The Basketball Blog - Two Down, Two to Go

 

"It's an old fashion hole-diggin'. By Gar, it's been a while."

– Jasper Beardley, The Simpsons

 

Welcome back to the Basketball Blog! Notre Dame broke ground on its now shaky NCAA Tournament foundation with an early January loss at St. John’s; continued digging when it forfeited its identity in back-to-back home losses later in the month, and started filling in their own grave in a double digit loss to a Cincinnati team it had to beat.

 

The subsequent trip out west (in body, if not spirit) appeared to fill in the hole and give the go-ahead for the dreaded “NIT” tombstone and an unfortunate end to the 2009 season.

 

But lengthy losing streaks apparently aren't what they used to be around this program. The Irish still have the strength of their Conference on which to lean; the pre-season perception that they ranked among the nation’s best (remember, Notre Dame was still ranked in an updated A.P. Poll after losing five consecutive contests); and a duo of players that continue to pique the interest of pollsters, pundits, and (we can hope) NCAA Selection Committee members chewing on cold leftovers and the merits of including someone like Luke Harangody and the offensively entertaining Irish in the made-for-TV Field of 64.

For some reason, the nation still looks at this basketball team through rose-colored glasses (imagine the national backlash if a pre-season top 10 Irish football team suffered through a similar season).

 

The Irish took the first step toward redemption with a shocking 33-point victory over Louisville…a team so highly regarded it dropped just two spots (to No. 7) in the ensuing Coach’s Poll. As an encore, a Notre Dame team that for three months lacked the pestle to go with its mortar finally grinded out an old school Big East snoozer vs. doormat but dangerous South Florida.

 

Two down, two to go.

 

This formerly touted group dug a January grave but will ultimately have its March fate decided by four games in February. Sure they played, prepared and planned for a full-season resume to be presented for the Committee’s consideration, but the 2009 Irish now have one realistic shot at Selection Sunday success: win the next two road games vs. quality but beatable opponents.

 

Could ND split this Wednesday/Saturday tilt at West Virginia/Providence and still find a way in? Stranger things have happened (such as a February 28 upset at UConn; that would turn the trick). Or they could make a three-game run into the Big East Tournament Semi-Finals to turn Committee members’ heads a final time.

 

But after watching this team play over the last four months and this program over the last decade, do you want to hang your fan hat on the Irish making a run at Madison Square in March?

 

No Irish fans, the time is now. The Irish will likely lose at UConn. They’ll either handle Rutgers and St. John’s at home or have no case worth presenting. They have a Big Monday Joyce Center tussle with a better team, the Villanova Wildcats. A loss there wouldn’t bury them. A win would put them in.

 

The plan presented above won’t be viable unless the Irish can go into Morgantown and beat the Mountaineers, a team that is not only more talented, but also more dedicated to defense, rebounding, and playing hard than are the Irish. But a team Notre Dame has handled in TWELVE of the last THIRTEEN meetings (I still can’t believe no one talks about this). ND then needs to go to Rhode Island and take care of a veteran Providence team (if for no other reason than as a courtesy to me as I’ll be in attendance for this seemingly ill-advised trip east).

 

Two wins brought the Irish back to respectability and to within two games of the .500 mark in Big East play. Two more wins will put them back on the NCAA bubble and in prime position to make a move to the top half of the nation’s best league.

 

Two down, two to go.

 

Tired Legs – The Case for Nash

I’ve come to grips with the fact that the staff doesn’t trust Carleton Scott enough to play a meaningful Big East minute, but it appears they do have an increasing amount of faith in fellow sophomore Tyrone Nash…just not enough.

 

Rather than (re)state the need for more Nash and the many reasons for extending the (ridiculously) underperforming bench, I’ll just review the facts and then the film:

 

The official numbers for Nash vs. South Florida:

 

10 minutes played; 8 points; 3 rebounds (1 offensive for a score); 1 steal

3-3 from the field (two on cuts and beautiful passes from Hillesland)

2-2 from the free throw line (don’t expect that to continue, however)

 

But a film review shows what Nash can bring to a quality basketball team that, for some reason, consistently lacks a spark. In just 10 minutes, here’s what Nash provided for the Irish:

 

28 total possessions (both sides of the court)

3 Fouls, including a quality bump of an open cutter; a lazy hold of a cutter; and a needless reach-in foul 90-feet from the basket

Plus/Minus: 18-11 – Notre Dame outscored South Florida 18-11 when Nash was in the game (49-46 when he was on the bench).

Turnovers by South Florida created by Nash: 3

Tipped balls: 4
Contested Shots: 7 (a successful banked three-point shot included)

Fouls Drawn by Nash vs. South Florida players: 3

South Florida Cutters Challenged: 12 (not including two fouls). That’s the number of opponents Nash helped defend (not his man) in 10 minutes.

 

That summary defines “Playing Hard.”

 

Now he just needs to play more, otherwise his ill-advised fouls (a sign of inexperience) will continue and probably hurt the Irish at an inopportune time in March.

 

Luke Harangody looked and played with tired legs Sunday. Kyle McAlarney rarely leaves a game. Ryan Ayers and Zach Hillesland go from essential contributors to major liabilities when they can’t play at full throttle. And Tory Jackson is a much better player in (several) spurts than over a 40-minute span.

 

Nash can fill in for all of them for a minute or two, as the Irish have versatility with two players to run the point (Mac and Jackson); two that can extend the defense (Mac and Ayers, and also Zeller); and three that can help beat a press (Mac, Jackson, and Hillesland).

 

There are plenty of hidden minutes to be had in this rotation. Instead of looking to “steal wins” with this group maybe the staff should look to steal a few quality minutes instead.

 

Senior Moments

 

Ryan Ayers and Zach Hillesland have taken their lumps this season, both on the court and in print, but they were the key to Notre Dame’s win Sunday vs. South Florida.

 

Ayers (mainly) and Hillesland (at times) hounded Bulls all-everything performer Dominique Jones into a 6-19 effort from the field (0-5 from beyond the arc) and three turnovers. Four of Jones’ six made baskets were simply good shots by a very good player. If there were an official “Other Than Harangody Player of the Week” award my vote would go to the much-maligned Ayers. He remains the team’s X-Factor on both ends of the floor.

 

I wanted Nash to come back into the game (the Bulls went on a 10-3 run to tie the score when he sat down with three fouls and more than 12 minutes remaining), but Coach Brey deserves credit this time for sticking with Ayers and Hillesland and the perimeter defense the two seniors provided. Both played hard in the final seven minutes (as did Tory Jackson) to ensure the Irish won a game they absolutely had to have.

 

Brey also deserves credit for finally scrapping the softest zone defense(s) known to man. It’s hard to re-establish an identity when you sit back in a zone and watch the ball either fall through the net or bounce back to a hustling opponent – credit the staff for recognizing this as the Irish have played very little zone over this two-game winning streak. And though they’ll occasionally have to mix in zone and junk defenses to compete over the next six weeks, man-to-man, even an overmatched man-to-man, has to be their defensive identity.

 

Coming Wednesday – A full scouting report for Notre Dame’s matchup in Morgantown.