St. John's 69, Notre Dame 68

The slow-motion train wreck just keeps rollin' along. With a one-point lead going into the final minute, the Irish managed to drop another close game. Two awful shot choices by Tory Jackson at the end put the icing on the cake. The Irish went 2-3 in their "easy" five-game stretch. The hellish end-of-season games await. This could be a seven game losing streak.

In fairness, the team did fight hard to come back after falling behind by nine in the second half. They played without their top scorer, a guy who is third nationally in percentage of shots taken. The Irish had to start completely from scratch. Additionally, having no experienced post player available to come off the bench was a big, though self-inflicted, handicap.

Still, this loss is the worst of the conference season for a variety of reasons. The one-point defeat to Rutgers came on the road. While the Scarlet Knights looked like a very bad team two weeks ago, they have been improving with every game, beating the Red Storm and now boasting a three-point victory over Georgetown. Tonight's loss in South Bend served only to highlight coaching failures including the mismanagement of timeouts and a horrid final possession. There is not much of a silver lining.

Tory Jackson's final two three-point attempts displayed a complete lack of self-awareness by a guy who should be the most reliable player on the floor. Down by one, the Irish needed to take the ball to the basket, either to get a high-percentage look inside or potentially draw a foul. Tory dribbled to the left side of the court and took a contested off-balanced three pointer. There was enough time left on the clock for him to get the ball back and heave it up again. Such a waste.

For the game, he shot 1-10 and displayed bad decision-making throughout. 5 turnovers to go with his 3 assists. With the other senior leader off the floor, we needed Tory to step up and carry the team a bit. It did not happen.

Ben Hansbrough scored 13 and had a pretty good night shooting the ball. Thankfully, Jonathan Peoples only saw twelve minutes of action. He didn't do a whole while on the floor.

Tim Abromaitis filled the scoring void rather admirably. His 24 points led the team and he only needed eleven attempts to get them. Throw in 6 rebounds for a pretty good night.

Ty Nash also played pretty well. He had 16, but was not nearly as much of a force on the boards as Harangody normally is. Just 3 rebounds for the fill-in center.

Off the bench, the Irish really only played two guys. That's a bit of a disadvantage against an opponent that went eleven deep. Carleton Scott ate up a lot of Peoples' floor time, which was good to see. 5 points, 6 rebounds in 27 minutes. Joey Brooks played for a few minutes, as well.

Buckle your seatbelts, it just gets harder from here on in.

St. John's Preview

St. John's-
Pomeroy Ranking- 87th
Record- 13-10 (3-8)
Best Win- Louisville (ranked 38th)
Worst Loss- Rutgers (ranked 156th)
Pomeroy Prediction- ND 75-69

Key Players-
#1 D.J. Kennedy- 15.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 34.1% 3PA- Team's leading scorer has been up and down in conference play. Dropped 27 in their loss to Rutgers, but has scored in the single digits in four of the past eight games.
#12 Dwight Hardy- 10.7 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 38.5% 3PA- Streaking shooter has not made a three-pointer in the past three games. He is 0-8 since January 28th.
#23 Paris Horne- 8.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 36.4% 3PA- Has seen his minutes and production slashed dramatically this year. He averaged 14.6 points a game a year ago.

Scouting Report-

Struggle shooting the ball as a team.
Rarely make it to the free throw line.
One of the worst foul shooting teams in the country.

View From the Opponent's Bench: St. John's

Thanks a bunch to Pico Dulce from East Coast Bias for his answers to my questions.

1. What went so right against Louisville after a five game losing streak?

The thing about the losing streak is that the team has been the same in Big East play - they just cannot score. At all. They're out of sorts, they need more of a playmaker at the point, and the team doesn't look to the post. Even in the wins, the team didn't look great (except against DePaul... no, not even then.

The Louisville game was bizarre and I don't have a strong, rational explanation for it. Louisville was terrible. Their press was terrible, unenthusiastic. And for once, St. John's found a weakness they could take advantage of. It helped that the team had faced Louisville and played pretty decently against them before their offensive lull in the second half (happens every time). The Johnnies were aggressive at going to the basket and the Cardinals were lax in defending the basket. You can see that St. John's didn't shoot particularly well from beyond the arc; but guys who had been struggling drove the ball. And they got the ball to Justin Burrell, who has been on fire in the past 4 games (but still isn't starting).

Think about it this way: St. John's has posted a higher offensive efficiency twice - once against Long Island University and once against Bryant University (they got close against Cornell). They played great, but I'm not assuming I will see that game again.

2. D. J. Kennedy is your leading scorer, but has been up and down
against Big East competition. How can the Irish stop him?

Kennedy likes to shoot threes or drive from the baseline. He'll take some straight on jump shots, but doesn't often shoot the pull up mid-range jumper which he can hit. He's more of a jack of all trades than a scorer, though; he rebounds, brings the ball up, slashes, makes plays. The team leans on him to make plays but the Red Storm aren't constructed to have a "star"; the team's best offenisve performances have a number of double digit scorers. I would say the Irish have to get a player or three to stop Justin Burrell.

But the coaching staff stops him by leaving him on the bench for half the game.

3. Who could have a breakout performance on Sunday?

Aforementioned - Burrell. He's had good games against the Irish, I think, in the past. And without the "slow Harangody" assignment, I could see him pulling off a rare road win for Norm Roberts' team - he's been playing that well, drawing fouls, hitting the jump shot, and even rebounding again.

Given room, Dwight Hardy and Paris Horne can stroke it from outside.

4. How much more time does Norm Roberts get? It's about time that a
New York university turns into an upper-half Big East program.

... well... rumor has it this is likely his last year. What happens if they beat the Irish, maybe win 2-3 more games for 7 wins? I don't know. The fans have jumped far, far from his ship, but still love to see a win; but most die-hards also think the NY school should have a winner , or a near-winner.... something close to competing with the top of the league. There were Pitino to St. John's rumors flying around last week; the fans would love McCaffery (but I think I read the Irish job would be his dream job).... I think even the administration has gotten past their notion that the job is so very hard and the school is well-served by a hard worker who keeps his kids out of trouble and academically solid. The team needs to win, and with 9 seniors next year, the team needs to establish that they can win so they can continue to win.

5. How will the rest of the year go for the Red Storm? The next three
games seem pretty winnable, but St. John's has also played pretty well
against good competition at times.

It's hard to say. If they play like they played yesterday, they could beat Notre Dame, Seton Hall (two defensively indifferent squads), and USF/ Marquette are winnable. As is DePaul. But I don't believe in it. If the other teams are playing hard and keep the Johnnies out of the lane, they could lose most games, winning at DePaul and vs. Seton Hall. Even the DePaul contest isn't a gimme, St. John's has been just terrible on the road. The inability to score consistently in the halfcourt will hurt them against most teams, and Seton Hall is better scoring in transition.

After the Louisville game, I don't know. Coach Roberts, to his credit, keeps the guys motivated. But they usually get one "WTF!!" win at home. Last year it was Notre Dame + Georgetown; this year, Louisville... they could get another, but I predict no more than 3 more wins for this team.

Notre Dame 74, St. John's 55

A nice solid win in the final game of the regular season sends the seniors off on a high note but reminds us of what should have been this year.

Thge Irish shot 50% from the floor, but more importantly held the Red Storm to 29% shooting (a decrease from 45%) to avoid a second loss to St. John'.

Tory Jackson did not start, both an attempt to send a message to the off-and-on point guard and an opportunity to let captain Luke Zeller start his final regular season game. Tory responded well with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. Most important stat of the day was Jackson's lack of turnovers.

Kyle McAlarney played more point guard than usual, resulting in 5 assists, and scored 8 points following an emotional Senior Day ceremony. Mac clearly was the fan favorite and gave the students in attendence a nice little wave.

Ryan Ayers shot very well. 15 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds. 4-6 from beyond the arc. Brother and recruit Cameron was in attendence today and stood on the floor for the ceremony alongside Ryan and mom.

8 rebounds for Zach Hillesland as he returned from injury. That is his second highest total of the Big East season. Added 6 assists and 3 steals to offset just scoring 4 points. Where has this overall production been all year?

Luke Harangody was back at full force. 31 points, 12 rebounds. 13-22 from the field. Perhaps most importantly, 2-3 beyond the arc. If he can show that consistent soft touch from outside, he will earn a living at the next level.

Luke Zeller started but only played 18 minutes. 5 points, nothing else. Ty Nash gave us 4 rebounds in 15 minutes. Only 5 minutes for Peoples and mop-up duty for Scott and Andree.

17-13 (8-10). That's where we stand after a long season of basketball. By the end of this weekend, everything will be wrapped up for the Big East regular season and we can focus on the tournaments. Let's see what happens.

St. John's 71, Notre Dame 65

That was embarrassing. No excuses, you don't lose to a team like St. John's if you plan on succeeding this year. In Big East play, there's no moping after wins or sugarcoating losses. All that matters is the result.

Tim Higgins is a terrible referee, but he made bad calls on both sides. Maybe the men in stripes let St. John's play too physically, but we were nine point favorites. You play to win.

Outside shooting really killed us today. After seeing DePaul play over their heads from beyond the arc, there is no excuse to letting a 28% team go 5-11. In response, Ayers and McAlarney were awful, a combined 1-9.

On the boards, St. John's finished with eleven more rebounds. If they did not turnover the ball 18 times, this game is a rout. We were simply outplayed by a beaten up and less talented basketball team.

This game makes Monday very, very important. After Georgetown lost handily to Pitt today, they will be fired up to take us down. While I don't envy their schedule (three top 10 teams in a week, counting us), I doubt there will be any letdown for the Hoyas. They will bring their A-game to break the streak. Anything less than an A+ performance for us is a loss.

Forget the streak for a moment. All of a sudden Monday is as close to must-win as a game gets this early in conference play. Two straight losses could derail our season a bit and significantly limit chances for a top-4 finish. After Georgetown and Seton Hall, we play five straight ranked teams. Enter that stretch 2-2 and there is a very good chance we drop 2-3 more games to enter February with a conference record below .500. Getting back on track is extremely important.

Now, about today. Tory Jackson was one of four Irish players to finish with four or more fouls. His playmaking ability was held in check, with only 3 assists. He did score 14 points and shoot well, one of the few guys who did.

Kyle McAlarney hasn't had a great game since before Ohio State. While he has shot well at times, his record pace at the beginning of the year has significantly slacked off. 4-12 for 10 points today, not a good effort at all. 1-5 from beyond the arc.

Just when I compliment Ryan Ayers, he lays an egg. Two points, 0-4 beyond the arc. 4 fouls. Not much else to say.

Hillesland came back down to earth with a thud. 4 points, 4 rebounds. Poor shooting, didn't help Harangody a whole lot under the basket.

At least Luke is lining up for a second straight Big East Player of the Year award. 28 points, 14 rebounds. You can never complain about this guy's effort. Hats off to Luke for trying to carry the team. He missed a few shots under the basket that could have made a difference, but can you really complain?

Coach Brey let Nash get some solid minutes, a good sign. Only one rebound, but 2 assists and steals. Hopefully this means Ty will get decent playing time in tough conference games. We certainly need the rebounding help (second best rebounders only grabbed four for the Irish). Peoples had an encouraging performance. 3-3 shooting for 7 points. With the trash that some of the starters were throwing up, we needed a good game from Peeps. Luke Zeller: 8 minutes, 0 points, 0 rebounds. No comment.

What else is there to say? Kennedy, Horne, and Burrell all had good games. Five Johnnies outrebounded everyone except Luke Harangody. We deserved to lose, must play much better on Monday or that will get ugly.

We'll find out against Georgetown if this was just a bad slip-up or a sign of a disappointing few months to come.

Notre Dame 68, St. John's 55

A historical win to close out a great year at home and Rob Kurz's career at the JACC. Irish revert to a solid defense after three straight offensively charged performances.

Working with an official box score tonight from the media tables, so you can count on the numbers being spot on.

Hard fought game overall, very physical. Ed Corbett, Jim Haney, and Glenn Mayborg did nothing to help the game flow on either side. Way too much emphasis on tough fouls as both teams got away with murder under the hoop. Corbett also has dreams of officiating the next level the way he ignored travelling violations all night.

The Irish shot surprisingly very well from the floor. A 68 point performance would indicate a shooting percentage far below 54% for this squad. Devensively, they did a great job shutting down a terrible Red Storm team. Fresh Prince Anthony Mason Jr. needed plenty of luck on two of his four three pointers and still made less than 1/3 from the floor.

Rebounding edge went slightly to St. John's. Dele Coker and Co. hung all over Luke Harangody in a successful effort to keep his rebounding total down. Neither side made many trips to the foul line. The Irish finished with 19 assists on 28 field goals, adding to their national lead in the assist category.

Even with all the physicality and losing the rebounding edge, Notre Dame outscored St. John's 36-28 in the paint. 20 points off 12 turnovers really helped the Irish as well.

Tory Jackson continues to come along as a player. 4 points, 5 rebounds, with 8 assists on 4 turnovers. Broke down the St. John's defense on a few occasions to set up his teammates. The assist total is more impressive when you note that the Irish made only 5 three pointers on the night, meaning Jackson had to create more to pick up his assists.

Kyle McAlarney with a solid game. 13 points on 5-9 shooting. After the DePaul win, K-Mac noted that his legs were feeling a bit sluggish. That could support the common complaint of Brey playing his starters too often. Nonetheless, McAlarney found his stroke when he needed (3-5 from three) even if it was a less than dominating performance.

Zach Hillesland is another guy who looks to be improving every game. 6 points, 6 assists in 30 minutes. The most playing time of the season even with 4 fouls. For a wing, he does a great job distributing the ball and has great handles for a 6'8" guy. He was called a "point forward" coming out of high school and seems to be showing that ability to control the game from the side.

Luke Harangody with 20 and 6. Only 27 minutes played, but was very efficient on the floor. 9-12 shooting. As the game wore on, the team looked to Harangody to keep the lead from falling below 10. He put the ball in the basket when needed and overcame physical defense for yet another 20+ point performance. Only 6 rebounds is low for the big guy, but no reason to think that he won't be back in double figures Saturday.

Thanks to Rob Kurz for a great career with the Irish. The lone senior and captain scored 15 and grabbed 4 boards. Surprising to see how he scored the points tonight. With only one three-pointer, Rob showed some surprising agility with his ability to cut in the paint and receive passes going towards the basket. Cut like a knife through the defense on a few occasions. Truly a great leader and all-around good guy, it will be sad to not see him at home again, but here's to several more games in an Irish uniform.

Jonathan Peoples with 3 assists and no turnovers in 10 minutes. That's what he is asked to do. Ryan Ayers with a poor shooting night (that's always tough off the bench), but still scored 5 in 18 minutes. Luke Zeller with the best game off the bench, with 5 points and 4 rebounds. He is looking more confident in the paint and will surely get a shot at Kurz's starting position next year.

With a low scoring contest and such a different game from what we have been used to in the last few weeks, a 13 point win is great tonight. St. John's truly is a bad basketball team (it takes more than suiting up 5 athletes to play hoops), but they had plenty of reason to go all out tonight. Seeing how Norm Roberts used his timeouts down the stretch and kept the defensive pressure up with the game lost, you could tell that they really wanted to win the game.

Two straight years unbeaten at home. That's a Big East record and very impressive indeed. Maybe Wyoming can pull off the upset of BYU tonight and place ND at the top of home streaks nationwide.

Need to stay focused and beat South Florida on Saturday, but this team rarely has trouble with its focus. A win in Tampa and a solid run next week means a 4 seed or better. Who predicted that at the beginning of the year?

Happy birthday to Rob and thanks once again to him. Good luck in the future, but first lets end your career on a happy note.

St. John's Preview

Starters-

Justin Burrell- 11.2 PPG, 6.1 RPG
Anthony Mason Jr.- 13.7 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 37% 3PA
Eugene Lawrence- 7.8 PPG, 3.5 APG, 26% 3PA
D.J. Kennedy- 7.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 37% 3PA
Malik Boothe- 3.0 PPG, 2.3 APG, 18% 3PA

Bench-

Larry Wright- 9.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 39% 3PA, 19.0 MPG
Paris Horne- 4.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 37% 3PA, 14.6 MPG
Sean Evans- 3.1 PPG, 2.5 RPG, 13.8 MPG
Tomas Jasiulionis- 2.2 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 11.4 MPG

Sorry for the late (and rather lame) post today.

We need a victory tomorrow to finish up a perfect season at home. Shouldn't be too hard, but there are no easy victories in this league.