often their big men are forgotten. Shane Clark and Dante Cunningham, both junior forwards, control the glass for Villanova and play a large part in their success. The Wildcats will need to play a strong, clean game in order to beat the Irish, but with home court advantage, it should be a close game.

I will be attending the game tomorrow afternoon at the Wachovia Center, cheering the Fighting Irish on. I’ll do my best to take some pictures and will have an in-depth post game article up sometime that day. That is all for now, and as always, Go Irish!

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