It's far too soon to say that tonight will be the final game in the Joyce Center for Luke Harangody, Tory Jackson, Jonathan Peoples and Tim Andree - a couple of losses and they'll get to host some NIT games - but this will certainly be the final Big East game for a class that's had tremendous success at Notre Dame.  Playing in the deepest, most competitive league in the nation, the quartet compiled a 41-27 conference record, good for a .603 winning percentage.  They also anchored a 45 game home winning streak that included 20 straight league games.  The team that ended that streak last January?

The Connecticut Huskies.  So if sending out a quality class of seniors and gaining revenge for the Huskies' last trip to South Bend wasn't enough, this game is loaded with bracket implications.  A Notre Dame loss means the Irish would need to win at Marquette (unlikely) and then win a few games in the Big East tournament (basically unprecedented).  It would also drop UConn to 7-10 in Big East play, which might be the mother of all eyesores for the committee.  Want to get invited to the Big Dance next Sunday?  Win this game.

The Irish and Huskies already played one game this season, and it was close until the final five minutes.  I'm not sure what we can take from that contest, since Harangody was prominently involved (31 on points on 14 for 27 shooting) and Tim Abromaitis played one of his worst games of the season.  The chances of Harangody playing are next to nothing and Abro hasn't scored fewer than 17 points since Super Bowl Sunday, so this game is going to look quite different from the one in early January.

As most of you know, the Huskies have been consistently inconsistent this season.  Probably the biggest factor in UConn's up and down season is the fact they don't shoot the ball well.  The defense has been stout from game to game, but they've put in some truly putrid efforts scoring.  48 points against Cincy.  An offensive efficiency of 84.6 against Providence, one of the worst defensive teams in the country.  They're shooting 32.9% from three on the season, good for 224th in the nation.  How does UConn make up for that?  They use the size and athleticism of Stanley Robinson, Gavin Edwards and Alex Oriakhi to get offensive boards and the quickness of the Kemba Walker/Jerome Dyson backcourt to get to the rim and free throw line.  Tory and Ben Hansbrough are going to have their hands full, and the defensive presence in the paint is going to require all hands on deck, helping out on penetration, limiting easy dishes for dunks and boxing out to collect defensive boards.

Notre Dame has played great basketball the last two weeks, but it will all be for naught without a win tonight against a talented but enigmatic Huskies team.  Both teams are desperate, but only one is at home.  Leprechaun Legion, help to send out the seniors on a high note.

The game is on ESPN at 7pm Eastern.  We've been blessed with a broadcast crew of Rece Davis, Digger and Bobby Knight, a combination I haven't seen on the World Wide Leader's airwaves too often this season.  Enjoy.