7th Feb 2008
Notre Dame 95
Seton Hall 69
Well this was one of the few games that I haven’t been able to see this year. Obviously it wasn’t close, like I had predicted, and the Irish really rolled. Once again Luke Harangody led the way with 23 points and 13 rebounds, his fourth 20+ point game in a row. He is a very serious contender for Big East Player of the Year and if he can keep this up, I’m sure he will win it. Rob Kurz had a big day with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks. Kyle McAlarney scored 19, going 5 of 7 from behind the arc. His shooting continues to become even better with each game that he plays. Notre Dame played outstanding defense the entire game, which almost always leads to a deadly offensive attack. Also, Mike Brey got a lot of players in the game, 13 in total, including freshman Tyrone Nash who should have a very promising career in South Bend. Notre Dame improved to 17-4 overall and 7-2 in the Big East.
The Fighting Irish will take on Marquette on Saturday, who absolutely demolished ND the first time they played. I will have a preview for the game up at some point tomorrow. As always, Go Irish!
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3rd Feb 2008
Notre Dame 89
DePaul 80
The streak extended to thirty-three games tonight with the win over DePaul. That’s 33 consecutive wins at home in South Bend for the Fighting Irish, a remarkable number. They now stand at 16-4 overall and 6-2 in the Big East, and expand their winning streak to three games. DePaul on the other hand moves to 9-12 so far this season, 3-4 in Big East conference games. They are now on a three game losing streak, placing them far down in the conference standings. Once again, Luke Harangody took over and continued his dominance for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame started off slow like they almost always do and gave up some easy points early on. Their first nine points were scored by forward, Luke Harangody, the leading scorer in the Big East. Both teams were shooting a lot of three’s in the beginning of the game and weren’t have much luck, so they drove the ball to the basket. Hillesland had a couple nice athletic plays in the paint to give the Irish some points. He finished with ten on the night, including a spectacular highlight-reel dunk.
The game started picking up when Kyle McAlarney for Notre Dame and Dar Tucker for DePaul started hitting some threes. Both players finished with five three-pointers each, although Tucker had a much higher percentage. McAlarney was 5 of 13, while Dar Tucker shot five less and made the same amount. Three-point shots kept the game close for DePaul all night considering they made 11 of 23 attempts, 47.8%. Notre Dame finished with eight total threes, the others from Zeller (2) and Ayers (1), on 22 attempts, 36.4%.
The Irish played very strong defense throughout the game, but the outside shooting of DePaul was tough to stop. Even if Notre Dame got a hand in Tucker or Burns’ face, they still made their shots. The Fighting Irish forced a lot of turnovers (12), steals (6), and blocks (4) which led to a lot of fast breaks. However, the ND defense is what won the game tonight and the Irish should be respected as not just an offensive team.
The score at the half was 46-35 in favor of Notre Dame, and Luke Harangody already had 19 points and 9 rebounds. He was once again too much to handle, this time for DePaul senior, Wesley Green and freshman Mac Koshwal. Harangody finished with 29 points and 14 rebounds, another double-double for the sophomore out of Schererville, Indiana. He has scored 25+ points in the last three games and 14 rebounds in the last two. Luke is a monster who draws so many fouls and gets to the free-throw line a lot. What’s great about this is, he makes his free-throws, 81.0% of them. I can’t say enough about Luke Harangody, he is an incredible, tenacious, relentless young player.
Ryan Ayers had a strong performance tonight finishing with 9 points off the bench. I don’t think him not starting is a problem, considering he played more than three of the five starters, including Zach Hillesland. Ayers brings so much energy to the game and has a true passion for the sport. He is always the most energetic player on the court and definitely a vocal leader for the team. Ryan’s most memorable play against DePaul was his beautiful, beautiful slam dunk in the second half that put Notre Dame up 9.
Tory Jackson has improved tremendously and is extremely sneaky. He is only 5′10″ and somehow manages to grab offensive rebounds a lot. You won’t even see him and than out of no where he has the ball and an easy two points. Tory finished with eight points, four rebounds, and six assists.
McAlarney had another big day from beyond the arc, his eighth game this season with at least five made threes. That’s just incredible. He is shooting 45.1% from downtown and you must realize that a lot of his shots are from NBA range and beyond. Kyle is just an outstanding shooter who finished with 17 points and 6 assists.
The Fighting Irish. This team exemplifies the meaning of that title. They never give up and give 110% effort every second of every game, no matter what. The reason for their winning is their determination and relentlessness to score and get second opportunities. Each and every one of the players on Notre Dame have that will and fight in them, which is what makes this team so special.
As I had stated in my previous posts, if the Irish beat Providence and DePaul, they will get into the top 25. That is going to happen, guaranteed. Look out for the polls within a day or two and you will see Notre Dame mentioned along with the Nation’s best teams. The most reasonable ranking would be somewhere around twenty, but you never know. We will just have to wait and see what happens.
And so once again, Player of the Game goes to Luke Harangody for his phenomenal performace against the Blue Demons. Hopefully he can continue with the 20+ point games with rivals Seton Hall and Marquette coming up next week. Notre Dame will be at Seton Hall on Wednesday for a 7:30 tipoff and looking for revenge on Saturday at home against the Golden Eagles. Those are two very competitive games, so hopefully I can see them on TV. Great game tonight and as always, Go Irish!
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31st Jan 2008
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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26th Jan 2008
Notre Dame 90
Villanova 80
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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19th Jan 2008
Georgetown 84
Notre Dame 65
Rough game for the Irish. They couldn’t establish any type of rhythm throughout the entire game and Georgetown took advantage of it. The Hoyas were unstoppable all day and played outstanding on defense. Notre Dame had very few open shots or layups the whole afternoon. Overall, Georgetown destroyed Notre Dame and it wasn’t very close.
From the very start of the game it appeared that Harangody was intimidated by the 7′2″ Hibbert. It became obvious that the six inch height difference was going to have a large impact on his play. Roy Hibbert was easily shooting over everyone on Notre Dame and they had to resort to fouling him. This was a mistake because he was incredibly hot from the free-throw line today, making 7 of 9, much better than his season average. Hibbert scored 13 of his 21 points in the first 8 minutes of the first half. Even when Harangody forced a mismatch, the Irish couldn’t get him the ball and he only scored 13 points the entire game, 7 of which were from free-throws. Luke shot 3 of 14 from the field and pulled down eight rebounds as he fouled out of the game with 1:49 left.
Kyle McAlarney also had an upsetting performance, shooting 4 of 15 for only 10 points. He never went to the free-throw like and had little to no impact at any point of the game. Tory Jackson as well provided minimal help for the Irish with his 7 points and terrible three-point shooting. Notre Dame was 7-26 from behind the arc, a low percentage of 26.9%. Compared to Georgetown who were 8-22 a percentage of 36.4% from three. As I stated previously, Notre Dame needed to shoot well from three, and didn’t, one of the many reasons for the lopsided loss.
As a team, Notre Dame’s defense struggled greatly against the Georgetown offense. They started off playing man-to-man, but had to change five minutes into the first half. The went to the zone which didn’t help at all and than eventually to a full-court-press zone. They tried doubling which did not work out well either because they left someone else wide open. Georgetown would either have an easy shot down low or a wide open jump shot outside. If the Hoyas actually missed a shot, they would get it right back because the Irish had trouble rebounding the ball the entire first half. No one was boxing out or hustling for the ball. Notre Dame seemed out-of-whack throughout the day and their effort was not there. Georgetown out-hustled the Irish all afternoon and left Notre Dame with no chance.
The Hoyas had a 15-0 run in the first half which led to the 13 point deficit at half time. The Irish trailed 38-25 and only shot 30% from the floor, an embarrassing number. It never got any better the second half as they finished with a 31.7 team shooting percentage, making 20 of 63 shots. According to the stats, Notre Dame did out-rebound Georgetown 35-33, but it did not seem like it whatsoever. Either way Summers and Hibbert of the Hoyas dominated down low on both sides of the court and were no match for the Fighting Irish defense.
In conclusion, the Irish move to 13-4 (3-2) on the year with 21st ranked Villanova up next. I will be attending the game at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia and will try and get some pictures taken. Notre Dame will take on the Wildcats and try and capture their first Big East away game, a strenuous task. Now we need to put this game in the past and hope the Irish can rebound from a tough loss again, just like they did after losing to Marquette. As always, Go Irish!
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16th Jan 2008
Notre Dame 91
Cincinnati 74
An impressive win for the Irish after the big loss to Marquette. Luke Harangody continues to dominate each game, this time with 25 points. He has unbelievable power and dominates down low, hard to believe he is only a sophmore. Harangody is extremely talented and uses his strength and body skillfully. He only scored one point in the entire first half but managed to score 24 in the second en route to the big Irish victory. In addition, Kyle McAlarney added 22 points with his stellar three point shooting. He hit four three’s in the second half alone. According to ESPN, the Irish only trailed for 6:13 the entire game, an impressive stat considering the in-conference play.
Another sophmore, Tory Jackson, contributes with passes rather than points. He continues to stack up on assists with eight last night. Notre Dame basketball is really looking strong this year and it should probably stay like that for the next couple of years. With only one senior on the entire roster, the Irish should continue outstanding play next year as well.
I believe that the Irish will be one of the big surprises in the tournament this year. They have shown they can play with almost anyone and manage to keep almost all games close (Excluding Marquette). The young players have stepped up and have shown great maturity on the court. The Sweet 16 in March is a strong possibility and maybe even further. Look out Georgetown, the Irish are coming for you.
Notre Dame is now 13-3 on the year and 3-1 in Big East play.
Notre Dame vs. Georgetown - Saturday - 12:00
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14th Jan 2008
Marquette 92
Notre Dame 66
Notre Dame men’s basketball team could not defeat Big East rival, Marquette on Saturday afternoon in Milwaukee. The Golden Eagles dominated the entire game and absolutely destroyed the Irish. This is the biggest margin of defeat in Mike Brey’s era. Marquette was oustanding with their three point shooting, one of Notre Dame’s trademarks, and kept the Irish way behind throughout the afternoon. As you can see, anything can happen in Big East, in-conference, play. It’s a tough loss for Notre Dame but they will bounce back and hopefully win tomorrow night at home against Cincinnati. A win would improve the Irish to 3-1 in Big East play and 13-3 on the year.
This loss most likely will keep them out of the rankings for this week at least, but with some upcoming games that ensure competition, the Irish could get in there soon. After Cincinnati the Irish move on to extremely talented Georgetown, and than the currently ranked Villanova. I will be attending the Notre Dame-Villanova game at the Wachovia Center on the 26th and will hopefully get some pictures from the game. Hopefully the Fighting Irish can fight their way through this tough stretch and come away with some victories. As always, Go Irish!
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6th Jan 2008
Notre Dame 73
Connecticut 67
Notre Dame defeated Connecticut last night in a close one. The Irish dominated almost the entire game but let up late in the second half. Some key three point shots at the end of the game put it away for the Irish as they improve to 12-2 on the year. Up next is eleventh ranked Marquette, in another Big East game.
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4th Jan 2008
Notre Dame 69
West Virginia 56
The Irish won the first of many Big East matches last night with a solid victory over the previously ranked Mountaineers. The Irish led for most of the game and dominated throughout. Harangody played the best game of his career with 29 points and 16 rebounds. He used his power and aggressiveness to manhandle all of West Virginia. Luke took on four defenders at one point in the game and made the shot. He continues outstanding play and is one of the top players in the Big East at the moment. I am again impressed by the play of Zach Hillesland. His contributions to the team are crucial and he plays great every game. He may not lead in scoring or rebounds, but he makes a great impact on the play of the Irish. Notre Dame drove the ball to basket very well and created many fouls and three-point-play opportunities. The defense played strong throughout the entire game and held West Virginia to a low shooting percentage. Overall, Notre Dame played a great game and made a statement to increase their chances of getting into the top 25.
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2nd Jan 2008
Notre Dame 77
North Florida 58
Rob Kurz led the Irish with a double double, 23 points and 13 rebounds. After a slow start in the first half, Notre Dame went on a 16-0 run to start the second half. Notre Dame is now 10-2 as they head in to Conference play. West Virginia is up next for the Irish tomorrow.
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