My choice in regards to the Rutgers game yesterday was to either leave my house at six in the morning in an attempt to get back to South Bend in time to watch it or sleep in and get phone updates en route.  I chose the latter, probably thankfully, as I'm not sure I could have taken another close game after the Connecticut loss.  I don't like to overanalyze league victories on the road, especially when the team's best player has an off night and I've only read about the game extensively and watched limited highlights.  The theme this weekend was for the top-tier teams (Louisville, UConn, Notre Dame) to struggle on the road against the bottom of the conference (Providence, South Florida, Rutgers) and escape with victories, and since the Irish went along with that pattern instead of dropping a road game like Georgetown did at Syracuse, I'll be pleased.

Two problems that do bother me, however, are the bench going back into a recession after the great effort against Marquette and a continuing lack of perimeter defense.  If you can't shut off the initial dribble-drive, which opens up a host of other problems for a team that's not quick enough to rotate and cover up mistakes.  Tory Jackson is obviously turning into a very, very good point guard, so I hope he can add "Lockdown Perimeter Defender" to his growing list of superlatives.  

Other thoughts from a full weekend of college hoops...

*    I've already notched a mark in the Loss column for the Louisville game in Freedom Hall, and nothing in their last couple of contests against Georgetown and Providence have changed my mind.  This is a well put together team with a lot of multifaceted weapons on the wing to go along with a big man with great hands and vision (Padgett), a nice rotation of guards and the depth necessary to employ Pitino's preferred brand of basketball.  Their early losses everyone was aghast about (BYU, Purdue, Dayton) all look very defensible now, and if the Irish manage to survive this home stand and want a chance at the regular season Big East championship, they best come out ahead next Thursday night.

*    When I was out watching the Irish and Huskies, there were Memphis highlights on at the half and some incredibly ignorant person remarked of their unblemished record "Yeah, but they haven't played anybody!" to his buddy in an attempt to gain some sports bar street cred.  I'm just going to assume he was totally unaware that the Tigers' non-conference slate, in an attempt to make up for the weak C-USA, includes Oklahoma, UConn, Southern Cal, Cincinnati, Georgetown, Arizona, Gonzaga and Rocky Top.  Between that and their consecutive Elite Eight appearances, I think John Calipari's crew deserves at least a small measure of respect from the casual fan.  (The Tennessee game is Saturday night at 9, and should be great one.)  

*    So Duke got beat in a game where they were their perimeter shooters were locked up by a more athletic team that also did some damage against them inside?  This hasn't been a problem in the postseason for the Devils lately?  Has it?

*    I'm excited for the season-ending matchup of South Florida's Kentrell Gransberry, who also held his own and then some against the formidable Connecticut frontline, and Harangody.  But in regards to other Big East Player of the Year candidates, after Roy Hibbert picked up his fourth foul and exited the game, the Hoyas immediately ripped off a 12-0 run.  Anecdotal and incredibly small sample size, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

*    Big East fans certainly have reason to complain about the generally atrocious officiating they must watch on a night-to-night basis, but Arizona fans have to be fuming after what they had to deal with Saturday afternoon against the Stanford Cardinal.  For some reasons, the refs interpreted "A defender stands with his arms straight in the air, stationary, while a Lopez twin slams into him" as "Foul on Arizona."  And incase you were unsure, the other guard on the All-Freshman (All-American?) team is Jerryd Bayless, who scored sixteen consecutive points in the second half just to keep the Wildcats in it.  Arizona's depth is as bad as Notre Dame's, but if Bayless and Chase Budinger catch fire, they're a potential sleeper come March.

*    And finally, I'm glad the 2008 Irish basketball team's Best Friend Forever, the Kansas State Wildcats, righted their ship after a less-than-spectacular performance in Lubbock.  Future number one overall pick Michael Beasley had 40 and 17, yet the hype he's getting compared to what Kevin Durant got last year still isn't sufficient.  Beasley is averaging 25.7 and 12.6 boards on 54.8% shooting, 41.9% from three, compared to Durant's 25.8 and 11.1 boards on 47.3% shooting, 40.4% from three.  I don't think anything can replicate the KD Experience from last spring, but there's definitely some burnt orange bias or royal purple prejudice at work here in regards to coverage.    

(Did I write that last paragraph just to use "burnt orange bias" and "royal purple prejudice?"  Mostly, yes.)