Notre Dame, Send Pitt to the Line on Saturday!

Now we all know that Notre Dame’s men’s basketball team has a tough task before it on Saturday, when they’re slated to play the Pittsburgh Panthers on the road.  Not only are the Fighting Irish reeling from four straight losses (which everybody is covering extensively these days- we apologize for the pile-on), but Pittsburgh is good. And we mean good.  But they do have a weakness.

If you check out the Pittsburgh Panthers page at Kenpom’s efficiency ratings page, you’ll get a great scouting report on the Pittsburgh Panthers.  You’ll see plenty of good things about the Irish’s next opponent. For instance, they’re overall ranked No. 3 in terms of efficiency (No. 3 on offense, No. 21 on defense).  Pitt has solid wins over Georgetown on the road, Washington State at a neutral court, and West Virginia on the road.  But they lost their last game to Villanova, so Pitt is not invincible.

In fact, if you look at the efficiency stats, you’ll notice that the glaring weakness of the Panthers is their free throw shooting. They are among the worst teams in the nation at the stripe, ranked in the 280s in terms of percentage. This could be the difference in the game.  If you’re listening to us, Irish, foul like crazy if the game is close. Force Pitt to win it standing still.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 30, 2009 - Post a comment

Notre Dame Ice Hockey… Gear Up!

If you’re as tired as we are already about hearing how the men’s basketball team has been on the skids lately, you’ll be glad to hear that the Notre Dame ice hockey team is doing incredibly well. Notre Dame (19-3-3/13-2-3-3) is ranked No. 1 in both major polls, and they’re playing a home and home series against one of their biggest rivals, Michigan, this Friday at the Joyce Center.  The hockey team is coming off a bye week, so their legs will probably be fresh for their matchup with a very good Wolverines team. 

Also, if you haven’t gotten your gear for the stretch run of the basketball and hockey seasons, this is the time to do so.  If you go to the Notre Dame Athletic Store’s top sellers, you’ll see lots of great stuff.  Apparently students, alumni and other supporters are going nuts for the Notre Dame green caps.  Wear those to the basketball games.  If you’re planning on going to a hockey game, you might want to check out the full zip hoodies.  And if you’re a fan who’s saving up for tickets to games later in the year, but celebrating every victory at home with a cold beverage, you might want to look for the cool, popular Notre Dame tumbler cups.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

 

Permalink - Posted in General on January 29, 2009 - Post a comment

Notre Dame “Reeling” from Recent Skid

Notre Dame lost its last four games, including two at home despite coming into their skid with a 45-game home win streak- the longest in the nation.  The recent struggles have given the Notre Dame basketball team in the wrong kind of attention.  They’ve been dropped from the AP Top 25 Poll and are currently ranked No. 11 in the Big East with a 3-5 conference record.  The promising preseason predictions about possibly winning the Big East are being abandoned for more realistic goals- grabbing an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. But the team knows even this will be tough, considering the competition awaiting the Irish.  Several media websites and sports news writers have covered this story. Here’s the South Bend Tribune take.

To be sure, the Notre Dame schedule looks daunting. Coming up the Irish have road games at Pitt and Cincinnati, two of the best teams in the league. Their non-conference grab bag game? UCLA. Other outings include Louisville, West Virginia and another game with UConn, this time on the road. Is this the dark hour before the dawn?

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 28, 2009 - Post a comment

Marquette Bests Notre Dame in South Bend

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish were dropped from the latest AP Poll, announced prior to their game against Marquette at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana. The Golden Eagles were lifted to No. 8. It appears as though both of these teams will continue their trends respectively, as Marquette was able to get their seventh Big East win against Notre Dame 71-64 last night. The Irish are now 12-7 overall, 3-5 in the Big East.

If you saw the game, you’d see that the Irish delivered more of the same kind of play that gave them a loss to UConn over the weekend. Kyle McAlarney was shooting poorly, Big Luke disappeared for crucial segments, and the Irish couldn’t play defense when they needed to. This is Notre Dame’s second home loss in a row (4th loss in a row overall) after having won 45 straight at home. I need not say it, but the Irish are on a bit of a skid right now, and they’re really going to need a dramatic turnaround. Let’s hope it happens sooner rather than later. Notre Dame can start by beating Pitt on the road this Saturday.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 27, 2009 - Post a comment

Notre Dame Falls to UConn, Plays Marquette Tonight

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball team lost to the University of Connecticut this past Saturday, snapping a 45-game home win streak that the Irish had on the line. UConn and UNC played close through most of the first half, and then the Huskies began pulling away midway through the second half, eventually winning the game 69-61. The real difference was slightly more apparent than the score. Notre Dame simply could not shoot from beyond the arc, as Ryan Ayers’ 0-6 three point shooting added to an overall team season-low for three point shooting (8-27, 29.6%). Notre Dame is now 12-6.

Even though the loss to UConn was heartbreaking and streak-breaking, the Irish will have very little time to sulk, as they play Marquette at home tonight. This should be a good game for two main reasons. 1) We’ll get to see how Notre Dame bounces back from their tough loss. Will they come out strong, will they start shooting better? 2) Marquette is currently ranked No. 11 in the nation. This is a great opportunity for Notre Dame to get a good quality win in the Big East, something they really need tight now.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 26, 2009 - Post a comment

Notre Dame Prepares for College Game Day Hoopla

ESPN’s College Game Day is coming to Notre Dame, and already the student body is in a frenzy. Despite the cold weather, Notre Dame fans are expected to camp out in front of the Joyce Center in anticipation of getting a seat in the arena- even though there will be no game played for the first filling of the stadium. There will be contests, though. The actual game is sold out (might want to check out StubHub if you’re still looking for tickets), but the arena will be open for the broadcast of College Game Day’s coverage of the day’s NCAA basketball events across the country. Digger Phelps and legendary coach Bob Knight will be at the Joyce Center giving analysis and commentary.

You can check out a schedule for the College Game day festivities at UND.com. From the looks of it, if you get into the College Game Day pre-game festivities as well as the Notre Dame-UConn game in the evening, you’re vocal chords are going to take quite a beating. But the beating won’t be as bad as the one the Irish deliver to the Huskies, right? Knock on wood. Hope you all have your tickets and are ready to get pumped. Enjoy your weekend and enjoy the game!

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 23, 2009 - Post a comment

Notre Dame’s Joyce Center to Host ESPN College Game Day

ESPN’s College Game Day driven by State Farm will make one of it’s eight regular season stops in South Bend at the home of Notre Dame basketball, the Joyce Center, this Saturday. The Stadium will be packed for two different shows, a pre-game segment and the Big East power matchup between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the UConn Huskies. The pregame show will be free for the student body, as the idea is to get as much excitement and good vibes going before game time as possible. A South Bend Tribune article covers this story well from a historical point of view, comparing it to a basketball game played decades ago. Digger Phelps, who used to be a coach at Notre Dame and is now an analyst at ESPN, had a few statements about the game, as quoted in the South Bend Tribune:

“This is their San Francisco game. The atmosphere on Saturday can be like nothing I’ve ever seen…. We’re trying to get the kids to respond and say, ‘Hey, you can be the difference on Saturday and it starts with GameDay…. I expect 11,418 [the capacity of the arena]. I just believe we can make it happen. This is an opportunity for this community to say, ‘Hey, don’t always talk about Notre Dame football.”

The game is already sold out, so you;re going to want to try StubHub if you’re looking for tickets.  Notre Dame enters the game with the longest home winning streak in the nation, at 45 games. Knock on wood.
To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 22, 2009 - Post a comment

Football Recruiting at Notre Dame – A Regional Disadvantage?

If you get a chance to check out Andy Staples’ Inside Recruiting article titled “The State of Recruiting,” you’re in for an informative, thought-provoking read. Notre Dame features prominently in the article’s narrative, so even if you’re not really interested in the trends and strategies of the whole nation’s college football recruiting status, it’s still a great way to find out about the factors affecting Notre Dame’s incoming talent pool.

Summarizing the article’s content doesn’t give it justice, so instead the Notre Dame Blog will ask a few questions that the article expands upon. Why is it that ten, fifteen years ago Notre Dame, Nebraska, Colorado and Michigan were the best college football teams, and nowadays’ it’s USC, LSU, Alabama and Florida? Of course, there are exceptions, but there is a definite migration of power from the North to the South.

Are recruits tempted to sign with Southern California because of the weather? Do they pass up Notre Dame because of the harsh winters? It wasn’t the case for Jimmy Clausen and Dayne Crist, but it could happen with players who aren’t in the spotlight as much. The article also gives a breakdown of where UND players come from. Not surprisingly the Domers have a rather large recruiting geography, and in-state recruits are few. Perhaps this is because of Indiana’s relatively small population- and the fact that Chicago, Milwaukee and Detroit aren’t technically in-state, despite being some of Notre Dame’s more important recruiting territory.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 21, 2009 - Post a comment

Notre Dame Defense In the Spotlight

Hey, Notre Dame sports fans, we know it’s taking a while until the next UND basketball games, but please bear with us. A little bit of time to think about the next Irish basketball tickets you’ll buy never hurt anybody, right? Well, while you’re waiting to see the next game, thinking about Notre Dame hoops no doubt, you might be interested in getting some info about the Notre Dame basketball team’s defense.

The Domers have been getting lots of accolades about their offense lately. But their defense has been getting chewed up in the press. Here’s a typical article about the noticeable lack of defense the Irish showed in their latest loss to Syracuse. Fran Tolan points out, like many other sports writers have pointed out, that the Domers play lackluster defense, especially in critical late-game moments and on the road. We’ve talked about the defensive stats here before. However, with a very tough schedule coming up, the Irish must take action to improve things on D, and quick.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 20, 2009 - Post a comment

Notre Dame Falls to Syracuse

Notre Dame lost to the Syracuse Orange on Saturday 74-93 despite a bit night from Luke Harangody, who ended the game with 25 points, 16 rebounds and 6 assists. Kyle McAlarney added 24 points, but Notre Dame was unable to slow down Syracuse’s offensive weapons. There was also a large section of the game where Big Luke went cold, adding to the frustration of another conference loss. The score actually makes the game look slightly less even that the actual game. Syracuse pulled away right at the every end of an otherwise highly competitive game in the Big East Conference.

There’s little time for the Irish or their fans to worry about Syracuse, though. The orange are a good team, ranked No. 8 at the tip off . Notre Dame’s next tough Big East challenge will come on January 24th when they play UConn at home. Connecticut is always a fierce team, and this next matchup should provide fans who get tickets with lots of offense. UConn is currently ranked No. 3 in the AP, while Notre Dame is ranked No. 19.

To get Notre Dame Fighting Irish basketball tickets, go to StubHub.com.

Permalink - Posted in General on January 19, 2009 - Post a comment


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