Nothing like having two defensively challenged teams facing each other to provide entertaining -- if one-dimensional -- basketball. Notre Dame and Providence offered just that as the Fighting Irish got only their second Big East road win, 103-84.
Both teams were looking for a big win to get them into the bubble argument. Providence may be over .500 in the Big East, but they have just three wins against teams in the top half of the conference. Notre Dame lost a lot in a brutal Big East stretch. They especially show incompetence on the road, so they need anything away from South Bend to help their case.
Headlining: It's obvious, right? Duke tops both polls for the first time since the end of the 2005-06 regular season and we're all depressed ecstatic! I want to say that it's hard to like this Blue Devil team, but when is it easy to like Duke? (Answer: When you're a Duke fan. Or when the Blue Devils are playing Carolina.) That being said, the 2008-09 incarnation isn't nearly as hate-able as previous teams.
For the better part of three seasons, Notre Dame's ability to handle business at home was less a statistical trend and more a law of physics.
The Irish would rack up a score higher than a Saturday golfer at Augusta, mix in a pinch of defense and march on to the next game.
Expecting otherwise would be like biting into a popsicle only to scald your tongue. It simply didn't make sense. Forty-five times in a row it worked to perfection.
The most beautiful thing about college basketball, the "madness" aside, is the collection of mini-runs that occur in a game as momentum shifts throughout. And the Pittsburgh-Louisville game had plenty of them, including a crucial late second-half 10-point stretch from the Cardinals that saw them pull ahead for the final time en route to beating the Panthers, 69-63.
It was a statement game for everyone involved from the Cardinal side, too: Earl Clark came out swinging in the second half, scoring 16 points and grabbing 11 boards on an evening that happened to be his 21st birthday; Terrence Williams solidified his status as team leader with a 20/7/4 line; Rick Pitino's press is suddenly very, very relevant again (at least until I bracket them into the Final Four in a few months).
Luke Harangody is a heck of a college basketball player, and someone that seems like a pretty "solid" dude. Although one would imagine that if he attended Duke, he would be imminently hateable. (For whatever reason, the Fighting Irish don't give off the same pallor on the hardwood as they do on the gridiron.) But all of that couldn't stop Earl Clark from yim-yamming all up on Luke's face last night, as Lousiville downed the Irish in overtime. Enjoy. Slow motion at 2:20.
When the ball is tipped -- in a sure-to-be blowout of Indiana by Gonzaga -- Saturday at 1:30, it will mark the first time basketball is played in Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL's Indianapolis Colts. While there have been some complaints from fans in the upper levels of the stadium, I personally think it's a phenomenal venue. As I stated in a FanHouse in the Stands for a Colts game, the concourses and exits are designed beautifully. You will rarely feel crowded when trying to reach your seats, and the restroom lines are nowhere near any concession stands.
I'll be very interested to see how everything works out for basketball, but space shouldn't be an issue, since half of the stadium will be unused. You can view a picture of the basketball setup by clicking here. I believe it's going to be a very solid basketball stadium for years to come, with many final fours in its future -- beginning in 2010 and coming back in 2015.
During Notre Dame's loss to North Carolina in the championship game of the Maui Invitational, you could tell that Luke Harangody wasn't feeling well. The broadcasters passed along that he was sick as he looked sluggish on both ends of the court.
The Irish are entering into a fairly easy stretch of games. They host Furman today and South Dakota on Tuesday. They play Ohio State in Indianapolis next Saturday before hosting Boston University, Delaware State and Savannah State. If they want to play it safe, they may sit Harangody for that entire stretch. I doubt they'd sit him for an entire month.
Also, that has to suck to get a trip to Hawaii and come back with pneumonia. What are the odds?
Well, I guess all the college basketball honks get what they wanted: Luke Harangody's Notre Dame Fighting Irish facing off against Tyler Hansbrough and the North Carolina Tar Heels for the Maui Invitational championship.
Notre Dame 81, Texas 80: Harangody poured in 29 points and grabbed 11 boards in the win for the Irish. Notre Dame had to watch an A.J. Abrams half-court heave hit the front of the rim before celebrating their hard-fought win. The Irish made this game closer than it should have been as they missed 11 of their 21 free throw attempts. This is the only one of the eight games played in the Maui Invitational to have a margin of victory under 18 points.
North Carolina 98, Oregon 69: The Heels jumped all over Oregon early with aggressive defense and an offense that, when ran the way Roy Williams wants, looks unstoppable. Danny Green led the way again with 21 points.
While you are bundled up in the northeast and midwest, there are some young men hanging out in Hawaii and playing basketball. Lucky!
Day 1 went as expected as the three teams that have a legit shot at winning this all moved on pretty handily. All four games were pretty much blowouts and make for an interesting day today.
North Carolina 115, Chaminade 70: The Tar Heels didn't need a resting Tyler Hansbrough as they used their elite talent to just crush the Silverswords. Danny Green scored a career-high 26 points and became the "oop" to a lot of "alleys". It was the second worst beating Chaminade has suffered in this tournament.
Notre Dame 88, Indiana 50: Last year, Indiana head coach Tom Crean took his Marquett team to the Maui finals (they lost to Duke). This year's trip doesn't compare. The battered Hoosiers were just manhandled by the cross-state Fighting Irish. All the stars at Notre Dame did their thing, including a ho-hum 14 points from Luke Harangody.
The Maui Classic has always been one of the must-see events of the early part of the college basketball season. You get to see coaches in Hawaiian shirts (picture Phil Martelli), beautiful bump shots of the beaches and some good hoops action.
This year's Invitational is no different. The No. 1 ranked North Carolina Tar Heels headline the event which begins today. But they aren't the only story to watch as six of the eight teams in Maui were in the NCAA Tournament last year:
North Carolina: The top ranked team is the favorite to win this thing but the Heels are coming in on shaky ground. Marcus Ginyard is still out as is Tyler Zeller who is done for the year with a broken wrist. The story will be Tyler Hansbrough's shin. He played Friday against UCSB but will see his minutes carefully monitored this week. If he does well, so will the Heels.
Notre Dame: Doesn't everyone want to see a matchup of Hansbrough and Luke Harangody? It could happen if the Irish get by the Texas Longhorns. The key to winning the Maui will be Mike Brey's coaching against some of the biggest names in the nation.
Nothing like having two defensively challenged teams facing each other to provide entertaining -- if one-dimensional -- basketball. Notre Dame and Providence offered just that as the Fighting Irish got only their second Big East road win, 103-84.
Ranking the rankings
The most beautiful thing about college basketball, the "madness" aside, is the collection of mini-runs that occur in a game as momentum shifts throughout. And the Pittsburgh-Louisville game had plenty of them, including a crucial late second-half 10-point stretch from the Cardinals that saw them pull ahead for the final time en route to beating the Panthers, 69-63.
During Notre Dame's 
Well, I guess all the college basketball honks get what they wanted: 
While you are bundled up in the northeast and midwest, there are some young men hanging out in Hawaii and playing basketball. Lucky!
The Maui Classic has always been one of the must-see events of the early part of the college basketball season. You get to see coaches in Hawaiian shirts (picture 
