Big Game vs. Providence Tonight!
You should know by now that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are set to play Providence, one of their Big East opponents, tonight at the Joyce Center. The Irish are playing some good ball right now. They’re fresh off a big-time road win over ‘Nova, a ranked team, so beating ‘Dence tonight at home should definitely happen. The Friars are 12-7 right now, so they’re no push-over. However, the Irish bring the nation’s longest home winning streak into the game, so you know that it’s going to take something special to beat them in South Bend.
In other news, Luke Harangody has been named a candidate in the 2008 Naismith Trophy Midseason Candidate List. The Naismith Trophy is similar to the Heisman in college football, because it is generally considered to be the most prestigious award handed out to a single player. The fact that he was mentioned is a huge honor, being that it basically means that the most distinguished college basketball minds consider him to be among the 30 best players in the nation. And he still has plenty of eligibility. Congratulations Big Luke, and good luck in the game tonight!
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“Checking” in With Notre Dame Hockey
Have you been to see a Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey game this year? If not, then you must go now! There are only a handful of games left for which to get tickets, so you’d better hurry. With all of the hustle and bustle of the men’s and women’s basketball seasons, there are some other sports at Notre Dame that are no less exciting, but often get pushed to the periphery. Let’s not let that happen with Notre Dame ice hokey. Get out there and see a game!
Currently the Irish men’s hockey team is nearing the tail end of their season. If you want the advise of the Notre Dame Blog, you should get tickets to see the Notre Dame-Ohio State games, because those are always full of intensity and rivalry-rich action. Currently the Irish are 17-5-5, fourth place in the CCHA, meaning that they have a good chance of getting to the NCAA Hockey Tournament, and maybe even the Frozen Four! Their final home game is against Western Michigan, a team at the bottom of the conference, so it should produce a big-time Irish win before postseason play.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish hockey tickets, go to StubHub.com.
Strategy and Personnell Report for Notre Dame
If you are a regular on all of the big sports media sites, then you’ve no doubt visited the CBSsportsline.com Notre Dame basketball page. The guys at CBS have a pretty good way of organizing some quick-hit info about the team that’s almost as timely and accurate as reading the Chicago Sun-Times or another local newspaper. In fact, they get their info from the Sports Exchange, so they deserve some credit.
Anyways, if you check out the feature called Strategy and Personnel, you’ll get an inside look at some of the goings-on with the players on the Irish team. Notre Dame has been lucky that the injury bug hasn’t been biting many players (knock on wood), so pretty much everybody is expected to be available for ND’s next game, a home matchup with Big East competitor Providence. Although Coach Mike Brey was mulling over changing up the lineup for the Villanova game, you’ll probably witness the same starters begin the game that have been all season long. As you know, the Irish will take a huge winning streak into the Joyce Center on Thursday, so the crowd will be pumped for the game.
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Notre Dame Beats Villanova
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have shaken off their road jinx, and have just achieved one of their biggest wins of the season. The Irish beat No. 18-ranked Villanova 90-80 in hostile territory this past Saturday. Notre Dame is now 14-4 overall, and 4-2 in the Big East. While the Irish struggled and got blown out in consecutive weekend road games against Marquette and Georgetown, this time the Irish were on fire against a ranked Big East team on the road. They separated from the Wildcats in the middle of the first half, and then never relinquished the lead.
What a great way to rebound after a slump versus some good teams. The win got the attention of the rankings systems, as Notre Dame made it back into the “Others Receiving Votes” category, tied for fifth place next in line for an AP Poll number. If the Irish can do well against Providence and DePaul in their two upcoming games, then don’t be surprised if the Irish get a ranking. The Notre Dame Blog game ball goes to Kyle McAlarney, who lead all Irish scorers with 30 points in the game. Go Irish!
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Know Your Enemy: Looking at Villanova
As you know, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball team is set to play the Villanova Wildcats tomorrow night on the road. This game is huge- there’s no denying it. The Irish are looking for a significant win over a good team, a season-defining battle that proves they belong among the elite. They were handed big losses by both Georgetown and Marquette, both ranked teams. But if they can get a win here tomorrow, versus the No. 18 team in the nation, then they would be doing quite well.
Scottie Reynolds is the main man at Nova. His numbers so far indicate that he’s on the floor all but about five minutes of each game. He averages just over 17 points per game and 4.1 assists, both highs on his team. The job of stopping him will go probably to Kyle McAlarney, so let’s all try to send him some good vibes. As you can probably tell, keeping Reynolds from burning you isn’t exactly as easy as putting on spray-on sunscreen. Have you seen this new spray on sun screen lately? To me it’s missing the whole point of it. Where’s the sex appeal? But anyways, go Notre Dame!
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Irish in Focus: Rob Kurz
If you’ve been to your fair share of Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball games, you’re probably aware of Rob Kurz, a starting forward who might not get as much attention as Kyle McAlarney or Big Luke, but is nonetheless a huge part of the team’s success this season. Rob Kurz (who the Notre Dame Blog will nickname “Kerzerk!”) has been getting his stats all over the box scores this season. He currently has the third highest scoring average, the third highest assists average and the second highest rebounding average on the team.
What might not show up on the stats sheet, however, is the contribution that Kurtz makes on defense and as a team leader. “Kurzerk!” is actually the only returning senior on the roster this year, so the young guns look to him when situations get tough. He’s got experience in plenty of pressure-packed situations, having played college ball in the Big East for the better part of four years. His player bio at UND.com says that he’s a great player to have in the locker room as well, based on his work ethic and hustle. Make sure to see Kurz out there on the court in his last season with the team.
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Irish in Focus: Kyle McAlarney
Since the Irish don’t play Villanova until next week, we should take some time to review some of the key players that are going to become very important to the Irish’s success in the stretch run. Yesterday we discussed Big Luke, and today’s topic will be Kyle McAlarney. For a nickname I think the Notre Dame Blog will give this guy “K-McA.” How does that sound? It’s a working draft, so maybe we’ll think of something better. You would think that there would be something better considering the fact that he plays for the Irish and he has a last name with a “Mc” in it. Plus there was the whole drug-related suspension last season. We welcome your suggestions.
K-McA is doing very well at scoring points from the perimeter, averaging 14.6 per game. He’s a good outside shooter averaging about 45% from beyond the three point line and over 77% from the charity stripe. His assist to turnover ratio is 58/34, or roughly 1.7 assists to every turnover, so he holds onto the ball decently well. Basically K-McA is your awesome all-around scoring guard, a player who would shine in the tournament if the Irish make it there this year. Take a look at how our guy lines up against Villanova’s best backcourt player.
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Irish in Focus: Big Luke
Today’s blog is going to be about a player that all Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball fans should know very well, “Big” Luke Harangody. Basically the anchor of the team so far, Luke has been a team leader in points and rebounds throughout the season. Most people are under the assumption that the offense runs through him, that when the Irish get the ball, they always make sure that Big Luke gets a chance to make something happen. While he is a big body at 6-8, 250, he’s not white Shaq. He moves around the basket with ease, can pass and sometimes take defenders off the dribble on the wings.
Currently, Luke Harangody is leading the Big East in points per game and is second in rebounds per game- quite and accomplishment considering the big-time big men that the Big East boasts. One area where Luke could afford to be better, though, is his blocking. Right now he’s averaging about 0.8 blocks per game, well below some of his other Bog East center and forward competitors. Why is this? It might be because of Luke’s build, which keeps him closer to the ground, or it might just be his style of play or the fact that sometimes he’s caught defending players further from the rim. The blocks stat is a nit-picky complaint for a supreme player, though.
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Notre Dame Falls to Georgetown
Georgetown beat Norte Dame on Saturday, much to the disappointment of Domer fans everywhere. The Irish came into the game, played at Georgetown University, hoping to get a solid win over a ranked opponent. At the time, the Hoyas were ranked No. 6 in the nation in the AP Poll. However, the Irish got a severe beating at the hands of the team that’s ranked No. 9 in the country in the latest version of the AP Poll.
The story of the game was 7-2 Georgetown center Roy Hibbert, who got accolades for his 21 points, five assists and all-around good defense played against the Irish and their star big man, Luke Harangody. Big Luke finished the game with 13 points, 8 rebounds and as taste of what NBA centers are going to be playing against at this time next year. All in all for the Irish it was a frustrating game, as they got separated from the Hoyas in the middle of the first half and never were able to close the gap. The Irish will not play until this Saturday, when they are set to play Villanova on the road.
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Georgetown Awaits Notre Dame, Plus Soccer News!
It’s Friday, one day to go before the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have to play the Georgetown Hoyas on the road. Are you pumped? Are you a little nervous? It’s all very natural. When you have a season with as much promise as the Irish have right now, you can’t help but get excited at the possibilities that come with a big game like this one. Notre Dame has a chance here, but it would still be a headline-making upset if the Irish were to win.
And now for the soccer news you were promised in the title of this blog: If you follow the MLS, then you might be interested in reading about some of the Notre Dame players that might get drafted into the league. The Irish soccer player with the best chance of playing pro in the MLS is senior goalie Chris Cahill. He’s got the body to play professionally, plus he has some good stats as well. Notre Dame, as you might know, made it deep into the NCAA Soccer Tournament this past season, due to several great players. A few of them will be graduation in the summer, and after that they will have o go professional. Though most of them will go into something other than sports (as the commercials say) perhaps one UND player will be playing in the MLS, or even on the U.S. National Team.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.