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Can't Keep Them Out Now
UHND.com - Alan Tieuli - Used courtesy of IrishEyes.com
2/24/2002
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(IE)- Two questions.
How can you keep Notre Dame out of the NCAA Tournament?
How can you vote for someone other
than Chris Thomas for Big East Rookie of the Year?
Answers. You can't.
Notre Dame solidified its hopes to
qualify for the NCAA Tournament Saturday night with a road victory of the highest quality
- 90-77 over No. 13 ranked Miami. The win was
somewhat improbable in that it was only the Hurricanes' second home loss of the season and
also came without an appearance from shooting guard Matt Carroll (ankle).
Thomas was remarkable...again. The freshman - somehow a distant third for Rookie
of the Year in an online poll at Big East.com -- had his most important double-double of
the year, 32 points (six-of-12 3's) and 12 assists and clearly was the most compelling
player on the floor.
"Forget top freshman,"
said coach Mike Brey. "He is one of the top
guards in the country."
Miami entered fifth in the Big
East defensively, allowing only 69 points a game. But
Thomas just shredded the Hurricanes' 1-3-1 zone.
"He has us playing
fearlessly," said Brey. "And when we're attacking, we're pretty good."
"Pretty good" to Brey is
WOW-WEE to you. The coach maintains an
even-keel public persona - a very desirable trait at a school that has more than its share
of bandwagon jumpers. Those who were
questioning this team's ability - and its coaching - six days ago will be up all night on
the message boards saluting this one.
Mr. Indiana was not a one-man
show, however. Hardly. David
Graves was his usual
steady self with 18 points (four three-pointers) and Ryan Humphrey was above the rim for 15 points
and 10 rebounds, his 16th double-double of the year.
The Best Supporting Actor,
however, was Torrian Jones. Stepping into the starting
line-up for Carroll, the sophomore had a career-high 17 points and even survived an
R-rated tongue lashing from Brey for throwing an ill-timed behind-the-back pass while
protecting the lead in the final minutes.
"Torrian was fabulous,"
said Brey, specifically referencing his athletic, slashing moves to the hoop that resulted
in six-of-nine field goals.
Harold Swanagan banged inside for eight points and
six rebounds as the Irish turned in a consummate team effort.
Miami led just once in the
second-half, 42-41, on an Elton Tyler jump hook. But Graves hit a three on the next Irish
possession, and Jones hit back-to-back hoops, the first on a surreal pass from Thomas. The Hurricanes never got closer than five the
final 14 minutes of the game. It was
thoroughly effective and enjoyable Irish performance and it couldn't have come in a better
spot.
Notre Dame is now 19-8 overall,
9-5 in the Big East Conference and still mathematically alive in the chase for first-place
in the West Division. The Irish are a
conference best 5-2 on the road - something the selection committee weighs quite heavily.
If 19-8 sounds familiar to you, it
should. That was exactly Notre Dame's
record at the conclusion of the regular season last year.
That was good enough for an at-large bid, and it should be again this year. The Irish have two tilts left - Wednesday at St.
John's, Saturday at home versus Providence. A
win in either should erase any doubt whatsoever.
Miami falls to 21-6 overall, 8-6
in the Big East. It is now 13-2 at Miami
Arena. The Hurricanes entered with an RPI of
11. The victory should improve Notre Dame's
mark from its current 40 to something in the low 30's.
"I told the team this was an
important one," said Brey. "If we won it, it would make our record 3-3 against
teams with an RPI in the top 16 (including two victories over Pittsburgh). That's very important."
Notre Dame shot 30-for-61 from the
field (49-percent) and had an impressive 44-31 edge.
Remember when practice started in October?
You were thinking 'Who will rebound on this team?' Brey was thinking that also. Now, the Irish are the number one team in
the Big East in total rebounds, averaging nearly 43 a game.
Because of that, Humphrey has
become a realistic candidate in the Big East Player of the Year race. His supporters will probably want to send his
first-half performance in this one to the voting coaches throughout the conference. The Oklahoman was his active best, running the
floor hard and rebounding above the rim. He
had 13 points and four rebounds in the first-half as the Irish built a 39-34 lead. He received ample help on the perimeter from
Thomas, who hit a pair of threes in the first three minutes, establishing a confident
early tempo, always critical on the road.
Miami has players and
certainly a spot in the Field of 65 awaits Perry
Clark's squad. Draius Rice was scary good in the second-half,
hitting six three-pointers on route to a 23-point effort.
James Jones also had 21. But Player of the Year candidate John Salmons was held to 11 and his overall
contributions were not nearly as impactful as those of Thomas, Humphrey, Jones or Graves.
"This really was a great win
for us," said Brey, warming up to the moment outside a jubilant Irish locker-room.
"Ryan was great on the backboards. You
can't ask for much more than what we did.
"But we have another one
Wednesday in New York," he continued. "And I'm counting on our senior leadership
to have us focused and ready to go. The job
is not finished."
-0-
THE NOTEBOOK: David Rivers - Notre Dame's best point guard ever - was in attendance at his first Irish game since March 17, 1988. Rivers played that night, ending his starry four-year career in an 83-75, NCAA Tournament loss to SMU. Rivers is fourth on the Irish career scoring list, even though the three-point shot was not part of the game for his freshman and sophomore seasons. He is the Irish career assist and steal leader. Rivers played in the NBA for the Lakers and Clippers and has become Bill Russell-esque in Europe, winning nine championships while playing for teams in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey. Speaking with Jack Nolan at halftime on the Notre Dame Radio Network, the pride of Jersey City said he hopes to return to the South Bend campus in some capacity after he retires from playing. "It's something I really want to do," Rivers said. "Notre Dame always has had a special place in my heart."......Rivers was such an attractive halftime guest for Nolan that he had to bypass Ruth Riley, the leader of the 2001 national championship women's basketball team. Riley makes her home in South Florida now while playing for Miami's entry in the WNBA......Carroll had not missed a game in his Notre Dame career prior to this one, participating in 93 straight. The injury makes Graves' ironman streak - 124 and counting - seem even more impressive. And this was a player that has been described as a "doughboy" by two of his head coaches.....It's worth repeating. Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to a 64-team field in 1982, no Big East team that won 20 games (including games in the conference tournament) has not earned an at-large berth.....If you're in the metropolitan New York area next week, about 6,000 tickets still remain for the Wednesday contest at Madison Square Garden versus St. John's......Pittsburgh needs to win just one of its final two games to win the West Division. The Irish can finish second if they sweep their final two games and Syracuse loses two of its final three (Georgetown, at Villanova, Boston College). Second, of course, brings a bye in the first round of the Big East Tournament.
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