It was thinning out over the last couple weeks as Notre Dame's losses piled up. It could be rationalized as the losses were all to teams in the Top 25. Things would improve after they got out of that grueling stretch. Not quite. The losing streak reached six in a row with a 93-83 loss to Cincinnati.Once more, the Irish failed to play any defense of any significance. Cincy came into the game averaging just over 63 points per game in Big East play. The Bearcats had no problem scoring tonight. They did it from the outside, they did it driving to the basket. They just scored with ease. The backcourt of Deonta Vaughn and Larry Davis combined for 55 points.
Stop me if you have heard this before. Cincinnati's defensive plan was play Luke Harangody straight-up. Let him get his double-double. Completely blanket Kyle McAlarney to prevent open looks from outside, and dare anyone else from Notre Dame to step up and score.
Sound familiar? That's because, that has been the approach taken by every team in the Big East. It has worked. Harangody had a good game, but McAlarney was stopped cold. He shot 2-for-12, and picked up a technical foul when he shoved Vaughn in frustration over not getting free on offense.
Notre Dame has fallen to 3-7 in the Big East and it seems a long time since they beat Texas in Maui. The Irish are just about done. They would have to go 6-2 to finish at .500 in the Big East. They still have games at UCLA, UConn, West Virginia and Providence and host Louisville and Villanova . It does not look good.
Cincy, on the other hand, has survived its own four-game losing streak in the conference and is looking a lot better. They are playing tough defense, and have found enough offense. They are not in the top half of the conference, but they are better than nearly everyone in the bottom half.
