The jig is up. A great game on offense just wasn't enough to overcome how bad this team is on D. It's fitting, really.
Luke Harangody hyperextended his knee and missed the final several minutes of this contest. However, the team rallied around the flag and reduce a nine-point deficit to one with four minutes left. Tory Jackson led the way with 25 points, including a clutch three with 53 seconds left. Two last second attempts to tie the game were off-target, as the Irish just failed to come back from being down double-digits at the break. Kudos to the team for working hard to come back and playing well without their top scorer. Make no mistake, there really is some scoring talent on this roster.
But the defense... wow. For a bunch of guys that made a big deal out of shutting Dominique Jones down on Sunday, they sure let Jeremy Hazell run wild tonight. 12 three-pointers from Seton Hall for the night, including 8 for Hazell. He went 12-16 from the field and finished with 35 points, his highest total since December. Going into this game, the defensive strategy should have been pretty simple, especially so soon after playing another star-centric offense. All we needed to do was stop Hazell, but we gave him open looks all night.
My reviews tend to be pretty offense dominated, which surely was not the problem in this game, so I'll skip the individual reviews for the most part. As a team, the Irish shot 54% from the field, 53% from beyond the arc, and had five guys in double figures. While Tory had a career-high in scoring, he also was a bit reckless in the lane at times with six turnovers. Tim Abromaitis scored 18, two-thirds of which came from the line. Hansbrough scored 10, but couldn't tie the game at the end. Both Harangody and Nash scored 13.
Of course, the Pirates were even better. You would be hard-pressed to find another game with both teams shooting over 50% with so many three-point attempts. Hazell carried Seton Hall, but he got plenty of help with four other guys scoring at least eight.
The scariest outcome here is Harangody's injury. Without him the rest of the year, the team could lose out. I would hate to see such a great player's career go down the drain like this, though we are assuredly in the NIT (at best) now.
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Year after year, same old shit.
It's depressing. As much as I love ND basketball, I find it so hard to watch. How typical is it for ND to let Seton Hall score 90 points? It's unbelievably typical.
Unless by some freak of nature happening and the Irish win the rest of their games we can say hello to the good old NIT. At least that'll mean a few more home games!
We couldn't beat a JV girls basketball team on their home court. It's unbelievable that we can't win a single game on the road. And in the rare case we do, it's against a god awful team and it's sloppy you-should-be-ashamed-of-yourself victory by 1 in overtime.
Looked like the Rutgers game at the end of the first half. No energy on offense or defense.
Several terrible decisions by Hansbrough tonight. Didn't value the basketball.
Hats off to Tory. He's trying his best to keep them going. If only he could've score like this the rest of his time at ND.
I cannot for the life of me understand how we lose such focus on the road. Brey has to take alot of the blame for that, but at the same time, someone on the team (you would hope one of the senior captains) would stand up and force the team to guard someone.
It really is mindboggling that we play so well at home, and so poorly on the road.
Unfortunately it has been the same thing over the years, never tough enough defensively to get a stop when we absolutely have to have one.
I watch this team play (allegedly) defense and I cringe. I saw Hansbrough leave a shooter in transition - you just don't do that - high school players know better that that because it should be drilled in their head. We got sold a bill of goods with Hansbrough. What made someone think that a marginal SEC player would do anything in the Big East?
after this steaming pile of a season is at last in the toliet swearbrick had better talk about the state of the program and what the expectations are.what can he possibly say with out sounding like a idiot.we expect to make the sweet sixteen every 20 years?there can be no middle ground here.its on his ass to lay it out with the program changes needed to get this rotting mess going.what are you going to do jack,fire brey? thats the easy way out.its deeper than that and you know it.this is a tougher job than getting that other ball program going isnt it.
I read the articles on Blue and Gold about how its not Brey's fault, and it makes sense. I do not know who can win with this team. Then I watch them play, and I think, if we had a coach that would coach even a lick of defense we could get over the hump and make the tournament yearly, and make a sweet 16 or further run with a senior lead team.
I give credit because Brey's team never seem to blown out to much. But when we get behind by 10 or so, we battle back, but we can never get full control of momentum because we cannot consistently stop people. Perfect example last night after we come all the way back and tie, we then fall back behind by 9, because on three straight possessions we give up an offensive rebound, and subsequently a basket. Now, I was following the game on the computer, I didn't know that Harangody was out for the last 8 or so minutes, maybe if he is in, we grab those boards and we continue to make the run and win. But, based on previous results, I don't think so.
However, if a change is going to happen, it has to be because the school makes a choice to fully support the basketball team. They have to want to do better. Because what we've got is never going to change. After 10 years, a coach is set in his ways.
So, I hope Swarbrick is talking to Tony Bennett, or Fran McCaffery, both I think could do well here.
I think I hear the fat lady singing?
I'm going to start with some good news.
I am fairly new to this blog, but whoever runs it, does great work. I like coming here every day. So at least we can all hang our hats on that.
Now, what are the chances that the AD makes a move after this year? After '11? I think we're all in agreement that Fran McCafferty should be our next head coach, right?
Brey's teams just have zero interest in playing defense. 90+ points to a team that was 3-7 in the conference?
Another note: How bad was the final minute of the first half? SHU went from like a 3 point lead to a 9 point lead in that last minute. I think that was the difference. Turnovers, offensive fouls in the back court, fouling a shooter 30 feet from the hoop, etc.
It's been a frustrating year to say the least.
this is a program failure,not a coaching problem,why cant you fans see that!do you think any other coach in the country could bring in more skilled players with the program limitations on it now? brey isnt a stiff.he needs some flexability from swarebrick.this is ALL on our a.d. to redirect this program out of the dark ages.get with it jack.
Brey couldn't coach defense regardless of what would change with the program. We need to recruit better players and a better coach for us to be successful in the Big East. We know what we're going to get after ten years with Brey. Bring in someone that can connect with the fans and the students. Trust me the season ticket holders are not happy.
There are plenty of problems with the program and those won't change with a new coach. However, I fully support making a change, if only to spark a little life into the team and perhaps force the institutional mindset to change somewhat.
As for McCaffery, I see him as kind of a Brian Kelly-type hire. He's a good fallback and would take the gig in a heartbeat, but I would hope we contact some more proven coaches first.
Just read that Luke will be out next game, and it's lookin like peoples will take his place.
Hey Coach Brey, stop posting your comments under the name of Drew.
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