Harangody Scores 40 in Loss to Louisville

29th Feb 2008

Louisville 90
Notre Dame 85

The Irish lost last night in Freedom Hall for their fourth conference loss on the season. They made a strong attempt at a comeback after being down by double digits nearly the entire game. But in the end, the Cardinals pulled through thanks to the leadership of David Padgett who guided the team the whole night. With the win, Louisville remains tied for first place in the Big East with their 23-6 (13-3) record. The Irish remain in third but are again tied with Connecticut with three conference games remaining. ND is currently 21-6 (11-4) and should finish the regular season with an additional three wins over DePaul, St. Johns, and South Florida.

Luke Harangody had the best game of his career and solidified the Big East Player of the Year award. He put in 40 points, a career high, while grabbing 12 rebounds for the Irish. That’s his 17th double-double this season and 25th game in a row with over ten points. He is such an incredible player and competitor. He made three, three-pointers at the end of the game, the firsts of his career, sparking Notre Dame’s comeback attempt. Luke played with unbelievable energy and will and kept Notre Dame within 20 points throughout the night. It was one of, if not the most impressive performance by a Notre Dame basketball player that I have ever seen. He is a great example of how the game should be played and will lead the Irish to great things.

The only other Irish player who played well is Ryan Ayers who came off of the bench and scored 17 points. He played 27 minutes and shot the ball extremely well with five threes on six attempts. Ryan also grabbed five rebounds in the loss and provided the only assistance for Luke Harangody.

Kyle McAlarney had possibly the worst game of his career with only 7 points while taking 14 shot attempts. He was 1 of 8 from beyond the arc and turned the ball over five times. Tory Jackson also had five turnovers, ten total for Notre Dame’s starting guards. As a team, the Irish turned the ball over 16 times, but it seemed like much more.

Louisville’s fullcourt press and aggressive defense rattled Mike Brey’s offense as soon as the game began. The Cardinals jumped out to a big lead very early in the game and kept it nearly the entire night. Notre Dame didn’t start making it’s run until there was less than four minutes left, but it was too late by than.

David Padgett got his team out front and kept them there with a team high 26 points. He also had six rebounds and four assists in 28 minutes of play. David was the focal point of the Cardinals offense, standing near the free throw line making the right passes and taking good shots. Other contributors for Louisville were Terrence Williams and Earl Clark with 14 points each and Andre McGee and Edgar Sosa with 10 a piece.

It wasn’t a fun game to watch as a Notre Dame fan, but it showed that they have the will to comeback when down by double digits. I’m positive the Irish have the ability to beat Louisville if they play again, but will need McAlarney and Jackson to perform much better. They could meet again in the Big East tournament, but for now, Mike Brey needs to focus on the last three games. DePaul is up next on Sunday at 1:00, so I will have a preview sometime before that. Incredible game Luke Harangody and as always, Go Irish!

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