Notre Dame - No Luck Of The Irish

By Brendon Rosenau
Love of Sports Correspondent

Now that the college basketball season is entering the time when people start to pay attention, it’s about time the University of Notre Dame got a little bit of respect.

The Fighting Irish are currently tied for third place in the Big East (9-3), just a half game behind first place Georgetown.

With an overall record of 19-5, the Irish could record 26 wins, a number they haven’t reached since Digger Phelps coached the team in the ‘73-’74 season, and be one of the final eight teams playing in March.

The team has all the ingredients in place of a run in March: a good post player, an outside threat to keep defenses honest and a smart point guard.

The Irish are averaging a Big East best 80.7 points per game, thanks in large part to Luke Harangody, who is the easy frontrunner to be the Big East Player of the Year.

Unlike most of the stars in the Big East, Harangody came to South Bend with very little fanfare. In Rivals.com’s list of Top 100 recruits of the Class of 2006, hr was 104th. As a freshman, he started at the end of year and averaged over 11 points a game. This year, it’s a much different story.

This sophomore is leading the Big East in points (20.8), is second in rebounding (10.4) and is the most complete big man in the league and one of the best in the country, as evidenced by the fact he’s a finalist for the Wooden Award.

In all of college basketball, Harangody is one of only four players averaging 20 and 10. The others are Tyler Hansbrough (North Carolina), Michael Beasley (Kansas State) and Jason Thompson (Rider).

In the Irish’s last loss, to UConn, Harangody dominated the Huskies and their seven-foot center Hasheem Thabet, to the tune of 32 points and 16 boards. It was his seventh straight double-double and 14th of the season, made even more impressive by the fact that, at 6-foot-8, he’s going up against bigger players each night.

“It’s a unique package of psyche, intensity, motor, athletic ability, strength and toughness. It’s a perfect storm of a lot of things coming together for this young man,” Irish coach Mike Brey said.

While Harangody’s been taking care of business outside, junior Kyle McAlarney has been hurting the opposition from the perimeter.

McAlarney’s connecting on 44.6 percent of his threes and averaging over three of them a game. All of this is contributing to an average of 15 points per night, which ranks second on the team. He’s a threat from anywhere on the court, and when he gets hot, watch out.

Earlier this year he hit 17-of-27 triples over a three game stretch. On nine different occasions, he’s hit at least five threes in a game. A nice complement to the bruising work Harangody does in the paint.

Point guard Troy Jackson leads the Big East with 6.1 assists per game while averaging over seven points and four rebounds. Like Harangody, Jackson wasn’t considered a great recruit and was rated lower than his classmate, but he’s proven time and time again he can play with the best of the best.

Senior forward Rob Kurz is the third Irish player to average double figures (12.3) while also pulling down nearly eight boards a night.

Brey, in his seventh season with the Irish, has brought the Irish to the tournament four times, but this year he might have his most balanced team yet. In the past, his teams were centered around great stars, like Troy Murphy, but this year he not only has a star but a solid group around Harangody as well.

Once again, though, it seems that fans around the country are dismissing the Fighting Irish. This is a program that’s 11th all-time in wins and could break into the Top 10 by the end of the year. They’re also 17th in career winning percentage. They’ll reach the NCAA’s for the 29th time and they have one of the best big men in the nation to lead them through the Big Dance.

So, consider this a warning and reserve a spot on the Bandwagon before it fills up on the way.