IFP Hoops - Week 2

This Week
Notre Dame (1-0) opened regular season play with an 82-50 victory over the visiting Long Island Blackbirds on Monday night. Senior captain Rob Kurz had 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks to lead the Irish. Luke Harangody added 15 points and 6 boards. Notre Dame’s dominance in the paint was the difference in this one (44-18 point differential down low, 52% overall from the floor). The Irish opened with a 10-3 run and never looked back. Kyle McAlarney had 7 points and 7 assists in his regular season return.

Next Week
The Irish hit the beach for some Paradise Jam action in St. Thomas, VI this weekend. The Monmouth Hawks, the pride of West Long Branch, New Jersey who are likely better than Long Island but no better than 7th in the 11-team Northeast Conference per most preseason rags, are Notre Dame’s Round 1 opponent on Friday Nov 16. Either Baylor or Wichita State follows on Saturday. The stars would have to align perfectly, but a Notre Dame-UIC match-up is possible on Monday Nov 19, as the Flames are likewise in the Paradise Jam field this weekend. Charlotte, Georgia Tech, or Winthrop, in a rematch of the 2007 NCAA tourney opening round game that Notre Dame lost 74-64, are more likely Irish opponents on Monday.

Miscellaneous Irish Hoops
Notre Dame has won 21 straight at the Joyce Center, counting the perfect 18-0 home slate last year and the last two home games of the 2005-06 season. The 1973-74 John Shumate-Dwight Clay Notre Dame team holds the record with 24 straight JACC wins, a streak that included the home win over UCLA that snapped the Bruins 88-game run.

Other Week 2 Games of Interest
DePaul vs. Northwestern (Sat Nov 17)
Illinois-Chicago vs. Winthrop (Fri Nov 16, Paradise Jam, St. Thomas, VI)
Illinois-Chicago vs. TBD (Sat Nov 17, Paradise Jam)
Illinois-Chicago vs. TBD (Mon Nov 19, Paradise Jam)
Butler at Evansville (Sat Nov 17)
Butler vs. Michigan (Wed Nov 21, Great Alaska Shootout, Anchorage, AK)
Indiana vs. Longwood (Sun Nov 18)
Indiana vs. UNC-Wilmington (Tues Nov 20)
Illinois at Hawaii (Fri Nov 16)
Illinois vs. Arizona State (Mon Nov 19, Maui Invitational, Maui, HI)
Illinois vs. TBD (Tues Nov 20, Maui Invitational)
Illinois vs. TBD (Wed Nov 21, Maui Invitational)

Chatter
DePaul (0-1) blew a big first half lead on the road vs. a pretty young Creighton team and lost 74-62 in front of 16,000+ at the Qwest Center in Omaha (talk about the proverbial “only game in town.") P’Allen Stinnet led the Blue Jays with 23 points -- the IFP research staff is confirming whether that is pronounced “Pee-Allen” or “Puh-Allen” or “Pal-len”. The Demons raced to a 20-4 lead but immediately allowed Creighton to go on a 13 point run themselves. DePaul was an ice cold 0-10 from beyond the arc in the 2nd half (4-19 overall). Senior shooting guard Draelon Burns will have to contribute a lot more than 7 points on 3-16 shooting if the Blue Demons are going to avoid trouble on a nightly basis in Big East play this season.

UIC (2-0) helped the Horizon League RPI cause by surprising perennial MoVal tough out Bradley 84-75 and likewise handled the NAIA UI-Springfield Prairie Stars 81-55 this week (Prairie Stars?). 5-11 junior guard Josh Mayo from Merrillville, IN led the Flames with 34 points vs. cold-shooting Bradley (8-28 from beyond the arc) en route to the Illinois-Chicago win. Mayo likewise had 13 vs. UIS. The Flames draw the Winthrop Eagles, a team quite familiar to the extended Irish Forum family, in Round 1 of the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas this weekend. Winthrop is down three starters and one head coach from last year’s Big South powerhouse but is nevertheless picked at or near the top of the league by most rags. Former Winthrop assistant Randy Peele slides down one seat on the Eagle bench and takes over this year for departing Gregg Marshall who took the Wichita State job. Interestingly enough, the Wichita State Shockers are ALSO in the Paradise Jam this weekend.

#25 Butler (2-0) picked up where they left off last year, routing in state “rivals” Ball State 61-46 and Indiana State 76-48. Pete Campbell scored 17 points to lead Butler against the Cardinals – 15 of Campbell’s 17 came on 5-11 shooting from beyond the arc. Matt Howard had 14 points, A.J. Graves had 11, and Mike Green had 11 points + 6 boards for the Bulldogs vs. BSU. Butler held Ball State to 17 first half points, spoiling the debut of head coach Billy Taylor. Graves had 26 vs. Indiana State in Butler’s second win of the week. ISU had won the previous three meetings and gave the Bulldogs their first loss last year. Graves’ six three-pointers helped ensure that mini-streak came to an end. The Dawgs travel to Evansville on Saturday and then to Anchorage to meet Michigan in Round 1 of the Great Alaska Shootout. Evansville is now coached by former IU player and Lawrenceville, IL high school hoops legend Marty Simmons. Michigan has not been to an NCAA tournament in 9 years, which explains why Tommy Amaker is now coaching in the Ivy League and former West Virginia coach John Beilein has been summoned to Ann Arbor.

#8 Indiana (1-0) shut down UT-Chattanooga 99-79 behind freshman Eric Gordon’s 33 points, the most points ever scored by an IU player in his college debut, breaking George McGinnis’ 37 year old school record (The Baby Bull had 26 for the Hoosiers in his debut vs. Eastern Michigan on December 1, 1970). Gordon stuffed the stat sheet from all angles, going 9-15 from the field, 7-11 on 3-pointers, with 6 rebounds, 4 assists. Senior forward D. J. White finished with 17 points, Armon Bassett had 20, and freshman Jordan Crawford had 13 for the Hoosiers.

Sources/References
2007-08 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook
Sporting News 2007-08 College Basketball
Chicago Tribune
www.espn.com
http://und.cstv.com