The Big East Tournament gets underway Tuesday, and this year the Big East Tournament (BET) matches the construction of the conference -- oversized, a bit confusing and very clearly divided.
The Big East at this point has seven teams that are definitely going to the NCAA tournament and one team that lies way out on the fringe of the bubble. This year, the BET is all about teams trying to improve or maintain their projected seeding for the Big Dance.
Notwithstanding the protests of Digger Phelps, the Irish's loss at UConn finishes their chances at going to the NCAA Tournament without a miracle run in the Big East Tournament. Forget the non-conference strength of schedule, which ranks at 257th. Forget an overall RPI of 72. Ignore the 3-10 record against the RPI top-50.
The reason that the Irish are done is that they finished 2-7 in the Big East in road games. Simply put, they could not win a single quality road game in conference. When you can't do that, regardless of how tough the conference schedule is, you are not an NCAA Tournament team.
Nothing like having two defensively challenged teams facing each other to provide entertaining -- if one-dimensional -- basketball. Notre Dame and Providence offered just that as the Fighting Irish got only their second Big East road win, 103-84.
Both teams were looking for a big win to get them into the bubble argument. Providence may be over .500 in the Big East, but they have just three wins against teams in the top half of the conference. Notre Dame lost a lot in a brutal Big East stretch. They especially show incompetence on the road, so they need anything away from South Bend to help their case.
Since Louisville joined the Big East, the Cardinals have never been blown out as badly as happened tonight. The Irish started their seven-game losing streak with an overtime loss in Louisville. It ended with Notre Dame seemingly taking out a month of frustration in one game.
Notre Dame hacked Louisville into little pieces for a 90-57 win.
During the Notre Dame losing streak, there simply was not enough offense after Luke Harangody. Teams were concentrating on taking away Kyle McAlarney and making a reasonable gamble that no other Irish player could score. This time, both Ryan Ayers and Tory Jackson found their shot.
Many college hoops fans in Southern California woke up delighted today to find that UCLA destroyed Notre Dame in the wee hours of the morning (or mourning for Notre Dame fans). I'm not sure what CBS was trying to do, scheduling a West Coast game for 10 a.m. Was the network trying to get us ready for those early-morning starts of March Madness?
Not that it did any harm to the Bruins. If you were afraid UCLA was going to sleepwalk through this game, those fears were unfounded. Maybe that was CBS' motivation. They wanted to spare viewers the horror of what was the college hoops equivalent of a WWF squash match. This was like Hulk Hogan vs. Barry O. -- only not as entertaining.
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.
Pitt experimented with going against the conventional wisdom in the first half and was lucky not to be down more than only six points. They tried doubling on Luke Harangody, which left a Notre Dame shooter continually open on the perimeter. Pitt paid for that, dearly as the Irish shot 11-for-22 on threes in the first half.
In the second-half, Pitt adjusted to the same defense everyone else has successfully been using with the Irish. Suddenly Notre Dame had no open looks on the perimeter and the Irish went down for their fifth straight loss, 93-80.
Headlining: It's obvious, right? Duke tops both polls for the first time since the end of the 2005-06 regular season and we're all depressed ecstatic! I want to say that it's hard to like this Blue Devil team, but when is it easy to like Duke? (Answer: When you're a Duke fan. Or when the Blue Devils are playing Carolina.) That being said, the 2008-09 incarnation isn't nearly as hate-able as previous teams.
After 45 straight wins at home, it seems there is some correction taking place. The Fighting Irish dropped their second straight home game, this time 71-64 to Marquette. More problematically, it was their fourth straight loss overall.
The opponent may be different, but the same game plan applies. Play Luke Harangody straight up. He's going to score and rebound, so to some extent you concede his double-double. Then don't lose Kyle McAlarney -- ever. Stay tight on him, don't let him get a screen. Just keep him from getting clean looks on a jump shot. Either McAlarney will defer or he will be putting up a lot of contested shots. After that, you dare anyone else for Notre Dame to beat you.
For the better part of three seasons, Notre Dame's ability to handle business at home was less a statistical trend and more a law of physics.
The Irish would rack up a score higher than a Saturday golfer at Augusta, mix in a pinch of defense and march on to the next game.
Expecting otherwise would be like biting into a popsicle only to scald your tongue. It simply didn't make sense. Forty-five times in a row it worked to perfection.
NCAA Basketball notre dame Fighting Irish 
The Big East Tournament gets underway Tuesday, and this year the Big East Tournament (BET) matches the construction of the conference -- oversized, a bit confusing and very clearly divided. 
Notwithstanding the protests of Digger Phelps, the Irish's loss at UConn finishes their chances at going to the NCAA Tournament without a miracle run in the Big East Tournament. Forget the non-conference strength of schedule, which ranks at 257th. Forget an overall RPI of 72. Ignore the 3-10 record against the RPI top-50.
Nothing like having two defensively challenged teams facing each other to provide entertaining -- if one-dimensional -- basketball. Notre Dame and Providence offered just that as the Fighting Irish got only their second Big East road win, 103-84.
Since Louisville joined the Big East, the Cardinals have never been blown out as badly as happened tonight. The Irish started their seven-game losing streak with an overtime loss in Louisville. It ended with Notre Dame seemingly taking out a month of frustration in one game. 
Many college hoops fans in Southern California woke up delighted today to find that UCLA destroyed Notre Dame in the wee hours of the morning (or mourning for Notre Dame fans). I'm not sure what CBS was trying to do, scheduling a West Coast game for 10 a.m. Was the network trying to get us ready for those early-morning starts of March Madness? 
Pitt experimented with going against the conventional wisdom in the first half and was lucky not to be down more than only six points. They tried doubling on Luke Harangody, which left a Notre Dame shooter continually open on the perimeter. Pitt paid for that, dearly as the Irish shot 11-for-22 on threes in the first half.
Ranking the rankings criticizes the critics as soon as the polls come out.
After 45 straight wins at home, it seems there is some correction taking place. The Fighting Irish dropped their second straight home game, this time 71-64 to Marquette. More problematically, it was their fourth straight loss overall. 
