Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Irish face Huskies in Storrs

The red-hot #20 Irish who have won 16 out of their last 18 will face the #17 Huskies who are also on a streak of their own tomorrow night.

Connecticut has only lost 3 conference games so far this season, yet one of them was at the hands of Notre Dame.  In the last match-up the Irish jumped out to an early lead, and lead all the way until late in the second half when UConn surged back to take the lead.  Ultimately however, two threes from Kurz and McAlarney gave the Irish the victory. The Irish were lead by Kyle McAlarney who posted a career high 32 points. Harangody chipped in 14 and 10 rebounds, however he was only 5-23 from the field.  The Huskies 7'3" center Hasheem Thabeet really made it tough for Luke down low.

Keys to the Game

Don't rely on Harangody. Last game Luke had very difficult game against Hasheem Thabeet.  He was being blocked left and right.  That's understandable when the other center is nearly 7 inches taller than you.  This game, however look for Harangody to kick it out and feed the cutters more, rather than to make a move.

Set the Pace. Connecticut is on a 6 game winning streak, at home, now ranked, and hungry for revenge.  The Irish need to play their game not how Connecticut wants to force them to play.  The Irish need to set the pace, play their game and stay composed.  If the Irish do this they should come out on top.

Players need to step up. Lets face it, KMac isn't going to score 32 points again.  I'm not saying he can't do it, it's just not likely.  And Harangody isn't gonna score 25 down low either.  Everyone needs to contribute and have a balanced attack.

Let's hope the Irish can pull this out.

-stuart-


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