The Basketball Blog: Self-Inflicted Wounds

Welcome back to the Basketball Blog! No, last night wasn’t a major surprise if you’ve followed this ill-prepared basketball team over the last 15 weeks, but that doesn’t make it less frustrating.

 

Notre Dame was hammered by West Virginia from the jump last night. The Mountaineers played harder, worked harder, and were better prepared for their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses. They executed with cool efficiency and took (everything) Notre Dame’s poorly schooled zone defense allowed. West Virginia was an NCAA Tournament lock entering the contest but played as if they needed this single victory to qualify.

 

The Irish played as they had for the bulk of the season…so look at the bright side Irish fans: at least they didn’t let the bright lights of the Big Apple affect their style.

 

The Myth of Never Quitting

 I’m not a teacher or parent, so I have to pose this question to others: Of which student should you be most “proud”?

 

Student A, who from day one shows up to class prepared, studious, and ready to work hard to achieve an A or the highest grade he/she is capable of attaining…

 

Or

 

Student B, who consistently digs himself into a seemingly inescapable hole due to laziness and indifference, but finally applies himself after mid-semester and pulls himself out of a failing grade?

 

I ask this because I’ve already heard (from four people) that Notre Dame “didn’t quit” last night.

 

Yes, they did. They quit in the first half. They quit by not showing up prepared to play. They quit when they fell back into a 2-3 zone defense that’s proved to be not only ineffective but disastrous vs. any team with the patience and skill set to test it (more on this below). They quit when they failed to match the Mountaineers intensity level until it was too late. 

 

As a fan of the University and team you can be proud of Notre Dame’s second half effort. As a fan of basketball you should instead be proud of teams like West Virginia that show up to play basketball for 40 minutes.

 

Those Who Ignore the Past…

There must be a disconnect between Notre Dame’s advanced scouts and the coaching staff. That’s the only explanation I have. I write about Notre Dame Basketball. Part of that is providing scouting reports for BGI prior to games and as a result, I try to find as many game tapes of upcoming opponents as possible so I don’t look like (more of) an idiot in print. This work and approach isn’t the equivalent of splitting the atom, but here’s an excerpt from yesterday’s scouting column:

 

“While most matchups above dictate limiting penetration and allowing the outside shot (with the exception of Butler and Ruoff), it’s important to note that zoning the Mountaineers for an extended period would be a major mistake. West Virginia is an outstanding interior passing team with constant motion to their offense and their big men would not hesitate to cut up Notre Dame’s exceptionally soft zone interior. Instead of worrying about open 3-point looks and penetration vs. man-to man, the Notre Dame staff, players and fans would end up cursing the myriad of layups and easy put-backs that result from ND’s poor zone fundamentals and repeated watching of shots rather than boxing out.”

And remember, this is the second time the teams played this season. Does this mean attempting to take on the more athletic Mountaineers man-to-man would have yielded a different result? We’ll never know. But I can tell you that there’s more than two years of film evidence that shows Notre Dame’s repeated failures (vs. teams with any offensive punch) in what appears to be America’s most passive zone defense.

 

The Technical Heard ‘Round the Fan Base

You probably missed it (and I don’t blame you if you turned the channel early) but midway through the second half of last night’s debacle, Irish Head Coach Mike Brey received a technical foul for sticking up for his star Luke Harangody. He wanted it. He demanded it. He got it. He was right to do so, and it was appropriate. I realize this little point can be rebutted with several snarky remarks (in fact, retorts are so easy I could probably just write them for you) but Mike Brey will be back next year, and I for one would like to see more of that when necessary. And it was necessary last night.

 

Not Invited Tournament

I’m not part of the fan base/media that believes Notre Dame’s season should (mercifully) end. For all of their shortcomings, I do believe this senior-laden (or is it burdened?) team should extend their collegiate careers and embrace one more opportunity to play together and end their time with the program on a high note.

 

Notre Dame has never won the NIT. And until about the time Magic and Larry first squared off, the NIT was still viewed as the NCAA Tournament’s equal (and formerly its superior).

 

Some of the greatest players in Irish history came up just short of hanging a post-season banner in the Fieldhouse/ACC/JACC. Players such as Bob Whitmore and Bob Arnzen; Gary Novak and John Shumate; Tom Sluby and Ken Barlow; Laphonso Ellis and the “Texas Connection” (Elmer Bennett and Daimon Sweet), and Troy Murphy and David Graves all led Irish runs to the NIT Finals or Final Four. In an interview with BGI this season, Pat Garrity referred to his junior year, season-ending loss to Michigan as “the most memorable game” of his career due to the NBA talent that took the court and the competitive nature of the contest (the Irish lost 67-66 at the Joyce Center in the ’97 NIT quarterfinal).

 

And as an aside, my family has had season tickets for the better part of four decades, and Notre Dame’s 1992 NIT win over Manhattan in the quarterfinals at the Joyce Center is one I know my dad and I will never forget (if you were there, you’ll remember this game as Laphonso’s personal block party).

 

An NIT banner would likely be received with a yawn and the obvious "hey, we're #65! comment from 90 percent of the Irish fan base. And of the 10 percent of us that might care, most of us will still see the season as a disappointment.

 

But Notre Dame’s four-man senior class, three returning juniors, and developing sophomore(s) are still (somehow) afforded one more opportunity to make something of this season. These players and the coaching staff have a second chance to compete at the highest level most of them will ever reach, and they should embrace it.

 

I only wish they’d done so back in December.