Big East Play is Here

Well it's here,  the conference games are finally starting.  And this year it is going to be an even tougher and more competitive than ever before.  Depending on which poll you look at (AP or ESPN) there are 9 teams from the Big East that are ranked in at least one of the polls.  Luckily for the Irish they kick off their Big East play with DePaul, a team that will be much easier to play than the conference elite.  The Irish should be able to secure an early victory going into what will be a very tough stretch ahead.  

A lot of people are questioning the Irish home-court winning streak, which is now at 43 games.  No one thought two years ago that the Irish would still have their winning streak after Big East play, and they thought the same thing last year.  And guess what, they think the same thing this year.  This will certainly be a test for the team, but I think they can do it.

The biggest test of all for the Irish will be keeping up with the teams that hurt them in the past.  Notre Dame usually has trouble with the more physical and athletic teams in the conference, such as Georgetown and UConn.  The keys for these games will be to stay composed and to not try to play the fast-break running game that these teams like to play.  

 Today was the Big East opening night for two teams and the game was a dandy.  The #2 team in the land Connecticut took on the the #8 team Georgetown at their home court.  However, that did not stop the Hoyas from out playing and out working the Huskies to earn a huge win for the team.  Final Score: Georgetown- 74 Connecticut- 63

The Irish opener at DePaul will be on ESPN 2 at 8pm on New Years Eve.

Irish Blow By Savannah State, 81-49

Luke Harangody scored 23 points and had 13 rebounds to carry the team vs the un-ranked Savannah State.  This however, will be last game the Irish will just win easily.  Big East play opens up with DePaul on New Year's Eve.  The streak now stands at 43, but with the Big East coming up it's going to be real test to see if the team can keep the longest home-court winning streak in school history in tact.  

And congratulations to Kyle McAlarney for scoring 1,000 points in his career.  He broke the threshold with a 3 pointer last night.

Back in the Top 10

With a big win over Deleware State and a few upsets this week, the Irish have managed to get back in the top top 10.  The Irish come in at 8 in this weeks AP poll.  However I believe this week is the biggest difference in the ESPN and AP poll.  The Irish come in ahead of Texas, Georgetown, and UCLA in one poll but behind them in the ESPN/USA Today poll at 11.  And I have to admit I didn't think it was going to happen after the loss to un-ranked Ohio State, but it's all good.  

The squad will take on one more cream puff before the exciting games of the Big East get underway.  The Game is against Savannah State.  You can watch it online at UND.com.

Update

We were experiencing technical difficulties that last few days, but I am sure you know what has happened since.  The Irish defeated the Boston University Terriers in a game that was 20 points closer than it should of been.  Harangody once again carried the team and stayed composed late to ensure a Irish victory.  

The Homecourt winning streak now stands at 41, still the second longest current streak.  

The next game should be easy for the Irish, however if you look at the BU game maybe not.  The Irish will face Deleware State on the 20th.

Irish upset by Ohio State

Harangody carried the team even with his sickness, yet it was not enough to stop Ohio State from winning.  Kyle McAlarney was shut down offensively, he didn't make one 3 pointer.  He finished with 6 points in a very frustrating game for him. 

Today's game showed a major flaw in the Irish.  If your a decent team, all you have to do is shut down either K-Mac or Gody.  If you can stop one of them, you will have a reasonable chance to win the game.  They are no other consistant scorers on the team.  Ayers sometimes will have a 6 point game and then a 20 point game.  The same thing goes with Hillesland and Jackson.  Zeller and Peoples hardly ever score more than 10 points a game.  Someone needs to step up when one of the scorers are being shut down and it didn't happen today.

The Irish had a chance to tie the game with 12 seconds to go and down by 3 points.  Ohio State called time out and gave the Irish a chance to come up with something.  However, the Irish used the "classic Chris Quinn play" to try to tie the game.  If you remember, 3 seasons ago when Chris Quinn was the point guard, the Irish would always be in a close game (and always lose) and it usually came down to the final play.  Quinn would end up taking a deep 30 foot 3 pointer and it would bounce off the rim to end the game.  That's exactly what Kyle McAlarney did today.  He hoisted up shot just like Quinn would and it missed, causing the Buckeyes to win.  I don't know if that was Mac's or Brey's call, but you would think with the timeout, a better play would be drawn up.  

This was the last tough game for the Irish until the Big East starts up, so unless something crazy happens, the Irish should look to go in to Big East play with 2 loses.

Irish down South Dakota, 102-76

South Dakota must have not thought Notre Dame could shoot the 3 ball.  They came out in an ordinary 2-3 zone, and then were absolutely lit up.  The Irish hit a new school record with 19 three point shots made.  The game also moved the Irish home court win streak to 40, also a new school record.  The previous all-time record was 38 before the Irish defeated Furman on Sunday to finally pass the long standing streak.  

Ryan Ayers had the best game of his life, simply put.  Before this game Ayers career high was 19 points.  However, Ryan exploded out with 35 points.  He hit nine 3s, the most ever for him in one game.  With Harangody out everyone else needs to step it up, and Ayers certainly did a little more than that.

McAlarney had a great game, scoring 27 points with seven 3s.  With Gody out, the Irish can definitely be defined as a 3 point shooting team.  McAlarney was just shy of having yet another 30 point game this year.

UPDATE ON GODY: Day to Day, could possibly be ready to take on Ohio State this weekend.