I may be crazy, but how can you not like ND getting all those points against DaVille tonight?
Looks to me like the gimme on the whole board tonight or am I missing something??? I hope it's not one of those "can't miss" misses but I think that I'll have to copy and make that my play also. I only wish that "M" had a ML on it cuz I would like to play the Irish to win SU, but I'll damn sure take the 8.
Unless someone out there can see why not.
Rick Pitino spent the better part of three days breaking down videotape of teams trying in vain to stop No. 17 Notre Dame.
Finally, after watching the Fighting Irish light up Syracuse's trademark 2-3 zone in a 94-87 win on Sunday, Pitino turned the video machine off in a fit of exasperation.
"They've been destroying zones," he said. "They shot like 56 percent for the game against Syracuse. I hate zone after watching that game."
Too bad, because Pitino knows the 13th-ranked Cardinals (22-6, 12-3) have little choice but to give it a shot when they host Notre Dame (21-5, 11-3) on Thursday.
Not much has against the Irish, who have blitzed opponents this season behind a breathtaking fast break and a steady dose of center Luke Harangody, the leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year. Harangody, however, is hardly doing it alone. Try to double-team him and he'll simply kick it out to guard Kyle McAlarney, who set a school record with nine 3-pointers against the Orange.
From the Courier-Journal:
Rick Pitino likes to have his coaching staff meticulously scout opposing teams’ offenses to look for tendencies and spot weaknesses to exploit.
Those methods usually create an advantage for his University of Louisville basketball team. But they may not be worth much tomorrow night against No. 17 Notre Dame.
“You go in with a scheme every game defensively, both for man as well as zone,” Pitino said. “With this basketball team, we’re going to have to spontaneously feel our way around this one.”
The Irish (21-5, 11-3) lead the Big East Conference in points per game, three-point shooting percentage, free-throw shooting and offensive rebounding. They have shooters all over the court, and none better than the league’s top three-point threat, Kyle McAlarney. He hit 9-of-11 threes on Sunday against Syracuse.
No. 13 U of L (22-6, 12-3) has been one of the best defensive teams in the country, but the Cardinals have succeeded using a zone defense. Notre Dame tore through Syracuse’s zone on Sunday.
“I watched that game, and it turned me off zones,” Pitino said. “I hate zones after watching that.”
Pitino said the best way to defend Notre Dame might be “to try a little bit of everything and see which ones work.”
The Irish will likely try to push the tempo, and Pitino said his team is fine playing at a high pace.
“That’s their style, and we’re going to go fast with them,” he said. “We’re not going to try to slow them down.”
The game is important because both teams are in a virtual tie for first place in the Big East. One more victory will all but guarantee a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament for U of L.
Comment