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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March 3, 2009 –
by Brendon
While fawning over how well Notre Dame had been playing entering Monday’s game with Villanova and making excuses for the Irish’s poor record, national college basketball pundits have been avoiding one salient fact — they’re not very good. That under-developed point should have been driven home once again as Villanova dominated the second half and knocked ND out of any realistic at-large hopes in a 77-60 victory.
It may not be in good form to toot my own horn, but I’ve been writing this all year — there are too many types of teams that give the Irish trouble for them to ever have been considered elite. Teams with tall frontlines can neutralize the shorter Luke Harangody. Teams with explosive, penetrating guards give the slower Notre Dame defenders fits, and teams with strong defensive guards help to stymie a player like Kyle McAlarney. Even if a team has just one of these elements, it can hang with the Irish. If it has more than one — see Washington State, Villanova, Marquette, Connecticut — then Notre Dame is in big trouble. Read More »
Posted in Big East, Game of the Night
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Tagged Big East, Connecticut, Dante Cunningham, General Custer, Jonathan Peoples, Kyle McAlarney, Luke Harangody, Marquette, Notre Dame, Rob Kurz, Ryan Ayers, Scottie Reynolds, Tory Jackson, Tyrone Nash, Villanova, Washington State, Zach Hillesland
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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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