March 11, 2010 –
by Brendon
Four weeks ago, Notre Dame senior forward injured his right knee in the closing minutes of a loss to Seton Hall. Harangody would miss the remainder of that game and all of the next five. Notre Dame lost the first two without Harangody by a combined three points, and realistic thoughts of an NCAA Tournament berth seemed to vanish.
Notre Dame, however, went on a four-game winning streak, including wins over NCAA-bound Georgetown, Pittsburgh and Marquette. On Wednesday night in Madison Square Garden, Notre Dame’s NCAA hopes completed the full 180 from vanished to realized in a 68-54 win over Seton Hall.
There’s been ample discussion in the last week about how the Irish have changed in Harangody’s absence. Many have concluded that the Irish are better without the three-time first-team All-Big East player in the lineup. Read More »
January 18, 2010 –
by Brendon
Notre Dame had a tough loss on Saturday in Cincinnati. After controlling most of the first half, the Irish could never pull away from a tough Bearcats defense. Eventually, UC’s dominance of the backboards caught up to UND, and the Irish fell, 60-58. Despite Luke Harangody growing into the Big East’s version of Tyler Hansbrough over the last two seasons, he’s seen the talent erode around him, and the team success that Notre Dame experienced during Harangody’s first two seasons is proving elusive in his final two.
As a freshman, Luke Harangody and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish won 24 games, reached the Big East Tournament semifinals and the NCAA Tournament as a No. 6 seed. As a sophomore, Harangody saw his team win 25 more games, earn a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament and win a game there.
Last season, Notre Dame was a consensus top-25 team entering the season, this despite losing Rob Kurz and replacing him with no one (I suppose it was sophomore Tyrone Nash, in theory). Notre Dame disappointed, though, finishing 8-10 in conference and 18-14 overall (before the NIT, where the Irish won three times). A seven-game losing streak in January and February ruined the season. Read More »
Posted in Big East
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Tagged Ben Hansbrough, Big East, Cincinnati, DePaul, Jack Cooley, Joey Brooks, Jonathan Peoples, Kyle McAlarney, Loyola Marymount, Luke Harangody, Mike Brey, Mike Broghammer, Mike Cook, Morehead State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, Rob Kurz, Rutgers, Ryan Ayers, Scott Martin, Seton Hall, St. John's, Tim Abromaitis, Tom Knight, Ty Proffitt, Tyler Hansbrough, Tyrone Nash, USF, West Virginia, Zach Hillesland
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January 27, 2009 –
by Brendon
I had written most of a full on article on the Marquette-Notre Dame, but I realized I didn’t have that many new or interesting things to say about it, especially about the Irish. So, instead, I’m going to do one of those lazy, bullet-point-itemed pieces — one that will include topics beyond Marquette-Notre Dame, the kind of stories that get the worn-out baseball beat writer through the dog days of summer (not that I’m worn out).
• I’m not sure that fans around the country realize how dire a situation Notre Dame is in. The Coaches Poll still assigned a little number next to the Irish this week despite a third straight loss on Saturday to Connecticut, which indicates to most that NDU has nothing to worry about. Most prognosticators — you can see BaselineStats.com’s projection listed under “Base” — still had the Irish in the field entering Monday’s matchup with Marquette, and five projectors who put who new brackets on Monday even had Notre Dame at a No. 6 seed or higher. I think they’re wrong. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Reviews/Previews
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Tagged Bracket Project, Buzz Williams, Connecticut, Earl Clark, Fran McCaffery, Iona, James Anderson, Jay Bilas, Kevin McAlarney, Louisville, Marquette, Mike Brey, Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Providence, Ryan Ayers, Sean McDonough, Siena, Syracuse, Terrence Williams, Travis Ford, Villanova, West Virginia
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January 25, 2009 –
by Brendon
Connecticut ended Notre Dame’s 45-game home winning streak on Saturday night with a 69-61 win at the Joyce Center. Jeff Adrien led the way for the Huskies with 12 points and 19 rebounds, and UConn was able to survive 24 and 15 from the Irish’s Luke Harangody, who had a very poor night from the perimeter (8-for-27 on threes). Rather than focus on the game in its entirety, though, I’m going to hone in on a comment made by one the game’s announcers to illustrate a point.
Early in the game, commentator Dan Shulman mentioned that Connecticut and Notre Dame were 1-2 in the nation in fewest fouls committed this season. Dick Vitale went on to talk about how that was such a key to good defense and how Bob Knight taught his kids at Indiana how to play good defense without fouling.
There is nothing wrong with any of that information, but it’s important to separate the kind of defense Connecticut plays without fouling and the kind of defense Notre Dame plays without fouling. Read More »
Posted in Big East
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Tagged Bob Knight, Bruce Pearl, Connecticut, Dan Shulman, Dick Vitale, Hasheem Thabeet, Jeff Adrien, Jim Calhoun, Louisville, Luke Harangody, Michigan State, Mike Brey, Notre Dame, Rick Pitino, Tennessee
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January 12, 2009 –
by Brendon
With 5:35 left in the second half at Freedom Hall on Monday night, Notre Dame led Louisville, 73-69, in the first Big Monday of the season. Luke Harangody had just hit two free throws — bizarrely his only two of the game as it turned out — and had 28 points. Irish coach Mike Brey had to consider himself fortunate that his team had braved a withering Louisville defense to battle back from a seven-point, second-half deficit to take that four-point lead.
What Brey couldn’t have imagined, though, was that Harangody’s free throws would be the reigning Big East Player of the Year’s last points of the game and that his team would only score once more over the next 10:35 of the second half and overtime in an 87-73 loss. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night
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Tagged Andre McGee, Big Monday, depth, Earl Clark, fatigue, Kyle McAlarney, Louisville, Luke Harangody, Mike Brey, Notre Dame, Preston Knowles, Rick Pitino, Rob Kurz, Ryan Ayers, Samardo Samuels, Terrence Williams, Tory Jackson
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