Hoops Team Drops 4th in a Row
Mike Brey’s lineup shakeup didn’t do too much to stop Notre Dame’s losing streak Monday night. The Irish hoops team fell to #8 Marquette 64-71 for their second consecutive home loss. Here are some notes from the loss.
- Luke Zeller played reasonably well in his 3rd career start with 8 points and 8 rebounds, but he didn’t score a single point in the second half and made a costly turnover in the final minutes.
- Luke Harangody did his best to carry this team on his back all game, but just couldn’t do it alone. Harangody finished with 29 points, 17 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 blocks. He single handily kept the Irish in the game in the first half, but just couldn’t get enough help from the rest of the team in the second half.
- Tory Jackson nearly recorded a triple double with 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists; but shot ust 4 of 12 from the field.
- Kyle McAlarney connected on just 3 of 12 shots and was smothered by the Marquette defense all game long. McAlarney couldn’t shake Maurice Acker and saw very few open looks.
- Bringing Ryan Ayers off the bench did not get the lanky guard out of his shooting funk – Ayers went 0 for 7 with 6 of his misses coming from three point range.
- Jonathan Peoples was pretty effective when he played, but only logged 21 minutes despite starting.
- Tyrone Nash hustles whenever he’s in the game. He is limited offensively, but the other Notre Dame forwards combined for just 8 points – all from Zeller.
- Notre Dame’s lack of athleticism was on clear display again as Marquette played some suffocating defense making the Irish work for every basket.
- Harangody did a good job of taking the ball to the hole in the first half, but got away from that in the second half and attempted just 5 free throws in the game. With his size, he should be able to work the paint for more trips to the charity stripe.
- Zach Hillesland appeared to hurt his ankle in the second half and did not return to the game.
- As a team, Notre Dame connected on just 8 of 26 three point attempts and just 24 of 66 from the field.
- Notre Dame actually out-rebounded Marquette 47-34 thanks in large part to 15 offensive rebounds.
- Marquette only turned the ball over 3 times compared to Notre Dame’s 10.
- Next up for Notre Dame is a Saturday trip to Pittsburgh to take on the Panthers. The game tips off at noon and will be televised on ESPN.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
need more inside play Harangody can’t do it all
Sounds like opponents figured out that Harangody is great but it takes 5. McAlarney and any 3 point shooter can be taken out of their game with solid defense. Especially if they son’t have another aspect to their game. The Irish need one more guy out there to step up and that will open things up for them to start winning again.