Welcome back to the Basketball Blog! Later this week we’ll examine the state of Notre Dame Basketball one-sixth of the way through the Big East season, but today’s column is all about the day order was restored to the universe. No matter how (choose your own adjective time) miserable/apathetic/soft/disinterested/uninterested/mentally weak the Irish team looks on a given early January Saturday; simply put them back on their home court on a Monday night and they’ll invariably morph into the ’86 Celtics.

 

Todd Burlage’s BGI game recap can be found here. Now, onto the post-game player-by-player breakdown for the nation’s best home team:

 

The Other Luke – The main Luke, the All American Luke, is so consistently productive, and such a focal point, that we’re at the point insinuating any Irish player other than Harangody was a game’s MVP is an insult to fans’ intelligence. So let’s create a separate award for the Irish player that goes above and beyond his normal contributions. For now we’ll call it the Coach’s Award (I’ll accept all suggestions for an official name going forward, but I’m leaning toward anything with my name in the title…).

Against DePaul, that player was Zach Hillesland. Against St. John’s? My friend Rocco was at the game with his son Joey…so let’s give them the award, since no one else in the arena could pretend to deserve it. And against Georgetown last night, that player was the much-maligned Luke Zeller. Here’s a brief rundown of my (barely readable) game notes when Zeller checked in at the 13:00 mark of the first half:

“Zeller shys away from rebound leads to Sims tip-dunk; Zeller huge 3, needs to keep firing; Zeller simply standing between Monroe and basket might work; Zeller juggles in a lay-up, great pass from ZH; Zeller contests shot; Zeller working on glass; Zeller misses from deep, needs to keep shooting. Halftime breakdown: Zeller – absolutely huge minutes off the bench.”

Luke Zeller played his most important game in an Irish uniform last night (I don’t care what his career-high is vs. Eastern-Western State on a given December evening) and that effort came on a night in which he missed five of the seven shots he attempted. Without Zeller’s (brace yourself) size, scrappiness, and desire, Notre Dame would have lost by double digits (considering Harangody’s foul trouble) and Georgetown C Greg Monroe’s salivation level every time he saw the much smaller Zach Hillesland checking him.

 

Now it’s up to the Other Luke do this again.

 

Harangody – Good Lord the man can play college basketball, can’t he? I wrote in the pre-season that I’ve never seen a better scorer in a Notre Dame uniform, especially around the basket (Note: I was 3 years old when Adrian Dantley was doing his thing. Note No. 2: That also means I wasn’t born when Austin Carr graduated), and I have a feeling more people will side with me by season’s end.

Harangody is an offensive machine, and he put future No. 1 NBA draft pick, freshman C Greg Monroe, in the Schereville torture chamber, aka “Low Post School” Monday Nnight. Flip shots, running hooks, mid-range jumpers, reverse layups, step-back fade-away jumpers…you name it, he hits it. If he’d stop complaining to the refs every time a call goes against him he’d be the ideal college basketball player (his incredulousness finally cost the Irish a basket in the second half, I might add). And last night, he played in foul trouble from the outset (in Luke’s defense, at least one of those calls, if not two, was completely false). He finished with 31 points and 11 boards, and he probably would have touched the big 4-0 if not for the foul trouble. He’s also the happiest man in the Big East now that his former Hoya nemesis, Roy Hibbert, has graduated.

Note No. 3: I think I’d give back about five of my own credit hours to get Greg Monroe in an Irish uniform for the next year and a half…

 

Tory Jackson – He remains the pulse of the team. If Jackson is off his game (nothing to do with shooting percentages), the Irish can’t/won’t beat 13 of the 15 other teams in this Conference. Last night he attacked sophomore Chris Wright from the outset (and Wright is a heck of an athlete and equally strong), penetrating the lane; kicking out to Ayers for a corner 3; and waking up (what became a great) crowd around the 10:00 mark with a gorgeous move to get to the hoop for a 19-17 Irish lead. He closed out the first half with a drive and dish to Harangody for an old fashioned three-point play; another drive and kick to Harangody in the corner; and a spinning drive and miss that drew the defense, enabling Harangody to get free for rebound and ensuing foul shots.

 

Jackson also drilled his only two pressure free throws in the final minute to extend the Irish lead to seven, 69-62. He might be the seventh or eighth best free throw shooter on the squad in practice, but he’s at least my third choice to toe the line with the game hanging in the balance. Jackson was credited with 7 assists, but I’d have believed anything from 10-13 if told otherwise; he scrapped his way to 5 rebounds, but I’d have believed any number up to 10 – that’s how much control he had early in the contest. I was told after the game that ESPN announcer Jay Bilas referred to him as the best point guard in the Big East. That’s lofty praise, but I’m certain he’s at least the most important.

 

Zach Hillesland – Had it rough in the early going as he was miscast in a matchup vs. the aforementioned Monroe. I realize this was to keep Harangody out of foul trouble (didn’t work), but come on, seriously? The one way to engage a opposing center is to put your 6’9” slight forward on him from the outset. Monroe predictably dominated the offensive glass in the first 5-6 minutes before Zeller’s height deterred him from imposing his will (we’ll never know if he could have dominated Zeller, as Monroe immediately moved a bit farther from the basket).

 

But Hillesland played his game offensively, finding Zeller for a layup: Harangody for a foul and free throws underneath, and his usual array of tipped rebounds and hockey assists (pass that leads to the assist). And he was the Player of the Possession that helped keep the Hoyas at bay in the second half, flying for a gorgeous left-handed tip-in (after missing a text book put back on the previous possession) extending the Irish lead to nine near the 8:00 mark.

 

You probably won’t see Hillesland play as well as he did in the DePaul contest again this season, but it’s unlikely the senior will suffer through another epic dud as he did in Madison Square Garden, either. He’s asked to be the team’s second man on the glass when he’s better suited to be the third; and he’s asked to guard seasoned power forwards when he’s much better off vs. swingmen with like body types. And he’ll likely get worn down as the season progresses in an unforgiving Conference, but he’ll keep battling, and you should see eight more solid ZH efforts at the Joyce Center at the very least.

 

Ryan Ayers – Hit a three from the corner in the first half, but was otherwise overmatched on the glass and far too tentative offensively. Also, Ayers perimeter defense has taken a noticeably hit this season, but this is a Happy Day column, so let’s get to a key sequence early in the second half:

With the Irish lead cut to five, Ayers, in a span of four minutes, drilled a 3 from the left wing; answered a Georgetown dunk with another triple from the wing (I believe from McAlarney); and perhaps most importantly, answered a Hoya’s three-pointer by DRIBBLING twice to his left and hitting a pull-up jumper from the right elbow. Ayers mitigated the damage of a Georgetown dunk, easy jumper, free throw, and a triple with eight points of his own, the only Irish points over the four-minute span, allowing the Irish to maintain a five point cushion.
Note No. 4: Its okay to miss, Ryan, please hunt your shot.

 

Kyle McAlarney – What kind of world do we live in when KMac misses the only Irish free throw in a 15-16 effort? McAlarney was hounded from the jump, but he managed to drill five of his 11 three-point attempts, including consecutive rally-killing triples to extend the Irish lead from 7 to 13 with just under seven minutes to play. He added five defensive rebounds and a crucial (shocking?) semi-blocked shot vs. a 2-2 break that turned back a Hoyas effort that would have cut the margin back to seven with just under five minutes to play.

 

My favorite moment of the game was McAlarney sizing up his defender, senior Jessie Sapp, from about 25-feet out off the dribble, and drilling a 3 in his grill to give the Irish a 24-23 lead. But since I envision the Thursday Blog will turn partly into a missive on McAlarney, I’m going to stop here with one final thought to tide you over: If Steve Alford and Kyle McAlarney played a game of Around the World from 22-feet out, who’d win?

 

The Home Crowd – The students were still on break, but for the second straight year, the extremely loyal, loud, and undefeated Leprechaun Legion class of 2010 will have a fight on its hands to top one of the loudest JACC crowds in recent memory. Last season, the loudest (by far) crowd of the season packed the Joyce Center during Christmas Break for the Irish upset over UCONN; and last night, a late-arriving sellout was whipped into a frenzy midway through the first half and stayed behind the home team to the end.

 

The difference between the wildly vociferous and organized student body and the big-game walk-ups that purchased tickets last night is in the level of the roar after a big Irish bucket. I’m sure a lot of this has to do with the opponent (let’s just say the crowd wasn’t the same for the equally close contest vs. Boston University in December), but there was a guttural roar reverberating through the stands from last night’s crowd. Maybe they should move all football games vs. anyone but USC and Michigan inside the Joyce Center, too?

 

Jonathan Peoples – Peoples played a solid first half in Saturday’s loss at the Garden but was barely seen again in the maddening second-half debacle. He came in with a brief energy on the boards last night vs. the Hoyas, but ceded all meaningful minutes to Zeller and the Irish ironmen in the backcourt, Mac and Jackson. In this particular instance, I completely agree with the staff’s substitution pattern. Peoples will be necessary in the coming weeks, but he wouldn’t have helped last night.

 

Tyrone Nash – Barely any court time which is fine as the Irish and Zeller scrapped all night, though I thought Nash had earned (Zellers) minutes after their respective performances in Manhattan on Saturday. Credit Coach Brey for believing in Zeller in the game they needed him most.

 

Five Random Thoughts:

• Georgetown backup point guard Jason Clark will turn into a defensive force vs. opposing ball handlers by season’s end
• Last night was the best defensive effort by the Irish vs. the high pick-and-roll I’ve seen in at least two seasons
• They might be streaky on the road and at neutral sites, but the Irish now have a 44-game home court winning streak, the longest in the nation, and a 19-game Big East streak at home, just one short of the all-time conference record (Pittsburgh)
• Georgetown was the final remaining Big East opponent to be vanquished during the 44-game run (timely courtside tidbit courtesy of Jeff Goodman from Foxsports.com)
• ‘Gody

 

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome back to the Basketball Blog, Big East style! The Irish earned a solid B+ in non-conference play, earning one of the best wins of the young season vs. Texas; suffering a loss to the best basketball team in the Carolina’s (including the Bobcats) in Maui; and taking one on the chin vs. surprising Ohio State. Additionally, the tomato cans were summarily dismissed with one challenge (BU came to play…and to shoot), and Conference play has begun across the country.

 

Notre Dame’s New Year’s Eve opponent: former Independent powerhouse and current Big East Rival the DePaul Blue Demons. Unfortunately for DePaul, Mark Aguirre did not walk through the arena’s doors.

 

Quick Recap: (Todd Burlage’s BGI game story and box score can be found here): The Irish jumped out to a 47-34 halftime lead, with Harangody, Hillesland, and McAlarney accounting for 33 total points in the first stanza. The Blue Demons were without freshman shot-blocker Devin Hill (ankle) and as a result, Harangody, Hillesland, and the rest of the Irish were able to finish unfettered at the rim for most of the evening.  DePaul made the requisite Big East home team runs, cutting the Irish lead to seven points on two occasions, but the contest was generally a comfortable 10-12 point margin for most of the night.

 

Without further adieu, here’s your first player-by-player breakdown of the New Year:

 

Fran Fraschilla and Jon Sciambi – Yet another (along with Bilas/Raftery/McDonough) enjoyable ESPN basketball announcing team. Frashchilla was able to fall back on his coaching and recruiting experience to blend relevant stories of past DePaul, ND, and Big East stars. Comparisons are often forced during these broadcasts but Fraschilla’s were apt and didn’t get in the way of the broadcast. Sciambi has a great voice and is enjoyably understated (insert obvious ESPN joke here).

 

Dar Tucker (DePaul) – Dar Tucker’s a scorer. Not a shooter, not an overwhelming athlete, but a scorer. And he’d be my first pick if the game had been played outside on a hoop with no net. (Harangody would be my second choice; Tory Jackson third; and Jordan Cornette would be 25^th…). Unfortunately for the Blue Demons this season, Tucker is also fully capable of keeping both teams in the game.

 

Mac Koshwal (DePaul) – Koshwal’s a force from inside five feet, and he’d be the ideal addition to this Notre Dame team. He also has the annoying habit of screaming after inside baskets (a la Moses Scurry, circa 1990). Of course, in Scurry’s case, his team was usually up 15 points, not trailing by such a margin. 

 

K-Mac – Began the Big East season hunting for his shot, and DePaul’s guards had neither the height nor defensive discipline to crowd him. McAlarney made them pay with three early shots from behind the arc, opening up the lane for Hillesland and Harangody to go to work. K-Mac never got into a shooting flow in the second half, but he did fire two pretty passes for scores – one to Hillesland alone underneath and another of the cross-court variety to a cutting Ayers for an easy hoop. There’s not much else to report other than a nice floor game, one Sunday drive down the unguarded DePaul lane, and a couple of free throws when DePaul was forced to foul one of the best shooters on Planet Earth.

 

Reigning Big East Player of the Year – As Fraschilla pointed out during the broadcast, Harangody is a nearly automatic double-double (Luke, Tyler Hansbrough, and lottery pick Michael Beasley were the only major college players to average a double-double last season). Harangody is one of the best traffic rebounders in the college game (along with Hansbrough and Pitt’s DeJuan Blair) and he fought another solid rebounder (Koshwal) for every errant shot en route to 16 boards. His 26 points were attained in the usual varied manner: spinning layups, put backs, two step back jumpers, a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe, two handed jams, and a left-hander through the lane in which the defense simply gave up when faced with taking on his massive frame. I felt that Zach Hillesland was the player of the game for the Irish – yet another indication that we take Harangody’s production for granted (how many guys go for 26 and 16 and aren’t the automatic game MVP?).

 

Zach Hillesland – Hillesland finished at the rim tonight, and if you’re a close follower of the Irish you A.) just took a second look at the previous comment, and B.) know that a recurrence of this development would be a godsend for the 2009 Irish. For two seasons, ZH has shown an ability to get to the rim, but more often than not those forays have resulted in errant, tipped, or wild shots (and charging calls). Wednesday night vs. the Blue Demons, Hillesland dominated his defender(s) with a variety of driving finishes at the rim. He found Harangody for an easy dunk; he pushed the tempo, hit a reverse; a tip-in; received easy passes for layups; hit a (first ever) one-handed bank shot off of a beautiful spin move and looked like a confident scorer, not just facilitator. And to ensure Irish fans it wasn’t a total dream, Hillesland missed four of his five free throw attempts (no need to pinch your self after all).

 

Hillesland finished 8-11 from the field and didn’t commit a turnover. If he can play anywhere near this level vs. top tier Big East teams, or in most road games, the Irish will be one of this brutal league’s top two teams.

 

Tory Jackson – In the game preview, I mentioned Jackson should have his way with the DePaul backcourt, as each potential defender had a fatal flaw in the matchup with the physical, seasoned Irish leader. Jackson didn’t disappoint, finishing with 12 points, 6 boards, 7 assists, and just 1 turnover. He struggled a bit from the field (4-12), but hit 4-6 from the line (4-5 when it mattered); and controlled the contest, continually finding the open man, accounting for extra possessions, and creating what I like to call “junk” in the lane. Jackson will never be a college shooter, but he’ll always find a way to score vs. Conference foes. For more on Jackson, check out tomorrow’s player previews.

 

Ryan Ayers – Which review would you like, his shrinking violet first half or game-sealing, shooting assassin approach to the second stanza? Ayers might have been taken a bit out of his game in the early going, as he drew the hot-shooting Dar Tucker defensively and then threw a careless backcourt pass that led to an extra Blue Demons possession. He finally got untracked with a corner three from Jackson around the one-minute mark of the first half.

 

But the light came on for Ayers, who, as much as any Irish player, was responsible for killing every mini-rally DePaul could muster. Ayers hit a trey to extend the Irish lead to 11 with 10 minutes remaining; another killer three-pointer in the corner (from Harangody) to extend the lead from 10 to 13; and yet again at the 7-minute mark to give the Irish a 12-point advantage.  When DePaul challenged, Ayers answered. There’s no reason Ayers can’t get 6-7 good looks from behind the arc per contest.

 

Jonathan Peoples – Ten minutes, five points, three boards, a steal, two turnovers, a missed open 3 (but he got his own rebound) and one nice finish and foul in the second half. I think Peoples needs more time on the floor for two reasons: 1.) Jackson and McAlarney need to remain fresh for 17 more Conference battles, and 2.) He needs to play in rhythm, as he’s anything but a spot-up shooter. The only way to play with rhythm is through more time on the court. Of course, he has to earn those minutes by knocking down wide open shots, something he did as a freshman and sophomore, but has yet to do this season.

 

Luke Zeller – Ten minutes, a three-pointer, a tip-in on the break in the second half (after starting the break with a loose ball tipped by Hillesland), and other than another offensive board, very little impact. Zeller, I believe, also needs more time, as he’ll never hit a high percentage squeezing off just four shots per contest. More on Zeller in tomorrow’s Player Previews.

 

Tyrone Nash and Carleton Scott – Made an appearance with seconds remaining. Nash did not appear pleased.

 

Final Thoughts: Neither the Blue Demons nor the Irish played with enough defensive intensity to cause turnovers and, as a result, this was a cleanly played game that resembled a friendly contest between 10 (highly skilled) buddies looking to show off their offensive wares. That won’t be the case in future contests.

 

The Irish can score, and will score, vs. everyone in this Conference. They’ll have the usual 4-5 minute droughts, but so will Marquette, Pittsburgh, UCONN, Louisville, etc. And other than a few junk defenses, ND won’t put together too many defensive stops, so the only way they’ll improve over the next 17 games is to battle more on the glass and hit free throws at a 75% clip (Hillesland can get to 65% with better concentration/confidence).

 

Kudos: ESPN flashed a stat that deserves mention: Mike Brey is now 81-50 in Big East Conference games. His two predecessors were a combined 35-53

 

The Next Basketball Blog will follow Saturday’s contest vs. the St. John’s Red Storm at Madison Square Garden.

 

Tears in Heaven was the reigning song of the year; a stamp cost just 29 cents; and a show about “nothing” had just begun to capture the American viewers’ collective attention.  Oh, and BC had recently weakened a nation with a fluttering, once-in-a-lifetime kick that somehow split the north uprights of Notre Dame Stadium.

 

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