By Paul Gotham
In less than 48 hours, we will be fully immersed in conference tournaments. As the regular season of college basketball ends, here is a smattering of questions to consider.
1. Does Jim Boeheim have any voodoo is in his bag of tricks? Louisville is 11-4 against Syracuse, including a Cardinal win less than a month ago. Rick Pitino seems to have a hex on his old boss’s team.
2. Can UNC make it worthwhile for ESPN? UNC at Duke is the game of the week. Did anyone see the Heels being 16-14 overall and 5-10 in the league? On paper, tonight’s game looks like a mismatch. But this rivalry is never about what is on the paper.
3. Can Purdue take a page from ND? The Boilermakers lost Robbie Hummel. It appears the Fighting Irish have lost Luke Harangody for the foreseeable future. ND is catching some momentum. Can Purdue do the same?
4. Truth AND Consequences? Villanova is 4-4 in the last eight. West Virginia is 4-3 over their last seven, including a home loss to…Villanova. Will the real Wildcats and Mountaineers stand up?
5. Why is Texas in the top 25? Seven and seven since the middle of January? Somewhere, there is a Mountain West team crying foul.
6. When will Rick Barnes learn his lesson? Barnes did a great job bringing in Kevin Durant and D.J. Augustin. How is the time spent on those recruits looking right about now?
7. Does Gary Williams know the tonic? The Terps topped Duke earlier this week. They get Virginia today. Is Maryland suffering from a hangover?
8. U.C.L.A. at Arizona State…in case anyone forgot or overlooked it or cared. It would serve me right if a Pac 10 team made a run in the tournament.
9. 3s or rebounding? Mike Brey’s team has put the fight back in Fighting Irish. ND has taken three in a row in the Big East. How are they doing it? Is it the three ball? Is it their rebounding?
10. Will Richmond avoid the pothole? The Spiders rebounded from an overtime loss to Xavier by trimming Dayton. Richmond plays at Charlotte today. The 49ers will be hungry for the upset.
ND looks like it’ll be dancing…and it is not thanks to the 3-ball as of late (3-21 against Marquette, 3-15 against UConn, and a decent 8-22 against G-town)
I would chalk it up to the team playing together and relying on each other without Harangody. Harangody would often receive the ball and the offense would stall and sputter hopelessly, then he would force bad shots. Hopefully Brey can reintroduce Harangody to the line up and keep the team chemistry healthy. A little Irish luck hasn’t hurt ND the past 4 games either.
Z Dubbz!
Great to see you back on the Pine. It’s been a while. The place isn’t the same without you.
Astute comments.
You have earned membership in the “I-know-the-truth-about-Luke-Harangody” club. Rey started this group about 14 months ago. Initially, he “reysed” a few eyebrows. You now are the fifth member of the club. The proof is in the pudding with ND’s recent success.
Looks like Marquette and ND had the same game plan. Both teams entered play Saturday shooting over 40 percent from behind the arc (top 10 in the nation). Both teams shot WELL below their average.
Shooting 3-15 against UConn is like shooting 40 percent against anyone else. Despite UConn’s record, the Huskies are doing one thing they have done since 1995: hold opponents under 40 percent from the field. The number is even smaller for UConn’s three-point percentage defense.
Z Dubbz’s comments are indeed astute. The only one I question is “maybe Brey can insert Gody back in the lineup w/o hurting chemistry.” Brey is still the problem. It is due to Brey that Gody is an albatross rather than an asset. I hope Brey does not get the chance to try to keep the chemistry with Gody in the lineup. If he doesn’t get that chance, ND may go deep.
I say this with great hesitation, but I’m actually pumped about the Irish … it’s more about HOW they’re playing … gritty, aggressive, never say die, even physical … more than the wins, but it’s the wins that are gonna get them to the Dance. Now, as you’ve all suggested, can Brey manage the personalities and Gody effectively … and not screw it all up again????