The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia

Ok folks, it's not time to hit the panic button just yet with our verbal commitments. Yes all the rumors swirling around about Omar Hunter are spreading like wildfire on every internet chat board. I guess we have heard it all from the Atlanta Journal Constitution and, yes, our favorite one of them all, ESPN. The latter got a quip from Omar's high school coach. Here's what was said by Jess Simpson via ESPN:

Irish defensive tackle pledge Omar Hunter shopping around

According to ESPN's Craig Haubert and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Under Armour All-American Omar Hunter is seriously looking at Florida and USC.
His high school coach, Jess Simpson, went as far to call Florida, "a more likely alternative to Notre Dame," in the Journal-Constitution's article.
Simpson added, "I don't think it was so much the season they [Notre Dame] had. I think he's just starting to reconsider where he's going to school and how far away it is and the weather and the climate, and how easy it is for his family to come see him."

First off, you would think Omar will easily scratch off USC, because Los Angeles is a lot farther than South Bend from Georgia. Secondly, I don't recall Hunter complaining about the weather and the climate when he visited for the Air Force game. The drive up to South Bend is not that hard if you're driving up from the South. Let's see, I recall such parents, like Bert Berry's mom making the drive from Texas to watch her son play. She never once talked about the difficulty of making it to watch her future Pro Bowler every home game.

Now let's backtrack a little bit after the Stanford game to piece together why this situation might be looking the way it is right now. After the Irish's win over the Cardinal, Charlie Weis and Co., took to the road visiting most of their verbal commits and some of their potential targets.

First let me list all the 22 verbal commitments that we have as of today:
QB - Dayne Crist (Sherman Oaks, CA)
RB - Jonas Gray (Beverly Hills, MI)
WR - Michael Floyd (St. Paul, MN)
WR - John Goodman (Ft. Wayne, IN)
TE - Joseph Fauria (Encino, CA)
TE - Kyle Rudolph (Cincinnati, OH)
OL - Braxston Cave (Mishawaka, IN)
OL - Lane Clelland (Owings Mills, MD)
OL - Mike Golic, Jr. (West Hartford, CT)
OL - Trevor Robinson (Elkhorn, NE)
DE - Sean Cwynar (McHenry, IL)
DE - Ethan Johnson (Portland, OR)
DT - Omar Hunter (Buford, GA)
DT - Brandon Newman (Louisville, KY)
DT - Hafis Williams (Elizabeth, NJ)
LB - Steven Filer (Dolton, IL)
LB - Darius Fleming (Chicago, IL)
LB - Anthony McDonald (Sherman Oaks, CA)
LB - David Posluszny (Aliquippa, PA)
CB - Robert Blanton (Matthews, NC)
CB - Jamoris Slaughter (Stone Mountain, GA)
S - Dan McCarthy (Youngstown, OH)

Now here is where it gets a little interesting. Weis and some of his assistants went out across the country for three weeks, starting Nov. 25 through December 15, right before the dead period in recruiting begins; which was this past Monday, December 17. Below I will list recruiting visits by week:

Week One (November 25 - December 1)
Joseph Fauria (visited by Weis on Sunday, Nov. 25)
Dayne Crist and Anthony McDonald (visited by Weis on Monday, Nov. 26)
Kenneth Page (visiting by John Latina and Bill Lewis on Monday, Nov. 26)
Brandon Newman (visited by Corwin Brown on Tuesday, Nov. 27)
Hafis Williams (visited by Latina on Tuesday, Nov. 27)
Robert Blanton (visited by Lewis on Tuesday, Nov. 27)
Ethan Johnson (visited by Weis on Wednesday, Nov. 28)
Jamoris Slaughter (visited by Brown and Lewis on Wednesday, Nov. 28)
John Goodman (visited by Brown on Thursday, Nov. 29)
Gerell Robinson (visited by Weis on Thursday, Nov. 29)
Dan McCarthy (visited by Brian Polian on Saturday, Dec. 1)
Datone Jones (visited by Weis and Polian)*
Cyrus Gray (visited by Rob Ianello)*
Steve Filer (visited by Ianello)*
Sean Cwynar (visited by Ianello)*
Darius Fleming (visited by Ianello)*
John Goodman (visited by Ianello)*

Week Two (December 2 - December 6)
Brandon Newman (visited by Jappy Oliver on Monday, Dec. 3)
Datone Jones (visited by Brown on Monday, Dec. 3)
Gerell Robinson (visited by Ianello on Tuesday, Dec. 4)
Milton Knox (visited by Polian on Tuesday, Dec. 4)
Kenneth Page (visited by Weis on Tuesday, Dec. 4)
Robert Blanton (visited by Weis on Wednesday, Dec. 5)
Deion Walker (visited by Weis and Ron Powlus on Thursday, Dec. 6)
Michael Floyd (visited by Ianello on Thursday, Dec. 6)
Steve Filer (visited by Brown)*
Darius Fleming (visited by Brown)*
Sean Cwynar (visited by Brown)*

Week Three (December 9 - December 15)
Gerell Robinson (visited by Oliver and Mike Haywood on Monday, Dec. 10)
Jonas Gray (visited by Weis on Tuesday, Dec. 11)
Trevor Robinson (visited by Weis on Thursday, Dec. 13)
(* = Date of visit is not known)

So out of the 22 verbal commitments, six were not visited during that three week stretch (Kyle Rudolph, Braxston Cave, Lane Clelland, Mike Golic, Jr., David Posluszny, and Omar Hunter). What makes this more intriguing is the fact that during that three week period, none of the coaches made visits to other Tight Ends (Rudolph) or Linebackers (Posluszny). They did make trips for more offensive linemen, which was a given and eventually got Trevor Robinson to come aboard last week. One thing that does stick out is that the Irish coaches did visit some possible replacements for the defensive line (Datone Jones, twice). Kapron Lewis-Moore wasn't visited, to my knowledge, but was frequently contacted by Irish coaches during that time.

So is there something during that time frame that made Irish coaches not visit Hunter? Or is there a reason why they are on the recruiting trail for another defensive lineman? Who knows? I'm trying not to speculate too much about this, but it makes you wonder. What I do know is that Charlie is firmly standing still on his policy of, if you're looking, we're looking too! Eventually, according to the Atlanta Journal Constitution, Weis did, IN FACT, make a visit to Hunter's practice on Dec. 11 before Buford played in the State Championship game. Just in time before the dead period began. Unfortunately for that visit, Weis didn't get too much ground with Hunter. Omar kinda of blew off Charlie a little bit. During that day, he was in Detroit meeting Jonas and assuring his pledge to the Irish. That's when word broke out about a certain university's visit to Buford and that Omar sought out his attention. Charlie then went down to Buford to make a surprise visit. Which now brings me to my next point.

During that three week stretch, around that first week of recruiting visits, Florida Associate Head Coach John "Doc" Holliday went up to Buford, Georgia, to seek out T.J. Pridemore, a current 3 star fullback, linebacker. During that visit, it has been RUMORED, yes RUMORED, that Omar Hunter sought out Holliday about the University of Florida. Whether this visit was ordered by the Poacher to lure Hunter away from the Irish is not known, I wouldn't put it past him (i.e.; Justin Trattou).

Florida is looking at Pridemore at fullback, but T.J. is deadset on playing linebacker at the next level. His hopes of playing in the NFL, he believes, is on the defensive side. There has been more RUMORS, that Omar is seeking out Florida to help out his buddy. Yeah, wishful thinking!

Now, we come to the present. Omar Hunter is still verbally committed to the Irish. He plans on visiting Gainesville around January 11 or 12, after his All-Star game; where he will be rooming with current verbal commit, Braxston Cave. Hopefully Braxston can sway Hunter's focus back to the Irish. These are young kids that are not only making a big decision for education, but they are making decisions that will impact them for the rest of their lives!

Lastly, I was watching the movie, The Sandlot, last night and heard a quote that I felt was quite relevant to the Irish recruiting. "Heroes get remembered, but LEGENDS never DIE! Follow your heart kid, and you'll never go wrong". Omar could be a hero at Florida, but here, at Notre Dame, he'll be a LEGEND!

Follow your heart Omar. You're very much needed and wanted here in South Bend; that's for sure!

As for my loyal readers, have a safe and Happy Holiday Season. I'll be going on a little hiatus until after the New Year, unless there is some major news to report on. Merry Christmas and always, GO IRISH!

Shark Tales

During his off season, I got the pleasure of seeing Jeff Samardzija at a few home games this past season. After having the season we had, it would have been nice to have a sure handed receiver like Jeff around, that's for sure. One thing that has been great is his daily blogs on his website: http://www.jeff-samardzija.com.

His latest piece talks about this past season and his take on things. As for someone that knows the team and the coaching staff and, more importantly, the ins and outs of college football; I'll take his word. Here's what Jeff had to say:

"What's going on everybody. Figured it was about time that I checked in again with another Blog. That and I was getting heat from my manager/full-time brother to fill you in on what has been going on and whats planned. First things first, the 2007 ND season has just wrapped up. Sure I'm hearing all the groaning about how this was the "worst ND team ever" and how people are jumping off the bandwagon. Heck our plumber told me he hasn't seen a worse ND team in 46 year, so it has to be true. I say take it easy everyone. I'm not a history guy, but I don't think ND has ever had that many true freshman and soph on the field at one time. The o-line, which is probably the most important spot on the field, had all first and second year players. I remember back in high school when I started as a true freshman...We were a super young team with mainly soph and junior players. My good friend was the QB and also a freshman. We were the first true freshman to ever start on varsity at Valpo High. With that being said, we got destroyed all season. The papers were all over us as the worst Valpo team ever, and why would a team start so many young guys? We heard it all. Well what happened our junior and senior years? We made it to the State and Semi-State finals. Go figure. So just hang in there ND fans, you'll be impressed with these guys soon enough..."

The Shark is gearing up for another season with the Cubs farm system. It won't be too long before we see Jeff pitching in Wrigley!

Go Cubs and Go Irish!

Note: Click on the title to see Jeff's entire blog entry

Coaching Rumor Bug Hits Home

This college football season should have been a soap opera with all the ups and downs it had, especially for my beloved Fighting Irish. Now with every coaching fire and hire, and speculation of who is going where, the reverberations are now hitting South Bend. Another Notre Dame assistant coached is being rumored to be going elsewhere.

First, Mike Haywood was in consideration for both the Northern Illinois and Houston head coaching positions. Now it is being RUMORED that offensive line coach, John Latina, will be reunited with longtime friend David Cutcliffe at Duke. Latina was Cutcliffe's offensive line coach at Ole Miss at first before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2000. Once Cutcliffe was let go as the Rebels Head Coach, both Latina and him were hired on to Charlie Weis' staff; and we all know what has happened since.

Currently, ex-Notre Dame quarterbacks coach Peter Vaas is the Duke offensive coordinator. If Latina were to leave Notre Dame, it would definitely be for that OC position. Cutcliffe is in the process of assembling his staff, and will try and finialze it by the New Year. Last week, he sat down with the current Duke assistants to see if he will keep any or certain ones on staff.

Notre Dame fans first response would be, will this effect any of their current verbal commitments? I would say with this solid group, no. Besides Latina, there have been a handful of assistant coaches and Weis, himself, being in regular contact with all their 22 commitments.

Latina's offensive line gave up a Notre Dame record of 58 sacks, while averaging an NCAA worst 75.2 rushing yards per game.

Only time will tell if there is any truth to this rumor. I will keep you posted when I hear more about this situation.

The Savior of Ann Arbor?

You gotta love the spirit in Michigan fans. After not getting their man Les Miles, and then their second choice, Rutgers' Greg Schiano; Michigan found their man in West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez. The Wolverine faithful are happy to get Rodriguez and are feeling that their program is going to be at elite status real soon. Are you kidding me? Rodriguez is a fine coach, but he's not a miracle worker.

Let's start off with the facts. 1) Lloyd Carr is sixth among active coaches in winning percentage (75.2%), while Rodriguez is at 62.1%; 2) Prior to this season, Rodriguez had 8 wins over Top 25 programs in his six seasons at West Virginia. That's an average of 1.3 wins a year over ranked opponents. If you count this season, where he had a victory over Cincinnati, his average drops to 1.28; 3) While Rich is on a two game bowl winning streak, he still has a .400 record; 4) Since the departure of Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech to the ACC, West Virginia has reaped the benefits of a mediocre Big East. Rodriguez's overall record versus' Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech is 2-2, 0-3, and 2-3, respectively. So he's a respectable .500 against the big three of the former Big East. Currently he's 4-3 against his Backyard Brawl opponent, Pittsburgh, and 1-2 against South Florida; and 5) West Virginia's SOS is not what I call formidable. Starting with his first year at WVU in 2001, WVU's SOS has been 35th, 54th, 56th, 65th, 63rd, 37th, and currently 42nd. The Mountaineers have faced the likes of Ohio, Kent State, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Central Florida, East Carolina, James Madison, Wofford, and Eastern Washington in their out of conference slate.

In case you are wondering, Rodriguez is 0-1 against the Irish, a 34-24 loss in 2001. I'm not going to compare Charlie Weis to Rodriguez. But if insist, Rodriguez's record in three seasons was 20-17, while Charlie's is 22-15. The schedule is not close whatsoever, as well as, bowl teams played. So you can throw that one out the window, Meeechigan fans.

I think Rodriguez is a fine coach, but I don't think he'll get Michigan to the promise land anytime soon. Heck, I'm not sure if he'll be the one to get the Wolverines past Ohio State. Good luck Michigan, you'll need it.

The Whack Stack Stats

A rather new magazine called STACK, is the first magazine dedicated to helping high school athletes improve their performance safely and effectively. One of the things that this thorough, fact-checking magazine has done is compile a list of the Elite 50. The Elite 50 is a ranking of the best schools for academically minded athletes. After months of crunching numbers [wins, losses, championship titles, school rankings and academic progress], Stack listed a compilation of information that gives High School Student-Athletes a guide to choose a school that provides the right balance of academics and athletics.

Overall, Notre Dame cracked the Top 15 of the list at 13. I guess this is Stack's attempt of emulating the NCAA Overall Sports Trophy (NACDA Director's Cup, formerly the Sear's Director's Cup). Here's the breakdown of rankings in each sport: Women's Soccer(1), Women's Tennis(4), Men's Cross Country(4), Men's Soccer(4), Women's Cross Country(6), Lacrosse(6), Hockey(8), Men's Tennis(8), Football(12).

Being ranked 12th in football, I don't have a problem with, especially after this season's debacle. This is what the magazine had to say about it:

Notre Dame’s strong academics won’t be enough to keep football ranked 12th next year, after this season’s dismal performance. But the strength of women’s soccer (1), men’s soccer (4), men’s XC (4), women’s tennis (4), women’s XC (6), and men’s tennis (8) may keep them near the top-15 overall

Now here is my concern I have about this whole football ranking system. Stack used four academic and athletic performance categories (2008 U.S. News & World Report on America’s Best Colleges, Academic Progress Rate [APR], Athletic Performance, and STACK Factor) to determine the top 15 teams. The main area I really had a beef about was the APR. According to Stack, the APR:

Established by the NCAA in 2005, APRs gauge how well collegiate athletic programs move their student athletes toward graduation. Every team receives a rating based on the academic eligibility and retention of its players. Two points are awarded each season to every student-athlete who meets academic eligibility standards and who remains with the institution. A team’s APR is the total points earned by its members in a given period, divided by the total points possible. The highest rating is 1000. Teams that fail to reach minimum standards, which depend on the sport and its number of participants, risk NCAA sanctions.

Now here is where it gets interesting. Notre Dame's APR was at 964, while such great football factories like Auburn, Georgia, and Florida, are 967, 963, and 961, respectively. How in the world does Auburn have a higher APR rate than Notre Dame? I can live with the fact that little brother, Boston College (976), and California (965) have higher APR's than the Irish, but definitely not WAR EAGLE, err, I mean the Tigers.

With the players we do have that don't transfer, Notre Dame does do a wonderful job of keeping their players eligible and eventually graduating within five years. In fact, Notre Dame has had a 98.69% of football players that have graduated from the institution since 1962. Also, Notre Dame was tops in the country this season with Northwestern for having the highest graduation rate (95%) in Division I football. So how come Auburn was ranked higher in APR than Notre Dame? Your guess is as good as mine.

According to the NCAA, Notre Dame is the best at retaining their student-athletes from year-to-year, and graduating them in a timely manner. In their latest Federal Graduation Data, Notre Dame was again at the top. In football, the NCAA looks at three things for a particular cohort: 99-00 graduation rate, four-class average, and student-athlete graduation success rate. Below is the breakdown of numbers:

Notre Dame: 81 (99-00 GR), 84 (four-class avg.), 95 (GSR)
Auburn: 61 (99-00 GR), 56 (four-class avg.), 63 (GSR)
Georgia: 33 (99-00 GR), 39 (four-class avg.), 41 (GSR)
Florida: 32 (99-00 GR), 42 (four-class avg.), 80 (GSR)

Here are the facts. Yes, Notre Dame has had players leave the squad to transfer under the Charlie Weis regime, but so has the other three schools. You mean to tell me that Auburn hasn't lost players leaving early to the NFL or lost them to transferring in the last three seasons? Auburn has actually lost 5 to the NFL early, 7 to transferring or leaving the program, and 11 to being declared academically ineligible the last three years.

This just shows that people can spin numbers anyway they want to, to make a buck. But when they try and compare the 19th best institution in the country, according to US News and World Report, to the 96th is ridiculous. Once again the anti-Notre Dame bias shows.

NOTE: Click on the title to view the Top 15 schools in football according to Stack Magazine

He's Awesome Baby!

The College Basketball season is definitely in full swing and many like myself have been wondering, where the heck is Dick Vitale. Well today, I learned that Dickie V. has been sidelined with a throat problem. He has lesions on his left vocal cord and will be having them surgically removed in the near future. His Doctor's goal is to have Vitale back sitting at courtside in early February.

As a huge supporter of Notre Dame athletics, with having three former Irish student-athletes in his family (daughters Sherry and Terry played tennis, while son-in-law Tom Krug was an ND quarterback), Vitale has been a staple to college basketball for well over 29 years. Here's to a quick and speedy recovery Dickie V.!

Vitale did have something he wanted to say to all his friends and fans across the country. His message is something that not only hits the hearts of many, but definitely hit close to my home as well:

"If you want to lend me a helping hand, go to dickvitaleonline.com and during this holiday season, help me assist kids that are battling cancer by making a donation to the V Foundation in memory of Payton Wright. You can send a check in care of the V Foundation and mail it to Tandem Enterprises, 7810 Mathern Court, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202. Or you can call (800) 4-JIMMYV and please indicate that your donation is in memory of Payton Wright.

My goal is to raise $1 million for the Payton Wright research grant to help kids battling cancer."

To see the entire Vitale letter, click on the title.

I Plead the 5th!

Three defensive seniors will be back for a fifth season, according to the Notre Dame Sports Information Office late Friday afternoon. Linebacker Maurice Crum, lineman Justin Brown, and conerback Terrail Lambert.

Crum, was fourth on the team in tackles with 84. He single handidly won the UCLA game for the Irish with his performance against the Bruins. Brown, who started five games for the Irish, had 30 tackles on the season, including a sack and three and a half tackles for losses. Lambert, who's one shining moment was scoring the game winning TD against Michigan State in 2006, had 34 tackles and one interception on the year for the Irish.

What does this mean for the big picture? Well first off, all three of these guys will bring some necessary depth to key positions before sending the new freshmen into the fire. We all know how important depth can be to a team. Secondly, there is some wiggle room for another recruit or two this season. Previously thought that ND would only have one, maybe two fifth year seniors gave ND some options at how many more recruits they can get. So far the Irish stand at 22 verbal commits after Trevor Robinson gave his pledge to ND on Friday. Also there are some rumblings that Munir Prince might bolt for Missouri, while Luke Schmidt is not happy with playing time. With a possibility of Prince leaving the Irish, Lambert's presence in the defensive backfield will help tremendously.

Look for some more news this week about another possible recruit signing with the Irish, as well as, the final word about Prince and Schmidt's rumors.

First Annual IBB College Bowl Pick 'Em Contest

I just signed up for the College Bowl Pick 'Em on CBSSportsline, and I'm inviting you to start a team and play against me!

I've set up a private "buddies" page to track our team's performance against each other, and against the rest of my "buddies" group. The winner gets the distinction of the top dawg in IBB lore, bragging rights for the year, and a special ND gift!

To join my group, please click on the link below. The College Bowl Pick 'Em is really easy to play, and you can invite a bunch of people to play too!

http://free2opc.1.collegefb.sportsline.com/b/df4d39e8b1951659

Sign up soon, because spots are filling up fast! Good Luck and as always, GO IRISH!

Tis The Season of Charlie Tuna

As I do almost every morning, I run on campus for a good hour before I start the work day. Since I practically live a hop, skip, and a jump from the Dome, I ran by the Gug this morning to see how big of a line Coach Weis' first annual Christmas signing went.

For those who didn't know, Coach Weis sent an email to Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s and Holy Cross Students, Faculty and Staff that he would sign autographs at 8 a.m. Friday morning in the Guglielmino Auditorium.

Here's what Coach Weis sent:

“There have been numerous inquiries regarding whether I’d be available to sign potential Christmas gifts for people this year,” said Weis. “As opposed to having people try to catch me early in the morning or late in the evening outside the Gug, I thought it would be best to set up an organized signing period. Therefore, I’ll get off the road from recruiting Thursday night and will sign for everyone who shows up Friday morning.”

I don't think a 3-9 season put a dampen on the Irish faithful, as there was a good line waiting outside the Gug at 7:30. So much for all folks saying that Weis is a scrooge or anything like his mentors, Bill Parcells (Tuna) or Bill Bill Belichick.

For my family members who are reading this, the answer is yes, I did see you know who waiting in line to get something autographed. I wonder who the lucky two people are? It will definitely be a Merry Christmas for those two for sure!

Tiller Moves Up the Ranks of the Football Rumor Mill

With all the coaching hirings and firings taking place the last few weeks, rumors upon rumors have been spread across Internet message boards. One site that is very good, The Football Rumor Mill, posts their coaching hot seats. Purdue's Joe Tiller has moved up to the charts as the Boilermaker faithful feel there needs to be a change made.

There has been a ton of chatter among Purdue's higher ups that if Tiller doesn't win their bowl game, he will be shown the door. PU's el foldo down the stretch, plus their Old Oaken Bucket loss to Indiana at the end the regular season also left a bad taste in AD Morgan Burke's mouth. I wonder if they would replace Tiller with Defensive Coordinator Brock Spack? One could only hope for that Christmas gift!

Here is a snippet of the Rumor Mill's Coaching Hot Seat. To view the whole list, click on the title above.

THE BURNT ASS - Already Fired/Job Open
Phil Bennett – SMU
Lloyd Carr – Michigan (retired)
Karl Dorrell – UCLA

THE SCORCHED HINEY – Firing Seems Likely
Joe Tiller – Purdue

THE TOASTY TUSH – Firing a Definite Possibility
Joe Glenn – Wyoming
Ty Willingham – Washington
Mark Snyder – Marshall

On a side note, doesn't Tiller look like actor/Quaker Oates spokesman, Wilfred Brimley? Maybe Wilfred is thinking he could be the next coach of Purdue, or better yet, he's thinking that Veronica Vaughn is one fine piece of ass!

Voter's Response to Trevor Laws AP Snub

I guess we can finally get some closure to the whole AP All-America Team fiasco. Like I promised, here's South Bend Tribune and AP voter, Eric Hansen's response as to why Trevor Laws was not on any of the AP All-American Teams:

"I think Trevor had an amazing year and his numbers were better than most defensive tackles. But in ND's system, they labeled him as an end. And in that light, his numbers didn't compare. We could not just simply vote for defensive linemen. We had to vote for two tackles and two ends on the first and second teams. (We did not vote for the third team or honorable mention -- those selections came from the points system associated with the voting). I think Trevor was hurt by playing on a 3-9 team and not on a dominant (although improved) defense.

Hope that helps.

Eric"

There are a few things that just don't sit well with me on this issue. First, every All-America Team can decide whether they can just choose any defensive linemen like AFCA Coaches All-America, FWAA Football Writers Association of America All-American, CBSSportsline.com All-America, Rivals.com All-America, and the Walter Camp All-America; or be more specific like the AP squad. Also where is the Honorable Mention team? It is nowhere to be found!

Secondly, I thought in the 3-4 scheme, there was a Nose Guard and two defensive tackles. Maybe I'm wrong in that terminology, but that's what we called it during my playing days. Why did ND label Trevor an end? It's not right, and every Irish fan will agree. This just frustrates the heck out of me. Oh well, that's it about this whole BS we call the All-America Teams!

In the end, Trevor will get his time to shine on Sundays. Here's to the Bears making a great first day draft selection!

Projecting the NCAA Tournament Field

I know it is the middle of December, but it's never to early to discuss March Madness. With the Irish in the midst of final exams, Notre Dame's current five game winning streak has taken notice of several coaches and media alike. If the selection committee chose today, the Irish would be in at a #12 seed. With last week's impressive wins over Kansas State and Northern Illinois, the Irish were one of the last four in, while Big East rival Syracuse didn't make the cut. The Orange suffered another loss at the Carrier Dome to Atlantic 10 Conference member Rhode Island. Two weeks ago, SU lost a stunner to UMass.

According to CBSSports.com's Garry Parrish, the Big East leads the way with 8 teams: Georgetown, Marquette, Pittsburgh, Villanova, West Virginia, Connecticut, Louisville, and Notre Dame. Syracuse and Providence are currently sitting on the fence with identical 6-3 records. Notre Dame opponents and Big 12 counterparts, Baylor (11th seed) and Kansas State (9th seed) both made the field of 65.

With the way the Irish have been playing as of late, my prediction of 22 wins is definitely achieveable and hopefully surpassed! Parrish's field is strong with the usual suspects: #1 seeds Memphis (south), North Carolina (east), Kansas (midwest), and Texas (west). Georgetown (2 seed), Marquette (3 seed), and Pittsburgh (4 seed) are the tops in the Big East. In fact, the Big 12, ACC, and the Big East each have three teams seeded in the top four.

What's more interesting is what possible #5 seeds the Irish could face in the NCAA Tournament if it ended today. Currently, Parrish has Indiana, Vanderbilt, Villanova, and Oregon as his potential candidates. Wouldn't it be something if the Irish faced the Hoosiers in the first round.

Here's Parrish's Projected Field by Seeds:

1. Memphis, North Carolina, Kansas, Texas
2. Georgetown, Washington St., UCLA, Duke
3. Michigan St., Texas A&M, Marquette, BYU
4. Xavier, Pittsburgh, Clemson, Tennessee
5. Indiana, Vanderbilt, Villanova, Oregon
6. Gonzaga, Butler, Arizona, Southern California
7. Dayton, Rhode Island, Arkansas, Miami
8. West Virginia, Stanford, UConn, St. Mary's (CA)
9. Louisville, Wisconsin, Kansas St., Southern Illinois
10. Boston College, California, Missouri, Virginia
11. Ohio St., George Mason, Baylor, Florida St.
12. Florida, Creighton, Notre Dame, Western Kentucky
13. Davidson, Miami (OH), Nevada, Sam Houston St.
14. Winthrop, Belmont, Holy Cross, Hampton
15. Siena, Austin Peay, UC-Santa Barbara, Oral Roberts
16. Maryland-Baltimore County, Montana State, Robert Morris

Opening Round Game: Cornell vs. Alabama St.

Once the New Year comes around, the Irish will be going full-throttle on their way towards a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament. This time it will not be a one and done performance. You can count on that!

Note: Notre Dame opponents are in Italics

Wake Up the Echoes

UnLaw(s)ful Omission

One of the great tragedies of college football unfolded yesterday. No it wasn't the whole Les Miles going to Michigan fiasco, instead, it was the announcement of the last All-America squad. No where listed on either the First, Second, or Third Team was Notre Dame's MVP Trevor Laws. Not only did Trevor lead the Irish in tackles with 112, but he was the nation leader in that statistic among defensive linemen.

The AP writers listed LSU's Glen Dorsey and USC's Sedrick Ellis, first team selections. The Second Team All-America's were Cincinnati's Terrill Byrd and Kansas' James McClinton, and rounding out the Third Team were Georgia Tech's Vance Walker and Texas' Frank Okam.

The other All-America Teams, Walter Camp, AFCA Coaches, Rivals, and CBS Sportsline.com, just have one team. What's also bogus is that along the defensive front of their repective teams is that there is only ONE true defensive linemen (Dorsey). Those teams put three defensive ends along the line with Dorsey: George Selvie (South Florida), Chris Long (Virginia), and Greg Middleton (Indiana). So you're telling me, each of these All-America Teams can mix and match their lineups any which way they want. Now that's a crock.

I don't have any problem with Dorsey making the First Team, because, let's face it, Big Baby was a monster. In fact, he was a consensus first team pick for every All-America Team out there. As for the others, it seemed like the sports writers and coaches chose players from bowl teams with above average records. Is that fair, probably not. Do you think they chose the best players, absolutely NOT! Here are the facts on each of the All-America recipients.

AP All-America First Team Defensive Linemen
Glen Dorsey (Sr.) LSU: 64 tackles, 6 sacks, 4 passes broken up, and 4 QB hurries

Sedrick Ellis (Sr.) USC: 56 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 6 PBU, 1 QBH, and 2 fumble recoveries

AP All-America Second Team Defensive Linemen
Terrill Byrd (Jr.) Cincinnati: 47 tackles, 6 sacks, and 5 QBH

James McClinton (Sr.) Kansas: 38 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT, and 5 QBH

AP All-America Third Team Defensive Linemen
Vance Walker (Jr.) Georgia Tech: 43 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 2 FR, and 3 forced fumbles

Frank Okam (Sr.) Texas: 49 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 PBU, 16 QBH, 1 FR, and 1 FF

The average for all six of the All-Americans were 49.5 tackles, 6 sacks, 2 PBU, 4 QBH, 0.8 FR, and 0.67 FF, and 0.17 INT's. How does Laws' stats compare to these so-called All-America's? Well let these numbers sink into your register: 112 tackles, 4sacks, 5 PBU, 7 QBH, 2 FR, and 3 Blocked Kicks. Those number overwhelm the competition. And speaking of competition, let me rehash what each team faced this year.

Georgia Tech (Emerald Bowl), 7-5, 6 bowl teams, 1-5
USC (Rose Bowl), 10-2, 5 bowl teams, 4-1
LSU (BCS Championship), 11-2, 7 bowl teams, 5-2
Kansas (Fiesta Bowl), 11-1, 5 bowl teams, 4-1
Texas (Holiday Bowl), 9-3, 6 bowl teams, 4-2
Cincinnati (Papa John's Bowl), 9-3, 5 bowl teams, 4-1

Notre Dame, 3-9, 10 bowl teams, 1-9
Notre Dame's 12 opponents finished 2007 with a combined 85-60 record, with 10 of them earning bowl eligibility. Those teams listed above don't come close. ND faced one of the toughest schedules and Laws dominated against those teams. I guess I just don't understand what these coaches and sportswriters are thinking. That's it, they are not thinking whatsoever!

Basically, Laws was penalized for playing on a bad team. Where's the justice? I thought to myself, how could this be. Then I saw who the voting panel was. Here's the AP All-America voting panel: Alex Abrams, The Morning New of Northwest Arkansas; Jimmy Burch, Fort Worth Star-Telegram; Mike Dearmond, The Kansas City Star; Doug Doughty, The Roanoke Times; Eric Hansen, The South Bend Tribune; Kirk Herbstreit, WBNA.

I emailed Eric Hansen of the South Bend Tribune today to see if he voted for Laws, and if there is even an honorable mention list as well. So far, I haven't received any response. Once I do, I'll post his response.

A crime was done yesterday. Sadly enough it was against an athlete who is probably going to be a better professional than those listed as All-Americans. Post season awards are now becoming more of a joke than they were before. Before I thought Rocket Ismail's Heisman Trophy runner-up finish to Ty Detmer was ridiculous, but this one definitely ranks up there.

Everyone in Irishland knows that Trevor Laws is a true All-American selection! Unfortunately, our votes do not count.

Football Soap Opera

The saga continues at the University of Meeechigan, where it looks like LSU Coach Les Miles is having a change of heart. Rumors around Ann Arbor (major whore, by the way) were swirling about how bad the UM AD Bill Martin botched this whole thing. After hearing Martin was dead set on Ball State's Brady Hoke, the Michigan faithful went to the top and asked for their Board of Directors to get Martin back on track and try to sway Miles back to the dark side. Below is the abridged version of the Detroit Free Press article. To see the whole article, click the title.

Miles appears to be a Michigan coaching candidate again. Miles had a phone conversation Friday morning with Michigan athletic director Bill Martin and school president Mary Sue Coleman, according to several people with knowledge of the call. Michigan received permission Nov. 28 from LSU athletic director Skip Bertman to speak with Miles, as long as it was after the Dec. 1 SEC championship game. So asking LSU again for permission was not an issue; U-M is believed to have initiated Friday's call. LSU athletic director Skip Bertman said Monday night he didn't know if Miles had had contact with Michigan. But he said he doubted anyone could sway Miles to leave LSU.

When Tom Osborne started looking for a new Nebraska football coach, he hired a search firm to help. When Bill Martin sought a new Michigan football coach, he figured he didn't need a search firm. Think about that. Osborne is one of the best coaches in the history of the sport. Martin was a casual football fan before becoming Michigan's athletic director. Yet Osborne is the one who used a search firm. If Martin had hired a search firm, he likely would have a coach by now.

Who has ever heard of an Athletic Director botching a coaching hire? Sounds new to me too! Maybe UM's AD will get the job done, unlike you know who.

The Crazy World of College Hoops

Last Saturday's contest with NIU, wasn't so much of a contest after the second media timeout. To say the Irish were hot, would be an understatement. ND shot 72 percent in the first half (the best shooting first half in the Mike Brey era) against NIU, en route to a 57-25 lead at halftime. The 108 points scored were the most under
Brey in a game that ended in regulation time. The game got so out of hand that the Huskie Coach Patton joked around saying that even the Notre Dame managers scored on his team. That would have been a laughing stock if it were true, since one of the managers is a female.

The win over Northern Illinois was the Irish’s 25th straight at the Joyce Center, a school record. The home winning streak is the second longest in the nation. Forward Luke Harangody helped in the win with 14 points and 12 rebounds, his fourth double-double of the season. Forward Rob Kurz and guard Kyle McAlarney each scored 17 points.

For his output last week, Harangody made the Big East Honor Roll for the second time this season by averaging 16.5 points and 13.0 rebounds in their wins over Kansas State and NIU. Nationally, he is 39th in rebounds per game with a 9.2 average.

Harangody isn't the only Irish player in the Top 40 national statistics. Kyle McAlarney is 22nd in 3pt. FG percentage (49.2%) and 29th in 3pt. FG per game (3.3). He's also tops in the Big East in both of those categories.

As for the team as a whole, I was shocked to see that Irish didn't receive any votes in either one of the polls. Syracuse, f'ing Syracuse even received votes. The Orange just lost their second contest to a Atlantic 10 opponent (Rhode Island) at the Carrier Dome. I don't care that they currently have the eighth hardest schedule in the nation. What they do have is a 2-3 record versus opponents in the Top 100, and 4-0 against teams ranked 101-200. If the Cuse doesn't make the Tournament again this year, they definitely don't have any reason to bitch and whine; something Jim Boeheim does quite frequently.

Georgetown (5, 4), Marquette (10, 13), Pittsburgh (11, 9), Louisville (22, 20), and Villanova (23, 18), are currently ranked in both the AP and Coaches Polls, respectively. West Virginia is also receiving votes in the Coaches Poll, alongside the previously mentioned Syracuse squad.

Being in the fourth-best conference, according to the latest RPI rankings, the Big East has only one team, DePaul (2-3), with a losing record. Even though the conference had two big blows over the weekend, Syracuse losing at home Rhode Island and Louisville losing at home to Dayton, the Big East still holds strong in getting eight bids to the NCAA Tournament. Where do the Irish stand put in this mix?

Well looking at the recent RPI ratings, Notre Dame is currently the 11th best team in the conference. The rankings are a little misleading and here is why. Below, in order, is the RPI rankings for each Big East squad. Included in the rankings is the overall record, strength of SOS, record vs. 1-50 ranked RPI teams, record vs. 51-100, record vs. 101-200, record vs. 200, and highest RPI opponent win.

Big East Conference RPI Ratings
12. Marquette (5-1), 18 SOS, 0-1, 1-0, 3-0, 1-0 (59 Wisconsin)
13. Providence (6-3), 4 SOS, 2-2, 1-0, 2-1, 1-0 (10 Arkansas, 47 Boston College)
34. Syracuse (6-3), 8 SOS, 0-2, 2-1, 4-0, 0-0 (73 Siena)
38. Villanova (7-1), 122 SOS, 1-0, 1-1, 3-0, 2-0 (37 George Mason)
39. West Virginia (6-1), 96 SOS, 1-0, 1-1, 2-0, 2-0 (43 Winthrop)
40. Louisville (5-2), 24 SOS, 2-1, 0-1, 1-0, 2-0 (26 Miami, OH, 27 UNLV)
45. Pittsburgh (8-0), 216 SOS, 0-0, 2-0, 5-0, 1-0 (56 Duquesne)
51. Seton Hall (7-2), 128 SOS, 0-1, 1-0, 1-0, 5-1 (89 Virginia)
53. St. John's (4-1), 99 SOS, 0-1, 0-0, 2-0, 2-0 (122 Long Island)
63. Connecticut (6-2), 67 SOS, 0-2, 0-1, 4-0, 1-0 (79 Morgan State)
68. Notre Dame (7-2), 93 SOS, 0-1, 1-1, 4-0, 2-0 (86 Kansas State)
69. South Florida (7-3), 82 SOS, 0-1, 1-1, 4-1, 2-0 (52 Florida State)
84. Georgetown (7-0), 297 SOS, 0-0, 0-0, 4-0, 3-0 (139 Old Dominion, 150 Alabama)
145. Rutgers (6-3), 226 SOS, 0-0, 0-1, 2-2, 4-0 (149 North Dakota State)
220. DePaul (2-3), 164 SOS, 0-2, 0-0, 1-1, 1-0 (194 Northwestern)
285. Cincinnati (4-4), 295 SOS, 0-0, 0-1, 0-2, 4-1 (230 Fairfield)

So out of the non-conference wins, the Irish's victory over Kansas State will suffice for their tournament resume. If the Wildcats can finish strong, Notre Dame's numbers will increase, as well as, the Irish's conference wins.

It will be a little break for finals for the Irish, but they should shake off any rust when they return to the court on Dec. 22 against San Francisco. Here's to number 26 at the JACC!

Record Setting Night In Store for the Irish

Tomorrow night's contest with Northern Illinois will be one for the records as the Irish try to make it 25 consecutive victories at the JACC. After their resume building win over Kansas State last Tuesday, the Irish start the first of a six-game homestand- their longest of the season. ND will roll on Saturday, as NIU is very young and doesn't really have a consistent scorer. In just eight games this season, six different players have led the Huskies in scoring.

As for the Irish, the team has been hitting lights out since their losses to Baylor and Georgia Tech. Notre Dame has shot 119-244 (.488) from the field and 35-80 (.438) from three-point range. Leading the way so far has been Kyle McAlarney and Luke Harangody. McAlarney was brilliant in New York, scoring the final nine points for Notre Dame in their win over Kansas State. The junior guard is averaging 21.8 points in his past four outings, and that's probably why the Irish have rebounded from a 2-2start and reeled off four consecutive victories. The new streamlined Harangody single-handidly took control of the game against the Wildcats by scoring scoring 19 points and pulling down 14 rebounds in front of a national audience.

Harangody leads the Fighting Irish in both scoring (17.5 ppg.) and rebounding (8.9 rpg.). McAlarney is chipping in 14.6 points-per-game, followed by 12.9 points from senior forward Rob Kurz.

Notre Dame 94
NIU 73

Keys to the Game
1) Pressure the young Huskies. NIU has sent out a starting line-up of three freshmen guards over the past two games that includes Darion Anderson, Jeremy Landers and Michael Patton. If the Irish can rattle them early, this contest should be over by half.

2) Run at will! Notre Dame needs to push for an uptempo game. NIU currently has a streak of three consecutive halves of holding their opponents under 30 points. This will be the only streak broken on Saturday.

Notes
~ Notre Dame holds a 2-1 advantage over the Huskies in their all-time series.

~ Northern Illinois is 2-3 all time against Big East opponents. Their last win over a Big East opponent was a 77-68 triumph over DePaul at the NIU Convocation Center on November 28, 2005.

~ Irish teams are 52-17 (.754) all-time versus teams that now comprise the Mid-American Conference.

Through the Sands of Time

Just how important was Notre Dame's 68-59 victory over Kansas State on Tuesday night? Let's just say that this is what the NCAA selection committee will determine from the haves to the have nots!

Currently on the ESPN Bracketology (11/26 issue), the Big East has eight teams slated to make the Big Dance: Connecticut (9 seed, South), West Virginia (12 seed, West), Louisville (3 seed, West), Marquette (3 Seed, South), Villanova (9 seed, Midwest), Pittsburgh (8 seed, East), Syracuse (6 seed, Midwest), and Georgetown (2 seed, East). The conference as a whole, has the fourth best RPI ranking and will only get better once Big East action takes place starting in January.

The Irish have placed themselves in a good spot with their quality win over the Wildcats. Hopefully Kansas State will do their share by having a decent year in the Big 12. One positive so far in the loss column for the Irish is that Baylor is standing at 6-1 on the season. This is the best start for the Bears since the mid 90's.

As for the the potential eight March Madness bound Big East schools, I looked at their current national ranking, overall record, RPI ranking, and overall strength of schedule and compared that to the Irish. What you will see is that Notre Dame is in good shape to make it two years in a row to the NCAA Tournament. If the Irish can snag around 10 to 11 conference wins, they're in, no questions asked. If the number dips to 9 wins, then it might be bubble time. Syracuse last year had 10 conference wins, unfortunately for the Orange, their only quality non conference win was over Charlotte! So ND's win against Kansas State is huge.

Here is the breakdown of the 8 potential Big East NCAA Tournament Teams:
Connecticut (NR), 5-2, 59 (RPI), 47 (SOS)
West Virginia (NR), 5-1, 61 (RPI), 135 (SOS)
Louisville (14), 5-1, 20 (RPI), 30 (SOS)
Marquette (11), 4-1, 26 (RPI), 27 (SOS)
Villanova (25), 5-1, 63 (RPI), 145 (SOS)
Pittsburgh (12), 7-0, 53 (RPI), 220 (SOS)
Syracuse (NR), 6-2, 32 (RPI), 23 (SOS)
Georgetown (5), 6-0, 89 (RPI), 290 (SOS)

Notre Dame (NR), 6-2, 50 (RPI), 55 (SOS)

I'll dive even more into the quality wins and losses category for each of these teams as well. Once again, you'll be pleasantly surprised and breathe a sigh of relief for the Irish's chances.

Quality Wins and Losses
Connecticut: Wins (Gardner Webb); Losses (Gonzaga and Memphis)
West Virginia: Wins (Auburn and Oklahoma); Losses (Tennessee)
Louisville: Wins (UNLV and Miami of Ohio); Bad Loss (BYU @ home)
Marquette: Wins (Oklahoma St.); Losses (Duke); on deck @ Wisconsin
Villanova: Wins (Bucknell); Losses (NC State); on deck LSU and Temple
Pittsburgh: Wins (St. Louis); on deck @ Washington, Duke, and Oklahoma State.
Syracuse: Wins (Virginia and Washington); Losses (Ohio St.); Bad Loss (UMass @ home)

Notre Dame: Wins (Kansas State); Losses (Baylor and Georgia Tech)

Obviously the sands of time can change all of this, but if last Tuesday is any indication, the Irish will be dancing, and you can take that to the bank!

You're Making Your Bed......

The University of Washington had a 11th hour change of heart when it came to Ty Losingham. During the end of the year press conference, UW president, Mark Emmert, announced Willingham will be on as the Husky coach, despite speculation that he considered whether to fire Willingham.

Emmert was quoted saying, "I believe Tyrone Willingham has the talent, character and drive to reach the level of success we all want for our football program," Emmert said in a statement. "He and I have discussed the need to evaluate all aspects of the program, determine what changes need to be made to strengthen it, and set in motion those changes to point the program in the right direction." If a 11-25 record gives you belief that he is succeeding, than more power to you guys!

Here is what I believe happened the last few days for Willingham to keep his job. Emmert and Washington AD sit down with Willingham to hammer out some specifics for him to do or he is bye, bye: 1) Fire some assistant coaches (deja vu? Guess who is considered to be out the door? I'll give you on guess....KENT BAER!); 2) Have a winning record and get to a bowl game; 3) Both the administration and Ty knew what type of ramifications would happen if he does get canned (over $3 million shelled to him by UW and ND); and 4) Win the Apple Cup or a meaningful game (USC or Notre Dame). Good luck with that Washington, because you'll need it. I don't care if you have a multi-talented quarterback in Jake Lockert. Ty had a great one in Brady Quinn and look what he did with him. Better yet, look what he did with Jeff Samardzija.

Willingham is the first Huskies coach with three consecutive losing seasons. How Ty is keeping his job is beyond me. He cannot coach a lick and his loyalty to his crappy staff is sickening.

Ty declined to talk with reporters after a Tuesday night team meeting, and never wavered from the belief he would return for his fourth season.

Happy 20th Anniversary Tim

It was 20 years to the date on December 5th (Yes, I was a day late because I was away on business) that Notre Dame had its 7th Heisman Trophy winner in Tim Brown. In fact, Tim was the first, true wide receiver to win the award. He graduated a year too soon before the Irish won their last National Championship in 1988.

The single attribute that sets the great football player apart from the merely good one is the ability to turn a game around on one play. More than any other college star of the 1987 season, Tim Brown possessed this rare talent, and it is for this reason that he was the 53rd winner of college football's most coveted individual award, The Heisman Trophy. Brown, who did everything on a football field except sell tickets, is the seventh Trophy recipient from Notre Dame, which is tied with USC for the most Heisman winners. He caught passes, ran back punts and kickoffs, rushed when necessary, and drove any defense to distraction just by being on the field. At 6 feet and 195 pounds, Brown is not huge by football standards. But he possessed great speed, elusiveness in the open field, sure hands and a fine grasp of the strategy and tactics of what is in reality a complex game. "He is," says Lou Holtz, "the most intelligent player I've ever been around." As a measure of Brown's versatility, consider these statistics through the first nine games of the season: 32 pass receptions for 729 yards and 3 touchdowns; 29 rushes for 133 yards and a touchdown; and three touchdowns. Tim was drafted by the Oakland Raiders as their number one pick in the 1988 NFL Draft.

Congrats Tim on what was truly a wonderful football career!

Postponing the Inevitable

Ty Losingham's future at Washington has been put on hold for right now. Since the Huskies arrived in Seattle late Monday, the scheduled press conference has been postponed.

According to the Seattle Times, "Speculation has surrounded Willingham since the Huskies fell to 4-9, dropping his three-year record to 11-25. The Huskies usually hold one on the Monday after the season ends that is just with the coach to discuss the season and look ahead --- and one has been held every year that I can recall except 2004 when Keith Gilbertson had already been fired. A spokesman from the U-Dub Athletic Department said it is being postponed for a day or two because Willingham simply doesn't have the time to do it tomorrow". Sounds eerily strange to me.

I'll try not to look into it that much, but it does make you wonder what the heck is going on in Seattle. Rumblings about Jim Mora, Jr. also have surfaced that he has been on campus talking to the higher ups.

More information to come shortly!

MSG Magic

Notre Dame enters tonight's contest against Kansas State with a 5-2 record after posting a 76-65 win over Eastern Michigan at home on Saturday. It was the Irish’s third-straight win -- all at home -- since dropping back-to-back one-point heartbreakers to Baylor and Georgia Tech in the Paradise Jam on Nov. 18 and 19.

Junior guard Kyle McAlarney paced three players in double figures with 21 points on 8-of-10 field goals, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, against EMU, while sophomore forward Luke Harangody and junior guard Ryan Ayers added 18 points and 12 points, respectively. The team shot 56.3 percent from the field in the victory, including 61.5 percent in the first half, and had just nine turnovers.

One of the top defensive teams in the country, Notre Dame is holding opponents to just 60.6 points per game this season on 39.1 percent shooting from the field, which will come in handy tonight since KSU converting on 50.6 percent (160-of-316) of its 2-point field goals. That is good news since the Irish have struggled at time to hold the opposition from beyond the 3 point arc (Georgia Tech and the late surge by Eastern Michigan).

The big assignment tonight is to contain heralded freshman Michael Beasley. Beasley averages 26.7 points and 15 rebounds a contest. He also is shooting 60.8 percent from the field, including 47.1 percent from 3-point range to go with 1.6 assists, 1.6blocks and 1.1 steals in 31.9 minutes per game. So yeah, wow! There will be a rotation of players guarding Beasley, starting with Junior swingman Ryan Ayers. Depending on the success, look for Zach Hillesland to disrupt Beasley's flow of the game.

The Irish are just as formidable on the offensive end, averaging 78.3 points on 47.7 percent shooting, including 43.4 percent from 3-point range. It is also averaging 39.7 rebounds, 19.7 assists, 7.0 steals and 4.3 blocks per game.

This is a contest I predicted the Irish would lose. After watching their contest against Oregon, I honestly believe Notre Dame, can steal this one because of a few factors: 1) Familiarity at the Garden. Notre Dame has played in the historic Madison Square Garden now for years. The glitz and glamour and being awed will not be a factor for the Irish. It will be the Wildcats’ first regular-season visit to the Garden in school history and the first since playing two games in the 1994
Postseason NIT. The program has never won a game in four overall contests in the building. 2) The youth movement. One of the nation’s top recruiting classes has been a big success so far for Kansas State, as the newcomers have posted over 60 percent of the Wildcats’ total points (380), rebounds (187), steals (32) and blocks (18) and over 50 percent of the total assists (62). In all, four of the top-5 scorers and each of the top-3 rebounders are either freshmen or first-year players in the program. Once again how much of the bright lights of New York will get into the Wildcat players' minds, especially Beasley?

Prediction
This matchup is like one of those bruising Big East Conference games for the Irish, especially since it is playing in MSG. The emergence of the long ball from McAlarney, Ayers, and Luke Zellar will create opportunities for Rob Kurz and Luke Harangody down low. As long as Beasley is held under 20 points, this one should go to the Irish in a close, hard fought Jimmy V Classic!

Notre Dame 79
Kansas State 73

Notes and Stuff
~ This will mark the fifth all-time meeting between Kansas State and Notre Dame on the hardwood and the first since the two played in the second round of the Postseason NIT in 1992. Notre Dame owns a 3-1 advantage all-time in the series.

~ Since coming back from the Virgin Island's, Notre Dame has been hitting their shots with relative ease. The Irish have shot 91-175 (.520) from the field and 30-61 (.492) from threepoint range. Against Eastern Michigan on Saturday night, the Irish connected on 56.3 percent (25-52) from the field and 62.5 percent (10-16) from three-point range — both season bests.

1, 2, 3....You're Out!

If anyone stayed up late Saturday night, early Sunday morning to watch the Hawaii - Washington game got to enjoy an instant classic. This seemed all too familiar to us Irish fans, indeed! Not only did the Huskies lose the game in epic Tyrone Losingham fashion, but he might have lost himself another head coaching position.

The fate of coach Willingham could be in question after the team blew a halftime lead for the fourth time this season — and in this case, a 21-point lead in the second quarter. That wasn't something Willingham wanted to address afterward. He delivered a cold stare at the ESPN reporter who asked if he was confident he would return in 2008. Athletic director Todd Turner said last week he had "no doubt" in his mind Willingham would return next season. But UW president Mark Emmert is also surveying the situation and he has been more noncommittal, though he hasn't also offered anything publicly to indicate he's making a change.

If this glorious event does happen, I wonder what all the pundits will have to say about Notre Dame, or better yet, the University of Washington? Will they call them racists? Will Jesse Jackson and the Rev. Al Sharpton come to Coach Willingham's rescue again? Who knows. All I know is that this just proves that Willingham can't coach anywhere at the major Division I level.

Throw out all the comparisons between Charlie Weis and Ty Losingham. Not only is it pointless and idiotic, it doesn't come close. Willingham has had several head coaching gigs at Stanford, Notre Dame, and now Washington, with minimal success. Coach Weis has had three years at the helm at ND and has brought the Irish to 2 BCS bowls, whether you agree or not about their inclusion.

Washington wants to turn the corner and restore a once proud football tradition. That will only happen when they get rid of Losingham. They have a replacement just a few miles away from campus in Jim Mora, Jr. The timing is right if the Washington Administration pulls the trigger. Time will tell though.

One more note of interest. Washington didn't leave Hawaii until this morning to go back to Seattle. I wonder if Ty brought his golf clubs with him????? I guess some things will never change!

NOTE: Click on the Title for an article from the Seattle Times about Coach Willingham