Team Effort Takes Down DePaul

2nd Mar 2008

Notre Dame 98
DePaul 91

The Fighting Irish recorded their 12th Big East victory today, a school record. This is the first time Notre Dame has won 12 games in the Big East, a very impressive number. They also clinched a bye in the conference tournament with the win and improved their record to 22-6 (12-4). That keeps them tied for third place in the Big East. DePaul on the other hand are battling to make the tournament and are now tied for the last spot (12th) with Providence and St. Johns. The Blue Demons stand at 10-18 (5-11) and need to win their last two games for a decent change of making the Big East tournament.

Luke Harangody once again led Notre Dame in scoring and rebounding but was not able to get another double-double. He had 24 points and 9 rebounds in the win and will still most likely be named Big East Player of the Week for the third time this season. He played well after his 40 point game against Louisville and did enough for Mike Brey today. Harangody is going to win Big East Player of the Year and his teammates helped him today unlike the game against the Cardinals. Luke also had three blocks on defense.

Lone senior and captain Rob Kurz had a great game this afternoon with 21 points. That’s his second highest this season, two points shy of matching his game against North Florida early in the year. He hit four of his five shots from beyond the arc and also grabbed 7 boards while playing outstanding defense. He had three of the teams seven blocks as well as two assists.

Another big man who stepped up today was 6′10″ junior Luke Zeller. He had 13 points, making 5 of his 6 shot attempts, including a trio of threes. Kyle McAlarney started off slow but finished with 13 points and three threes as well as four rebounds and three assists. Three other Irish players had 9 points, Tory Jackson, Zach Hillesland, and Ryan Ayers. Jackson played much better and had 7 rebounds and six assists. Hillesland also had six assists as well as three rebounds and a block. Ayers made all three of his attempts from beyond the arc and didn’t score anywhere else. Lastly, Jonathan Peoples has zero points but contributed with four assists.

As a team, Notre Dame shot incredibly well making 38 of their 68 attempts. That’s 55.9% on the afternoon and it’s largely due to their three-point shooting where the Irish made 13 of their 23 attempts (56.5%). They had a lot of assists, 24 total, and had two less rebounds than DePaul with 33.

DePaul’s freshman dominated on Senior Day and were responsible for the comeback attempt. Dar Tucker led the way with 28 points which includes six baskets from beyond the arc on nine attempts. He made big shots, got the crowd into the game, and has a really bright future. The other freshman is 6′10″ center Mac Koshwal, or Big Mac, who had 23 points and 10 rebounds. He is a captain in his first season and also has a very promising future. Other major contributors were Will Walker with 11 points and Jabari Currie with 10.

Notre Dame shut down the Blue Demons leading scorer, Draelon Burns, and held him to 9 points in his last game at the Allstate Arena. He only made 2 of his 10 shot attempts. As a team, DePaul made 46.5% of their shots and were down by as much as 28 points in the game. They are going to have a tough time making the Big East tournament now with games at Cincinnati and Pittsburgh remaining.

This was an important win for the Irish now that they have clinched a Big East bye. The record is also a nice accomplishment and should be extended to 14 games with two the conferences worst teams remaining. St. Johns is next on Wednesday and than South Florida on Satruday, the 8th. I’ll have a preview for the St. John’s game during the week and as always, Go Irish!

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