24th Feb 2008
Notre Dame 94
Syracuse 87
Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish defeated Syracuse today in a high scoring game. Notre Dame shot extremely well the entire game but the Orangemen didn’t allow them to ever completely pull away. Jim Boeheim’s team is going to have to win some key games after this loss for a chance to make the NCAA tournament, let alone the Big East tournament. They are now 19-8 (7-8) on the season with Pittsburgh up next. The Irish are now in a very good position with their 21-5 (11-3) record, placing them at the number three spot in the Big East. With Louisville up next, they could climb to second in the conference with a win, possibly even first if Georgetown loses to St. Johns.
Kyle McAlarney was the star today scoring 30 points for his second best game this year. He made history from behind the arc, hitting 9 of 11 threes. The 9 three-pointers puts Kyle at the top of the Notre Dame list for most threes in a single game. He also distributed the ball well with 4 assists and managed to grab 3 rebounds for his team. McAlarney completed a four point play and was just unbelievable all afternoon. Another Big East Player of the Week could be coming his way after this performance.
Rob Kurz had a decent game with 15 points while having to get stitches over his eye in the second half. He made a couple threes and got to the line a lot, making 7 of 10 free-throws. He only had two rebounds the entire game as Syracuse dominated the glass. As a team, Notre Dame only grabbed 32 boards compared to Syracuse’s 47. The Irish rarely ever get out-rebounded.
Arinze Onuaku kept Luke Harangody out of the game on the offensive side of the ball for most of the afternoon. However, he was able to record another double-double with 14 points and 14 rebounds. He scored 7 points in the first half and not much more until late in the game. He struggled from the free-throw line, hitting only 2 of his 5 attempts, but it was enough in the end. It wasn’t his worse game, but certainly not his best.
Tory Jackson didn’t shoot much all game but finished with 10 points, 5 of which were from the free-throw line. He made some late foul shots to keep the Irish ahead with a comfortable lead. With only two assists and two rebounds, he wasn’t able to get his third double-double in a row, but he can’t play that well every game. Tory did what was needed for the team and Notre Dame got another win.
The other contributors for the Irish were Ryan Ayers with 10 points, Jonathan Peoples with 7, Zach Hillesland had 6, and Luke Zeller with 2. Jonathan Peoples played very well in only 11 minutes of time. He made all three of his shots including a basket from beyond the arc. Also, promising Freshman Tyrone Nash saw approximately 1.7 seconds of playing time right before the end of the first half.
Syracuse’s top performers were Paul Harris with 22 points, Arinze Onuaku with 19, and freshman Jonny Flynn had 17. The Irish were able to hold the Orangemen’s top scorer on the year, Donte Greene, to 5 points. The freshman eventually fouled out and only made 2 of his 7 shot attempts. Arinze Onuaku also fouled out.
Notre Dame made 54.7% of their shots while Syracuse made 40.2%. The Irish made 14 of their 25 threes (56.0%) as the Orangemen only hit 6 of their 20 attempts (30.0%).
This win makes it 36 straight in South Bend for Mike Brey and the Fighting Irish. They have one home game left which is against St. John’s, but they need to focus on their next opponent, Louisville. The Cardinals barely escaped Pittsburgh today but are going to be real tough to beat on Thursday. I’ll have a preview for the game at some point this week and as always, Go Irish!
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23rd Feb 2008
Question: What year did Notre Dame begin it’s original contract with NBC?
How to Submit Your Answer: You can sign up for the forum and send a Private Message to my username, Kevin. The link to the forum is in the navigation bar above. Make sure to verify your e-mail address when signing up. You can also send an e-mail with your name to Trivia@oldnotredame.com, if you do not wish to sign up for the forum.
Rules: Please do not look the answers up because that takes the fun out of the game. Don’t post your answers in the Shoutbox or as a comment to this post. You can only send in your answer once, not multiple times. Once your answer is in, it is final and changes can no longer be made.
Yesterday’s Question: Notre Dame won the national championship in 1966 under Ara Parseghian. What was the team’s record at the end of the season?
Yesterday’s Answer: 9-0-1
Yesterday’s Winner: PhillyDomer
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23rd Feb 2008
Syracuse will be coming to town tomorrow to take on the Fighting Irish in another Big East matchup. The Orangemen look to end Notre Dame’s 35 game home winning streak and improve their resumé for the NCAA Tournament. They are 17-10 (7-7) on the season with some other important games coming up after the Irish, which include Pittsburgh, Seton Hall, and Marquette. After the big win against Pitt, Notre Dame improved its record to 20-5 (10-3) and are currently in third place in the Big East behind Georgetown and Louisville.
This is the first meeting between these two teams this year with the season dwindling down. Both teams appear to be in pretty good position to make the Big East tournament, but Syracuse cannot lose the rest of their games. Notre Dame is a lock for the conference tournament and are just trying to get the highest seed as possible.
Based on the numbers, the Fighting Irish have the edge over Syracuse coming into the game. Notre Dame averages 80.3 points per game while the Orangemen are close with 78.3. ND gives up less points, 68.6 compared to SU’s 72.7. They are close in rebounds per game, the Irish lead the Big East and are second in the nation with 43.5 and Syracuse is third in the conference with 40.1. Notre Dame leads the Big East in assists with 18.5 per game and the Orangemen are in second with 16.2.
Freshman Donte Green leads the way for Syracuse since the injury of star Eric Devendorf earlier in the season. Donte averages 17.6 points per game in his first year, often playing the entire game. The 6′11″ forward has never scored less than 8 points and should be tough to guard tomorrow. The second highest scorer is another freshman, Jonny Flynn who puts in an average of 15.2 points. He’s 6′0″ and likes to take a lot of three’s but doesn’t make too many of them. He is 2 of 12 from beyond the arc in his last two games and 33.0% on the year. Sophomores Paul Harris and Arinze Onuaku are the two other major scorers for Orangemen. Syracuse has a very promising future with their young talent and will certainly be in good shape next year with Devendorf coming back.
Harangody’s going to be looking to get another double-double and score 20+ points again. He averages 20.5 points and 10.4 rebounds heading into the game and should be able to put up those numbers. Kyle McAlarney scored 15 points last game and averages 15.1 on the season. Hopefully he can shoot a little better in the first half so the Irish don’t fall behind. Tory Jackson is hoping to continue his streak of 10+ point games, currently four in a row, and get another double-double, which would be three consecutively. A triple-double is always possible for Tory and will happen at some point in his career.
Notre Dame should win this game tomorrow but Syracuse is always a tough opponent. The game will be on CBS so everyone should be able to see it and I suggest you watch it. The Irish will attempt to win their 36th game in a row in the Joyce Center, all under Mike Brey. I’ll have some post-game analysis and as always, Go Irish!
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22nd Feb 2008
Question: Notre Dame won the national championship in 1966 under Ara Parseghian. What was the team’s record at the end of the season?
How to Submit Your Answer: You can sign up for the forum and send a Private Message to my username, Kevin. The link to the forum is in the navigation bar above. Make sure to verify your e-mail address when signing up. You can also send an e-mail with your name to Trivia@oldnotredame.com, if you do not wish to sign up for the forum.
Rules: Please do not look the answers up because that takes the fun out of the game. Don’t post your answers in the Shoutbox or as a comment to this post. You can only send in your answer once, not multiple times. Once your answer is in, it is final and changes can no longer be made.
Yesterday’s Question: Which Notre Dame running back averaged the most rushing yards per game in a season?
Yesterday’s Answer: Vagas Ferguson
Yesterday’s Winner: PhillyDomer
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21st Feb 2008
Notre Dame 82
Pittsburgh 70
The Fighting Irish spark an incredible comeback to defeat the Panthers by 12 in South Bend. The home winning streak is now at 35 games with two Joyce Center matches remaining this season. Tory Jackson and Luke Harangody each had double-double’s in tonight’s win over the Panthers after trailing by 11 with 13:48 left in the second half of action. Notre Dame improved its record to 20-5 (10-3) which puts them a half of game behind Georgetown/Louisville. Pittsburgh is now 19-7 (7-6) on the season with Louisville coming up next on Sunday.
Once again, Tory Jackson is the player of the game with 16 points and 13 rebounds. That’s right, 13 rebounds for a 5′11″ point guard. He had the same numbers of rebounds as 6′7″ DeJuan Blair and more than the second best rebounder in the Big East, Luke Harangody. Six of his thirteen were offensive and he also had an incredible block in the first half. I hope I can find a video of his rejection because it was SICK! Tory also scored when it was needed and made some acrobatic plays to get to the line. He made some big shots, including a big three with 4:36 left and recorded his second double-double in a row. He has really played well recently and his confidence has surely skyrocketed.
Luke Harangody bounced back from his poor performance against Rutgers and had 23 points and 12 rebounds. There was no doubt in my mind that he would score at least twenty heading into this game, but he had to work very hard for those numbers. DeJuan Blair of Pittsburgh kept Luke frustrated and out of rhythm for most of the game. But by taking 19 shots, Harangody was able to get his usual numbers and help the Irish get a W. This game keeps him at the top of the list for Big East Player of the Year and if he continues to play well, he should win it.
Senior Captain Rob Kurz played very well early on in the game, scoring 7 of his 14 points within the first few minutes. He did receive somewhat limited playing time because of foul trouble but still managed to put up more points than his average. Rob only had 5 rebounds in the match but Tory Jackson made up for it as Notre Dame out-rebounded the Panthers 41 to 35.
Kyle McAlarney struggled early in the game and couldn’t get his shots to go in the first half. But he came out of halftime with confidence and started hitting NBA-ranged three’s which jump-started Notre Dame’s comeback. He hit two deep shots from behind the arc which tied the game at 61. From that point on the Irish scored 21 points compared to 9 for Pittsburgh. Kyle finished with 15 points, including three, three-point shots.
Other contributors were Ryan Ayers with 5 points, Zach Hillesland with 4, Jonathan Peoples had 3, and Luke Zeller put in 2. Notre Dame made 28 of 67 shots, 41.8%, which is exactly the same as their last game, against Rutgers. They took the same numbers of shots and made the same amount of baskets against the Scarlet Knights. They made the same amount of three’s (8) but took a couple more shots tonight (24) in the 12 point win. The most impressive statistic of this game is the Notre Dame free throw shooting. The Big East’s best free throw shooting team made 18 of 20 attempts tonight, that’s 90%.
The stars for Pittsburgh were Sam Young with 20 points, Keith Benjamin with 15, DeJuan Blair had 14 points and 13 rebounds, and Levance Fields added 10 more points. The Panthers shot 40.0% from the floor and 28.0% from beyond the arc. They led the Irish by 5 at halftime and as many as 11 in the game, but couldn’t put it away. The Notre Dame fans were too much and cheered their loudest so far this year, as Mike Brey’s team came back and won.
This was a very exciting game for Notre Dame and a quality win with only a few games left. I’d also like to mention that Jon Tenuta was in the stands tonight with Charlie Weis who goes to most of the basketball games. Up next is Syracuse on Sunday which is another big matchup and will be televised on CBS. I’ll have a preview up on Saturday and as always, Go Irish!
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21st Feb 2008
Question: Which Notre Dame running back averaged the most rushing yards per game in a season?
How to Submit Your Answer: You can sign up for the forum and send a Private Message to my username, Kevin. The link to the forum is in the navigation bar above. Make sure to verify your e-mail address when signing up. You can also send an e-mail with your name to Trivia@oldnotredame.com, if you do not wish to sign up for the forum.
Rules: Please do not look the answers up because that takes the fun out of the game. Don’t post your answers in the Shoutbox or as a comment to this post. You can only send in your answer once, not multiple times. Once your answer is in, it is final and changes can no longer be made.
Yesterday’s Question: Who holds the Notre Dame record for the most Kick Return Touchdowns (Punts & Kickoffs) in a single season?
Yesterday’s Answer: Allen Rossum
Yesterday’s Winners: No one
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21st Feb 2008
The Fighting Irish will be hosting Pittsburgh tonight at 7:00 in the Joyce Center. This Big East game will be televised on ESPN and you should make sure you watch it. The Panthers are coming into South Bend two games behind the Irish in the conference but have a very similar overall record. Notre Dame is currently 19-5 (9-3) which puts them one game behind Georgetown/Louisville for first place in the Big East. Pittsburgh stands at 19-6 (7-5) coming off a a big loss at Marquette, 72-54.
Number 21 Notre Dame is looking to again, extend its home winning streak which is currently third best in the nation at 34 games. Mike Brey’s squad is 14-0 in South Bend so far this season while the Panthers are 4-5 on the road. It’s going to be incredibly difficult for Pittsburgh to leave Indiana with a victory considering their road record and the energy of the Irish fans in the Joyce Center. With only a few more games left in the regular season, both teams need as many wins as possible heading into the tournaments.
Sam Young leads the way for the Panthers, averaging 17.9 points per game as a 6′6″ forward. He is a very athletic player who can drive to the lane and shoot from anywhere on the court. Sam is shooting 40.3% from beyond the arc on 67 attempts but makes his impact in the paint and on short-range jump shots. He’s going to be a tough task for the Irish if they go with a man defense, so they should stick with some form of a zone.
Luke Harangody is coming off one of his worst games this season. He only had 10 points and 8 rebounds against Rutgers in 27 minutes of play. Those numbers seem pretty decent for a Sophomore, but Harangody is much better than that. He got into foul trouble early and wasn’t making any of his shots. He should bounce back against Pittsburgh and put up his normal numbers with his all-around ability. Luke still leads the Big East in scoring with 20.4 points per contest and should have a big game. The Panthers don’t have an experienced big man to put up against Harangody so he should have no trouble scoring at least 20 tonight.
Some statistics: Notre Dame averages 80.3 points per game while Pittsburgh averages 74.0. The Panthers play better defense and only allow an average of 62.7 points while the Irish give up 68.5. ND leads the conference in rebounds (43.4) and assists (18.7) per game with Pitt not far behind. It’s a pretty close game based on the numbers and should turn out that way as well.
Let’s hope Mike Brey can lead his squad to 35 consecutive home wins and defeat the Pittsburgh Panthers. With only six regular season games left, including a visit to Louisville, the Irish need to put a game like this away for a top seed in the Big East tournament. Once again the game is on at 7 PM EST on ESPN, so try to watch it, and as always, Go Irish!
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20th Feb 2008
Four Notre Dame players will be taking part in the NFL Scouting Combine coming up. They are John Carlson, Trevor Laws, John Sullivan, and Tom Zbikowski. The NFL Combine is a fair in which the nation’s top players are invited to participate in events which will be evaluated by NFL Scouts. This years Combine will have 13 parts which are the 40-yard dash, Bench press, Three cone drill, Broad jump, Vertical leap, 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttle, Position specific drills, Physical measurements, NFL team interviews, The Wonderlic Test, The Cybex Test, and Injury evaluation. It gives these players the opportunity to prove to NFL teams that they are a worthy draft pick.
John Carlson was considered one of the top Tight Ends in the nation after his impressive 2006 season. He was predicted to be a first round pick if he had decided to enter the 2007 NFL Draft. Instead he chose to return to Notre Dame for a fifth season as a Captain and leader of a very young Irish team. Obviously, that didn’t go so well due to the constant change of quarterbacks and struggle on offense as a whole. But John’s 2006 season is certainly enough to keep him among the top tight ends, if not the best, in this year’s draft. However, John missed an important event recently, the Senior Bowl, due to food poisoning which led to major weight loss. He lost at least 17 pounds but thankfully, has now gained that weight back and is ready to take part in the more important, NFL Scouting Combine. Mel Kiper Jr. listed the 6′5″, 255 pound Carlson as the number two tight end in this years draft behind Fred Davis of USC. John could sneak into the first round if he impresses the Scouts, but either way he should go on the first day.
Trevor Laws had the most impressive season for any Notre Dame player in 2007. He was also a fifth year senior, but instead of decreasing his draft stock like Carlson, he increased it tremendously. Trevor recorded 112 tackles as a defensive end, and was named the 2007 Team MVP in his final season in South Bend. I was absolutely furious when he wasn’t named to any major All-American teams after having that number of tackles as a defensive lineman. Trevor must have taken this as an insult because he has worked harder than anyone else, preparing for the Combine. In the past two months he has lost body fat and added thirty pounds of solid muscle to his build. According to the Chicago Tribune Laws works out up to three times a day and always eats five meals. Mel Kiper Jr. has noticed him and thinks that he will go in the third round, which seems pretty reasonable. Trevor should go early on the second day of the draft, but you never know, it could be the first if he does well in the Combine.
John Sullivan returned for a fifth year and became a Captain just prior to the start of the 2007 season. He started 43 of the 47 games he played in his career at Notre Dame and his most recent season wasn’t his best. John, an offensive center, led the nation’s worst offensive line in 2007. The inexperience along the O-Line had a great effect on his play and forced him to change his style, which greatly decreased his draft stock. However, he blocked well in the past and has good size to be taken at some point in the draft. Mel Kiper Jr. said that Sullivan’s stock dropped, but due to the weak year at center, he could be taken on the second day. I think that if John can prove himself at the combine and impress the Scouts, he could be taken as early as the fourth round.
Tom Zbikowski has always been one of the fans-favorite’s and chose to return for a fifth year at Notre Dame. He is a two-time Captain for the Irish but did not make the right career decision. He struggled in his final season in South Bend after three very impressive years in which he displayed his toughness and will. He could have been taken on the first day of the draft if he left a year, possibly even two years earlier. But it’s too late for that now and Tom is going to have to really prove to the Scouts that he is worth their pick after his rough 2007 season. Mel Kiper Jr. believes that he may have dropped to a fifth, maybe even sixth round draft pick. I belive that Zibi could get taken in the fourth round if people recognize his toughness and special teams ability. If the NFL doesn’t work out for him, he can always go with boxing, but I don’t think that should be a problem.
Keep updated on the NFL Scouting Combine by checking out the NFL Network and other major sport networks. I will have the results of each Irish player when the Combine is finished. As always, Go Irish!
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20th Feb 2008
Question: Who holds the Notre Dame record for the most Kick Return Touchdowns (Punts & Kickoffs) in a single season?
How to Submit Your Answer: You can sign up for the forum and send a Private Message to my username, Kevin. The link to the forum is in the navigation bar above. Make sure to verify your e-mail address when signing up. You can also send an e-mail with your name to Trivia@oldnotredame.com, if you do not wish to sign up for the forum.
Rules: Please do not look the answers up because that takes the fun out of the game. Don’t post your answers in the Shoutbox or as a comment to this post. You can only send in your answer once, not multiple times. Once your answer is in, it is final and changes can no longer be made.
Yesterday’s Question: Name the four captains of the 2001 Notre Dame Football team.
Yesterday’s Answer: Grant Irons, Rocky Boiman, Anthony Weaver, and David Givens
Yesterday’s Winners: PhillyDomer (First) and weisgipper (second)
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20th Feb 2008
Captain Rob Kurz is the only senior on this year’s Notre Dame basketball team. He was also a captain last season along with Russell Carter and Colin Falls who both graduated. Rob played in 14 games his freshman year and started 12 games his sophomore season for the Irish. He is the most experienced player on the young Notre Dame team and is a true leader.
As a junior, Kurz started 30 of 31 games for Mike Brey and averaged 12.6 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He only missed one game because of an injury that kept him sidelined against Syrcause. The 12.6 points were third best on the team and his rebounding led the Irish the entire season. He has been a very consistent player for Notre Dame and has contributed in every way possible.
His numbers so far this year are nearly identical, with 12.3 points and 8.0 rebounds. Once again he is third in scoring, but sophomore Luke Harangody grabs more boards per game. Rob still averages 8.0 rebounds and is a stellar defensive player. He averages 1.4 blocks per contest, which is the team’s highest and also nearly a steal every game.
Kurz has played a big part in Notre Dame’s success so far this season and will be missed next year. His leadership and hard work have been a great example to the younger players. Let’s hope Rob can continue to play well and lead the Irish deep into the tournaments. As always, Go Irish!
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