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Fighting Irish Basketball Schedule
Next 5 Games
@
Seton Hall
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Thu 02/11 | 7:00 PM EST |
| St. John's | Sun 02/14 | 7:30 PM EST |
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@
Louisville
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Wed 02/17 | 7:00 PM EST |
| Pittsburgh | Wed 02/24 | 7:00 PM EST |
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@
Georgetown
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Sat 02/27 | 12:00 PM EST |
Last 5 Games
| South Florida | Sun 02/07 | W 65 - 62 |
| Cincinnati | Thu 02/04 | W 83 - 65 |
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@
Rutgers
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Sat 01/30 | L 73 - 74 |
| @ Villanova | Wed 01/27 | L 72 - 90 |
| DePaul | Sat 01/23 | W 87 - 77 |
Big East Conference Standings
(updated 2.9.2010 at 1:12 AM EST)
| Conf | Overall | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| W | L | W | L | |
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Syracuse Orange
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10 | 1 | 23 | 1 |
| Villanova Wildcats | 10 | 1 | 21 | 2 |
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West Virginia Mountaineers
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8 | 3 | 19 | 4 |
| Pittsburgh Panthers | 7 | 4 | 18 | 6 |
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Georgetown Hoyas
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7 | 4 | 17 | 5 |
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Louisville Cardinals
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6 | 4 | 15 | 8 |
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Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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6 | 5 | 17 | 7 |
| Marquette Golden Eagles | 6 | 5 | 15 | 8 |
| South Florida Bulls | 5 | 6 | 15 | 8 |
| Cincinnati Bearcats | 5 | 6 | 14 | 9 |
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Connecticut Huskies
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4 | 6 | 14 | 9 |
| Providence Friars | 4 | 7 | 12 | 11 |
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Seton Hall Pirates
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3 | 7 | 12 | 9 |
| St. John's Red Storm | 2 | 8 | 12 | 10 |
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Rutgers Scarlet Knights
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2 | 9 | 11 | 12 |
| DePaul Blue Demons | 1 | 10 | 8 | 15 |
Notre Dame Basketball: Back on the Bubble
by CW on Feb 9, 2010 6:00 AM EST
in Baseball
0 comments
Many of us turned out the lights on the Irish hoops season following the loss at Rutgers, a team that was winless in the Big East until beating the Irish. Perhaps that was a bit premature, as the Irish protected home court against two other bubble teams - Cincinnati and South Florida - and now find themselves back in the conversation with a 6-5 record in the best conference in the nation.
Against a somewhat listless Bearcats squad, the Irish got a classic Luke Harangody night, as the big man scored 37 and grabbed 14 boards. Tim Abromaitis chipped in 22 and the backcourt of Tory Jackson and Ben Hansbrough dished out 17 assists, which helped facilitate an absurd 25 assists on 29 field goals night for Notre Dame. Things were a little hairier against the Bulls, as a big first half lead was blown, only to have the game saved by a phenomenal second half from Jackson. The senior point guard played fantastic defense against Dominique Jones down the stretch and got to the hoop repeatedly against the South Florida defense, finishing with 18 points.
If the Irish want to keep the ride going, they absolutely must win the next two games to get to 8-5 before a very tough closing stretch. Next up? A trip to Seton Hall, a 12-9 team that's already been through the toughest part of their Big East schedule. They're led by the inside-outside combination of Jeremy Hazell and Herb Pope, a talented duo that's going to give the Irish all kinds of trouble. Hazell's a rangy 6'5" guard scoring 22 a game, while Pope's averaging a double-double and two blocks, meaning that securing the paint is going to be incredibly important.
Ty Nash has been playing well on the interior, but he's going to need some more help from Gody. Luke's been spending more time on the perimeter this year, and it shows in his offensive rebounding numbers. It's not a matter of effort - Harangody is still one of the better defensive rebounders in the country - but the fact that when he's on the perimeter taking shots, he's just not close enough to basket to be an effective weapon on the glass. Against Cincinnati, Harangody spent more time around the paint and it showed in both his shooting (15 for 25) and number of offensive boards (six, a season high).
Using KenPom's rebounding rate numbers - basically, the percentage of available boards a player gets while he's on the floor - you can see that Gody isn't as productive on the offensive glass this season compared to the last couple years.
| OR% | DR% | |
| 2008 | 13.3 | 24.2 |
| 2009 | 10.6 | 25.4 |
| 2010 | 8.0 | 23.5 |
Oddly enough, the Irish are actually better as a team on the offensive boards this season than they were last year. I would suspect most of that can be attributed to Hansbrough being a great rebounding guard and Abro slighting improving on Ayers' rate from last year. There are a lot of things the Irish need to finish the season strong and get back to the NCAA Tournament, but one of the most important is for Harangody to re-establish himself on the offensive glass. Considering the big guy is currently below 30% from behind the arc, I don't think the Irish will miss his outside contributions too much if he turns his attention inside.
(Just as an aside, Dejuan Blair's offensive rebounding rate last year was an absurd 23.6, meaning he essentially grabbed one out of every four missed shots for the Panthers. The fact he's playing in this weekend's Rookie vs. Sophomore game and leading all rookies in rebounding is not surprising.)
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Signing Day Postscript: The Willie Williams Recruiting Diaries
by CW on Feb 4, 2010 10:03 AM EST
in Football
1 comment
I was reading Thayer Evans' story on the recruitment of Seantrel Henderson and realized it sounded like a G-rated version of one of the greatest tales ever told: Manny Navarro's Miami Herald stories on the recruitment of Willie Williams. As far as I can tell, these have been scrubbed from the Herald site and not readily available to a quick Googling, so I did a little digging for nostalgia's sake (and to remind you of the creepy business we were all following yesterday). Enjoy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ON TRIP, FSU HAS WILLIAMS' NUMBER
BYLINE: MANNY NAVARRO, mnavarro@herald.com
Willie Williams' weekend visit to Florida State felt like a scene from Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.
From a ride on a private jet to eating hundreds of dollars worth of steaks and lobster tails at Tallahassee's most elegant restaurant, Williams ate up the royal treatment.
Williams enjoyed it so much that he says FSU has moved back into a tie with Miami in the battle for his services.
"After this visit, it's 0-0 again," said Williams, who will also visit Auburn and Florida. "UM had taken a lead when they won the Orange Bowl. But I had such a great time [at FSU], I'm torn again. I guess UM and FSU are going to overtime on me."
THE RIDE
Williams had been on a plane before, but not by himself.
"When I got to Miami International Airport, this guy was waiting for me," Williams said. "He was like 'Mr. Williams, right this way.' When I got on the plane, I was like 'Where's everybody else.' It was me, the flight attendant and the pilot. I was bugging out."
Williams slept most of the flight. When he arrived at Tallahassee Airport, defensive line coach Odell Haggins was there to greet him.
"When he picked me up, he had a box of chicken wings for me," Williams said. "I was starving, but there was only like two wings. I told him 'Coach, we're still going to dinner right?'
"He took me to the hotel. This place was beautiful, nicest place I've ever stayed. It was called The Radisson. I was impressed."
ALL YOU CAN EAT
But nothing impressed Williams more than when he sat down for dinner with nearly a dozen other recruits - including Northwestern cornerback Trevor Ford and Killian cornerback J.R. Bryant.
"Coach Haggins told us to order as much as we wanted," Williams said. "I ordered a steak and a lobster tail. The lobster tail was like $49.99. I couldn't believe something so little could cost so much.
"I was kind of embarrassed so I didn't order a lot. But then I saw what the other guys were ordering, I was like, 'Forget this.' I called the waiter back and told him to bring me four lobster tails, two steaks and shrimp scampi. It was good. I took two boxes back with me to the hotel."
After dinner, Williams met his tour guide - defensive back Antonio Cromartie. But he quickly urged the coaches to find him a new one.
"That boy was on crutches," Williams said. "I would have had to hop around campus everywhere. Besides, I wanted somebody who played my position to take me around."
Cromartie was immediately replaced by linebackers Ernie Sims, Willie Jones of Carol City and A.J. Nicholson as well as defensive lineman Clifton Dickson of Northwestern.
"After dinner, we hit the clubs," Williams said. "I had a great time with [fellow recruits] Xavier Carter, Xavier Lee, Aaron Jones and Kenny Ingram. All of us really bonded and had a great time. We got back late - and we paid for it the next day."
Williams and other recruits were late for Saturday's tour of the campus, which was supposed to start at 8 a.m.
"All in all, it was a good day," Williams said. "They talked to us about their tutoring program. If you start struggling with your grades, they have a program set up that can help. To me, you have no choice but to be successful in school."
After the tour, Williams said the players were treated to lunch at Doak Campbell Stadium. But it wasn't the type of meal the players had been treated to the night before. Just sandwiches.
LUCKY NO. 17
Lunch was followed by what Williams referred to as the highlight of the trip.
"They told us to take a walk into the locker room," Williams said. "When we went in there, they had jerseys with our names on it. They even had my No. 17. I told them 'Isn't that number retired for [Heisman winner] Charlie Ward? Coach [Bobby] Bowden was like, 'For you Willie, we'll bring it back."
Williams and the rest of the recruits then lived a childhood dream when they were each introduced on the Jumbotron screen as the 2004 starting lineup for the Seminoles.
"We all had our Seminoles jerseys on, and they told us: 'Run out on the field about 10 yards," Williams said. "I was so pumped up, I just kept running. I ran the entire field."
Following a trip back to the hotel and a nap, it was time for dinner again.
"I asked Coach Odell, 'Where we eating tonight?" Williams said. "He was like, 'The stadium.' I thought he was playing. Then we ended up eating at the stadium again. I guess we spent all their money the night before."
What the recruits didn't know at the time was that they were in for a treat - a trip to Bobby Bowden's home for his wife's homemade deserts.
"Coach Bowden was cool, but Ms. Bowden was the bomb," Williams said. "I swear, she must be related to Betty Crocker or something. When we walked into that house, it was like walking into a Publix Bakery - banana pudding, chocolate cake, cheese cake. I had one of everything. I didn't want to leave."
THE CROCODILE HUNTER
After dessert, Williams returned with his hosts to their dorm room, but quickly learned a few interesting facts about Sims, the top recruit in the nation last year.
"I like Ernie, but there is no way in the world I'd be roommates with him," Williams said. "In fact, I don't know how [Dickson] does it. Sims thinks he's the Crocodile Hunter. "When Cliff and I walked in, Ernie was sitting on the sofa with a snake around his neck. He was like 'Come in, Willie, give me five.' I was like 'Nope. I'm staying by the door.' "
The next morning, Williams and Bowden talked - one on one - for 20 minutes.
"We talked about everything," Williams said. "The jersey. The trip. He told me if I came, I'd stay at outside linebacker and have a real good shot at starting next year. That was all I needed to hear."
Next Tuesday: Williams details his trip to Auburn.
1 comment | 0 recs |
Lunchtime Notre Dame Recruiting Update: Ferguson, Schwenke, Ioane
by CW on Feb 3, 2010 12:40 PM EST
in Football
11 comments
Notre Dame was one of a half dozen losers in a hat game for Ego Ferguson, who is heading to LSU. Hawaiian safety Jeremy Ioane is going to Boise State, but fellow islander and four-star defensive end Kona Schwenke is Irish.
No decommits and the addition of James and Schwenke make this a very, very good signing day for the Irish. There's a sliver of a chance for some more excitement later, but I believe for all intents and purposes, this is your 2010 recruiting class. Good work by Coach Kelly and the staff.
11 comments | 0 recs |
No Signing Day Defections for Notre Dame: All the LOIs Are In
by CW on Feb 3, 2010 10:50 AM EST
in Football
0 comments
This includes Louis Nix, who got his in early. The only surprises for the rest of the day will be good ones.
(Also, Christian Jones ended up going to Florida State, just like his dad and older brother. Sad times.)
0 comments | 0 recs |
Ohio Offensive Lineman Matt James Commits to Notre Dame
by CW on Feb 3, 2010 9:37 AM EST
in Football
0 comments
Mike Dyer has some details, including some quotes from James himself. It's always nice to start the day with a four-star, top 100 player.
0 comments | 0 recs |
National Signing Day: Top O' The Morning Notre Dame Recruiting Open Thread
by CW on Feb 3, 2010 6:00 AM EST
in Football
1 comment
Updates will be here through lunch. Toss anything fun you come across in the comments. Per my natural state relating to Irish sports, I'm prepared for terrible things to happen, but there's a chance for some fun.
Fact: Fax machines are still used solely for the purpose of today.
1 comment | 0 recs |
On "Friend"-ing Recruits on Facebook...
by mhb on Jan 31, 2010 11:44 AM EST
1 comment
...don't do it.
Don't friend them; don't poke them; don't tag them in notes; don't send them private messages; don't write on their walls.
You may think it would be cool to have a connection to someone who could lead your favorite team to sports glory, and it would be - if you had any real-world connection to them. The vast majority of you have never met any recruits, but, thanks to the recruit-aratzi at Scout, Rivals, Scouts Inc. or (my personal favorite) Irish Sports Daily, you feel like you already know them. So here's a test you should run before you click "Add as Friend."
Does the recruit know who you are?
If the answer is "No," stop your finger!
"Aren't you a little bit old to post "JK LOLZ" on a recruit's Facebook wall?"
What makes grown men act like this? I steeled my nerve and took a cursory glance at the Walls of some Irish commits.
It shouldn't be loneliness or want of personal contact - most of the random posters had profile pictures that included them, their wife and their kid(s).
Maybe they think they're helping their team's cause. Fighting the good fight on the frontlines of a recruiting war that gets more and more ruthless every day. After all, creepy old fans from rival schools are posting on these kids' walls.
Here's a fact: I've never heard a recruit tell Steve Wiltfong that the deluge of friend requests he received from 30-year old men swung his commitment to the Irish. In fact, I've only heard of Facebook hurting in recruiting battles.
(I'm not even going to address the kind of people who post nasty messages on the wall of a wavering verbal commitment. There's not enough electro-shock therapy in the world.)
Look, generally I think Facebook is a good thing. I'm all for anything that lets people catch up with once-forgotten friends. Or maybe it isn't. Recent studies have shown that anywhere between 5-20% of divorces filed today cite Facebook as a contributory cause. I just wonder how many of those petitions were filed when a jilted wife found in the browser history that her husband was whispering sweet nothings about 40-year decisions and rich tradition in a private message to 17-year-old boy.
Probably not enough.
1 comment | 0 recs |
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Fighting Irish Football Schedule
| Nevada | Sat 09/05 | W 35 - 0 |
|
@
Michigan
|
Sat 09/12 | L 34 - 38 |
|
Michigan St.
|
Sat 09/19 | W 33 - 30 |
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@
Purdue
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Sat 09/26 | W 24 - 21 |
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Washington
|
Sat 10/03 | W 37 - 30 |
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USC
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Sat 10/17 | L 27 - 34 |
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Boston College
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Sat 10/24 | W 20 - 16 |
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Washington St.
|
Sat 10/31 | W 40 - 14 |
| Navy | Sat 11/07 | L 21 - 23 |
| @ Pittsburgh | Sat 11/14 | L 22 - 27 |
|
Connecticut
|
Sat 11/21 | L 30 - 33 |
| @ Stanford | Sat 11/28 | L 38 - 45 |
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