Location: South Bend, Ind. | Founded: 1842 | Enrollment: 11,311 | Colors: Blue and Gold
Coach: Mike Brey | Home Court: Joyce Center | Capacity: 11,418 Record:
(21-15, 8-10
Big East)
F Zach Hillesland is a junior and probably wants to play as a starter but he's been proving for the last couple of years you don't have to start to contribute to a winning team. He's been solid on offense and rebounding, the 6-foot-9 Hillesbrand gives Coach Mike Brey an option. He's averaging five points and five rebounds a game, twice scoring in double figures and collecting five or more rebounds in 12 of 19 appearances.
PLAYER ROTATION Usual Starters -- F Rob Kurz, F Ryan Ayers, C Luke Harangody, G Tory Jackson, G Kyle McAlarney. Key Subs -- F Zach Hillesland, F Luke Zeller.
GAME REVIEW
Notre Dame 91, Cincinnati 74
Georgetown 84, Notre Dame 65
Notre Dame 90, Villanova 80
GAME PREVIEW
Vs. Providence, Thursday, Jan. 31
Vs. DePaul, Saturday, Feb. 2
At Seton Hall, Wednesday, Feb. 6
Vs. Marquette, Saturday, Feb. 9
IN FOCUS On Feb. 2, DePaul comes into the Joyce Center where the Fighting Irish have been unbeatable. If they defeat Providence on Jan. 31 they will have a 32-game streak going as they face the surprising Blue Demons. DePaul will have to find some inside and outside answers for G Kyle McAlarney and C Luke Harangody, who combined for 55 points at Villanova. They also offer a challenge to the Irish with the scoring of Draelon Burns, who is fifth in the conference while averaging 17.9 points a game, and freshman Dar Tucker, who comes off the bench and always brings an offensive spark with him. He is 20th in the Big East in scoring with 13.4 points a game.
ROSTER REPORT
--It isn't always all basketball for Notre Dame. Before losing to Georgetown in D.C., the team spent three emotional hours visiting Walter Reed Medical Center and visiting with wounded veterans. The idea came to coach Mike Brey after spending a week in May with the troops in Kuwait as part of Operation Hardwood IV.
"It's moving talking to these guys," G Kyle McAlarney told the South Bend Tribune. "It really humbles you. If I think I'm having a bad day, look at these guys. They can't even walk. They work every day to do things we take for granted."
--Coach Mike Brey considered making changes in his starting lineup against Villanova, but went with the same group that has started every game this year. The Irish have been mostly injury free, with only F Zach Hillesland (one game) and G Ty Profitt (four games) have missed any time at all.
--Included in Notre Dame's 31-game home winning streak is 12 consecutive conference wins, the longest they've had since joining the Big East 12 years ago.
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Im very excited to see Luke come back to notre dame. Deciding on staying out of the draft was a good move. Brey needed Luke to stay because we need a team leader since most of our key guys are gone, but with him back it will provide nd with the points and rebounds he can give us which is huge. Great decision because he will now be one of the best players to ever play in an irish uniform and he wil
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As a Notre Dame fan, I'm excited about Luke coming back. As a bsketball fan, I can't understand the lack of interest by NBA teams. The guy has performed against good talent in the Big East and more than held his own against the likes of Thabeet and Blair. I look at the mock drafts and see guys like Heytveldt and no Harangody. Luke can eat Heytveldt's lunch! Come on
Good luck on Tuesday against Penn State. You guys looked good against Kentucky and I don't expect anything less. I think my Nittany Lions can definitely "run" with you guys. It should be a good game. You've got a helluva a duo in Harangody and McAlarney.
Getting to 20 wins makes this season a little easier to swallow. The toughness of the conference schedule has made these last two games seem winnable. We still play bad for long stretches during games and continue to make bad decisions that allow opponents to make runs on us. At times we seem lackadaisical and careless with the ball which I contribute to lack of intensity and urg
After looking at some replies to one of the other threads, i noticed people putting there final four picks. I was just wonder who you all think will be in the final four? Will it be a big east sweep? They have a decent chance. Uconn has look impressive, i think nova and pitt will battle it out to get there, louisville got a good shot, and syracuse is a long shot but have
This may be the poorest I've ever seen our team play. Are they not taught basic rebounding techniques. West Virginia is making us look pathetic. We cannot get off an open shot, do we not know how to screen players to create open attempts, can we not deliver the ball into the post, we look like some rec-league team out there running around with no sets what so-ever. This is embarrasing. Hi
The way this season played out is truly unexplainable. How do you go from being the #3 seed in the Big East tournament to being a complete joke in one season? Was Rob Kurz really that valuable? To me, he was Zach Hillesland of this year. The guy who did nothing but frustrate me all season by making stupid mistakes. I really expected big things from this team this season, and got nothing b
The NIT bracket was just released and we are a 2 seed playing a decent UAB team. I think we have a fairly easy draw. Creighton being the top seed. After we make it out of the first round we get the winner of the New mexico, nebraska game and after that i would think either creighton or Kentucky. Flordia is the #1 seed that i think we would probably meet up with in t
New Mexico Lobo fan here. How do you guys think the match up will go against you guys in your house. I know you guys came out of the very tough Big East. The Mountain West Conference is not a pushover though, as some out East might think. Should be a good match up.
We got a 6-9/235 relatively unknown out of MWC Daniel Faris who will
Looks as though you have to play the "Bigger" brother of the schools in Kentucky. Even though UK is having a down year much like yourselves - I imagine this to be a good game, although it baffles me the way the NIT makes you play on non-nuetral ground... but oh well... Good luck tonight...
I don't know how many people actually listen to Mike Brey's press conferences after the game, but the guy's pathetic. I'm sick of hearing his same BS propaganda about the Big East after every loss. "Winning 2 in a row in THIS LEAGUE is amazing blah blah." How about you go out and take some ownership for the fact that you get outcoached every single night, and that you are inept to mak
