By Paul Gotham

Here come the Irish

What was once thought to be an aberration is looking more and more like reality.

The Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish knocked out a pair of Big East contenders: Pittsburgh 68-53 and Georgetown 78-64. A quick look at the box scores shows that the Irish are doing more with less. Notre Dame shot 22 of 44 from the field, including 10 of 18 behind the three point arc to win at Pittsburgh. Against Georgetown, the Irish hit 28 of 49. In comparison ND shot 28 of 68 in a one-point loss at Rutgers earlier this year.

Notre Dame is taking fewer shots but increasing the scoring margin. The formula is not real complicated. The Irish are developing a rhythm on offense. Players moving off the ball create passing and driving lanes. The result is five players prepared when a shot goes up.

Not only is the Irish scoring margin increasing, so, too, is their rebound margin. There is no coincidence that Notre Dame out-rebounded both the Hoyas and Panthers. By the way, Rutgers out-rebounded the Irish 43-30. Teammates will give approval to a shot when they have faith in the shot selection. That means guys are more willing and able to crash the boards.

Meanwhile, former Big East Player-of-the-Year, Luke Harangody is on the bench with an injury. Reports have it that the power forward might be down longer than originally expected. His teammates have picked up the slack in his absence. Here’s hoping Harangody has learned to trust his teammates. Too often over the last year and a half, Harangody has made poor decisions on the court. He is taking shots that suggest a lack of confidence in his teammates. The recent winning streak should change that.

Of Notre Dame’s 10 losses this season, six have come by a combined total of 11 points. Under Mike Brey, the Irish have made five appearances in the NCAA Tournament, with a record of 5-5.

Life after Hummel

One week ago, Purdue’s Boilermakers looked prime to for a number one seed. Seven days later, the Boilermakers are circling the wagons.

With Robbie Hummel on the pine for the rest of the year with an ACL injury, Matt Painter and his Boilermakers will need to redefine themselves…quickly.

Hummel averaged just under 16 points and nearly eight rebounds for the Big Ten team. Hummel led the Boilermakers with 43 three-pointers. He hit 36 percent from long range.

Purdue is still a Sweet Sixteen team. They play stiff defense. In their last ten games, only two teams have scored 60 or more against them. Problem is that without Hummel they only scored 44 against Michigan State.

Mack gives power to the people

Rockin' the Cintas Center

Xavier’s administration might need to reconsider the school calendar. Scheduling Spring Break during the final weeks of basketball season is questionable. With much off the student body away on vacation, head coach, Chris Mack, took matters into his hands. CBS’s Gary Parrish reported that Mack used the Musketeer message board to encourage enthusiasm at Sunday’s A10 first-place showdown with Richmond. Mack went so far as to impose a curfew on fans, so that the Musky faithful would bring plenty of energy to the Cintas center. Mack’s efforts paid off. Xavier won in double overtime, and Parrish called it the game of the weekend.

Temple wins the Big 5

With their 65-53 victory over LaSalle, the Temple Owls pitched a shutout in this season’s Philadelphia Big 5 city series.

Temple opened the series with a 75-65 triumph over Villanova. The Owls continued with victories over St. Joe’s (73-46 and 75-67) and Penn (60-45).

The Big 5 series began play in 1955 and has continued every year since. Until only recently, all the Big 5 games were played at the Palestra.

Player to watch-Willie Veasley, Butler

March is the time for heroes, and Willie Veasley has all the makings. The senior forward has one more go around and what better way to finish than taking the Bulldogs to the Final Four. Over the weekend, Butler played at Horizon League rival, Valparaiso. On the Butler bench with an injury was leading scorer, Gordon Hayward. No problem. Veasley picked up the slack with a 20-point, six-rebound performance. Veasley averages ten a game with nearly five rebounds and one steal.

Hazell reminds me of…

…Ray Allen. Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell might not garner many post-season awards. He probably won’t make any All-American teams. Hazell’s team might not get an invite to the Dance. But Hazell will eventually hear his name called in the NBA draft. If there is one player Hazell reminds me of, it is Ray Allen. Hazell moves without the ball as well as anyone in the country. When he gets the rock, he can square up and pull the trigger just like Allen. Another year in college could allow Hazell to improve his ability to go off the dribble.

1st Team All Casey

PG Jon Scheyer – Duke

SG Jordan Crawford – Xavier

SF Evan Turner – Ohio State

PF Damion James – Texas

C Greg Monroe – Georgetown

2nd Team All Casey

PG – Scottie Reynolds – Villanova

SG  Andy Rautins – Syracuse

SF  Wes Johnson – Syracuse

PF  Patrick Patterson – Kentucky

C Cole Aldrich – Kansas

All-freshmen

John Wall – Kentucky

Xavier Henry – Kansas

DeMarcus Cousins – Kentucky

Dane Miller – Rutgers

Mason Plumlee – Duke

Got any college hoops splinters? Share them here.

By Paul Gotham

It’s that time again. Let’s hear from you readers. We had another week of many performances with which to choose. Pick the ONE that stands out to you, and tell us a story.

I am going with Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell.

Hazell showed Thursday night that one does not need to take a lot of shots to score many points.

On 9 of 12 shooting from the field, Hazell had a game-high 25 points to lead the Seton Hall Pirates over the Louisville Cardinals, 80-77. Hazell hit three of six from behind the arc and four of six from the free throw line. The junior from Harlem added five rebounds, two assists and two steals for the night. Hazell averages 22 ppg with 3.6 rpg.

Seton Hall is quietly getting in position in the Big East race. With three wins, the Pirates are just one game behind fifth-place West Virginia. Last year, seven teams from the Big East earned berths in the NCAA Tournament.

Who gets your POTW?

By Paul Gotham

Setting: Jim Boeheim and his No.5  Syracuse Orange (12-0) visit the Prudential Center for a Big East tilt with Bobby Gonzalez and his Seton Hall Pirates (9-2/0-1).

Plot: After a week break the Orange open Big East play at 12-0 for the sixth time during Boeheim’s tenure. Seton Hall will face their second consecutive undefeated and top ten team. On Saturday, the Pirates lost in overtime to West Virginia, 90-84.

Sub-plots: The game pits two of the top scoring teams in the nation. SU ranks third in the nation with 88.3 points while Seton Hall is fourth with 88.1.

Flashback: Eric Devendorf dropped five of eight from behind the arc, and Jonny Flynn added 19 as the Orange downed the Pirates in the second round of the Big East tournament, 89-74. Syracuse owns a 43-15 lead in the all-time series. The Orange have won four of the last five tangles between the Big East rivals.  Seton Hall last defeated SU at home in 2004, 74-67.

Foreshadowing: 34 Orange alums have played in the NBA including current players Carmelo Anthony, Flynn, Donte Green, Jason Hart, Eton Thomas, and Hakim Warrick.  25 Pirates have played in the NBA. Samuel Dalembert is the lone Pirate currently in the NBA.

Conflict: Both teams have a rebound margin of roughly four. Seton Hall grabs 44.8 while giving up 40.4. SU gets 39.8 as opponents get 35.7. These numbers will show tonight’s battle for tempo. The Pirates have created more possessions. Syracuse and their zone slows down opponents. Can Seton Hall keep up with Syracuse in a fast-paced game?

Seton Hall scored 84 points against a West Virginia team that was holding opponents to less than 50 per game. The Pirates scored 36 of their points on lay ups. Many of those buckets came in transition. Seton Hall created 13 Mountaineer turnovers. The Pirates only turned the ball over six times.

Can Syracuse take care of the ball? Will the Orange stuff the outlets and limit the Pirates’ opportunities for easy baskets?

Eugene Harvey is effective in the open floor leading the Pirates with 64 assists (5.8 per game). The senior is resilient and will keep the pressure on Syracuse.

Herb Pope (6’8″) and John Garcia (6’9″) will have the unenviable task of keeping the Orange front line in check.  At 6’9″ and 240 pounds, Rick Jackson represents the largest forward the Pirates have had to deal with all season. Arinze Onuaku (6’9″) has been slowed by injuries by still must be accounted for. When those two are taken care of, 6’7″ Wes Johnson (8.2 rpg) will look to grab up the remaining boards.

Can Jeremy Hazell (rhymes with gazelle) and Jamel Jackson get lost in the SU zone? Hazell is not afraid to shoot. The junior took 33 shots against West Virginia including 19 from behind the arc. Hazell finished with a career-high 41 points. Jackson hit 12 three-pointers versus VMI en route to dropping 40.

Both VMI and West Virginia played man-to-man. Usually, three-point shooters enjoy zone defenses. That is probably not the case with this Syracuse team. These Orange are long and athletic and give opponents very little breathing room.

Tonight’s game will be Brandon Triche’s first Big East action. The freshman point guard has shown the potential for being a steadying force on the floor. He makes the easy pass and looks up the floor for open teammates. He has also shown his inexperience with some questionable decisions. Scoop Jardine will see time off the bench.  Against Florida Jardine’s handle was exposed as he committed four turnovers in 19 minutes of play.

Andy Rautins should provide the necessary leadership. The senior averages 9.5 points and 5.5 assists. But his value cannot be appropriately assessed with those numbers. Rautins makes the extra pass that moves defenses. He doesn’t always get the assist on that play, but in the long run the Orange benefit from his selfless play.

Resolution: Syracuse has too many weapons to not win a high-scoring affair. Seton Hall will come a another moral victory staying with the Orange until late in the game.

AP Photo/Bill Kostroun

By Paul Gotham

What a week of sports action with so many performances with which to choose. Step up readers and tell us a story. Give us your one, une, uno performance of the week.

If at first you don’t succeed try, try again.

With that in mind, Seton Hall’s Jeremy Hazell (pronounced ha-ZELL) grabs my POTW in a losing effort.

Hazell scored a career-high 41 points as the Pirates lost their Big East opener in overtime to No.6 West Virginia, 90-84.

It did not come easy. Hazell finished the game 14-33 from the field including 4-19 from the three point arc.  When the Pirates needed him most, the senior from Harlem delivered.

Seton Hall trailed by 10 with :56 remaining. Hazell nailed two three-pointers in the final :17 to send the game to extra time. Hazell’s second trey came from 25′ away with a hand in his face.

West Virginia came into the game holding opponents to less than 50 points per game and 29 per cent from behind the arc.

Who gets your POTW?