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Pat Connaughton may have led the league in minutes played this summer. He averaged around 30 minutes per game. This is a good sign for his future with the Portland Trailblazers. Pat started the summer league with a bang, dunking one down early against Spurs. He then shot poorly vs Suns, going only 1-for-7 from beyond the 3 point-line. However, he adapted by scoring 14 points on hard drives and drawing fouls. Pat’s leaping ability was also on display on the defensive side as he managed a block or two per game. In one of the more exciting summer league games, Pat hit four 3-pointers and scored 19 points in OT win over Jazz. Watch this video of Pat’s late game heroics against the Jazz. In the final summer league game for the Blazers, Pat played big minutes once again and ended the day with 23 points, four rebounds and shooting 3-for-10 from downtown. The Blazers have shown great confidence in Connaughton this summer and we will surely be seeing more of him in this upcoming season.

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Jerian Grant had a roller-coaster of a summer league. He started against Sixers and a plus of 12 with seven points and a couple assists. Grant’s best moment of that game was getting two steals in a row while pressuring the inbound. It is obvious that Grant is still gaining confidence on shot. He had 14 points against the Celtics, but went 2-for-8 from 3. Against the Wizards, Grant put up eight assists but also missed all seven threes that he attempted. Jerian hit his stride in the second half of the semi-final game when he scored 13 points to lead the Bulls to a comeback victory over the Cavs. Then Grant won MVP of the summer league finale! He collected 24 points, 10 rebounds (!) and five assists in the final game and was also clutch in overtime. His Chicago Bulls ended up being the only undefeated team this summer. It was also nice to see Grant and the 14th overall pick Denzel Valentine playing together in the backcourt as opposed to subbing for each other. Jon Barry, an ABC/ESPN analyst, likes Jerian Grant, saying “he’s a nice young talent.”

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Jack Cooley was a a welcome surprise for me and for the Bulls. Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Jack provided a defensive spark with two blocks, while also getting a couple buckets. Jack looks stronger than most players down low, but he is also a little short, especially against the exceptionally long Sixers team. Jack subbed in real well against the Celtics. He battled for 11 points and eight rebounds (including five offensive) in only 16 minutes of play. Jack has a knack for making the most of his minutes, in only seven minutes against the Spurs, he managed six rebounds, two steals, and a bigman’s three-point-play. And in only 10 minutes of play, Jack put up seven points and eight rebounds against the Wizards. He did not play in final game. Did you know Jack Cooley once got a 27 point 29 board game in d-league play??   Watch this video of Jack being Jack. I think he should shoot more 3’s!

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Zach Auguste was a spark for the Lakers against the Sixers. In 20 minutes, Zach recorded eight points, seven boards, two steals, and a block. While Zach did have a play where he drove hard and fell over himself, he finished at the basket well. It was nice to see Zach’s usual passion and hustle on display. In 15 minutes against the Cavs, Zach collected five rebounds, drew fouls, and he even ran the fast-break on a couple of plays! He has seemed to amp up his aggressiveness on both sides of the ball, whether demanding the ball in the post on offense or contesting shots on defense. Unfortunately, in the same game against the Cavs, Zach only went 2-for-8 from the free throw line and showed some frustration in that regard. Auguste started in the final summer league game for the Lakers, but only played 12 minutes collecting two points and two assists. The Lakers have plenty of bigs on the roster including the recently signed Timofey Mozgov, Ivica Zubac, Robert Sacre, and Tarik Black. In my opinion, Zach outplayed Zubac this summer. However, because Zubac was actually drafted, he has already signed on with the Lakers. Given the crowded roster I imagine Zach will be playing in the D-league or perhaps finding a home on another NBA team or even overseas.

Credit: Bart Young/NBAE

Demetrius Jackson put his leaping ability and defensive prowess on display this summer. Jackson picked up guards full court and managed almost two steals per game in limited minutes. In 14 minutes against the 76ers, Jackson got two steals and two assists. He started against the Spurs and played well, collecting 11 points, two steals, three boards, and shooting 3-for-4 from deep. The highlight of Demetrius’s summer league was getting two-and-1 plays in a row against Cavs. This was also the same moment in which Jon Barry said he was impressed with Jackson’s NBA ready strength and physique. Jackson had mixed results with his high flying drives to the hoop as he got blocked four times against the Cavs in the first round of the tournament. He started the final game but only tallied 14 minutes, managing four points, three assists, a steal and a block. Jackson has some stiff competition in Terry Rozier. The Celtics GM Danny Ainge even said Rozier was his best player in summer league. Isaiah Thomas, of course remains the starter and former All-Star for the Celtics at point guard. Meanwhile, rumors are circulating about Russell Westbrook coming over in a trade. As long as things remain up-in-the-air for the Celtics, so too does it for Demetrius. Getting signed to a guaranteed deal is a positive first step.

The post Checking in on Former Irish Now in the NBA appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Half of the setup at Table 11. The other iPad is hidden and propped behind the centerpiece.

The bride and groom had long since finished their first dance, toasts delivered, and the cake cut. The DJ did his level-best to fire up the dance floor, but the only dance at Table 11 was the setup of iPads and a WiFi hotspot.

Such is life at a Domer wedding when one of the major sports just happens to take center stage on your big day. But honestly, who could have seen this interruption coming, especially if you make the conscious decision to avoid scheduling the dreaded fall wedding?

Plus, if you want to plan a Texas wedding, as a native Texan (which the bride was), you certainly know that the summer is borderline crazy and the late spring is seriously pushing your luck with the Texas sun. March and April are the ideal months and late March should be a time of no conflicts with sporting events.

St. Patrick’s Day is well in the rear view and Notre Dame hasn’t been to the Sweet Sixteen since 2003 and the Elite Eight since 1979. Neither of those years are even in your mind when looking at potential March wedding dates, especially after last season.

But now, just off to the side of the dance floor Table 11 continues their dance. Chairs slide into position. Bodies in the front row hunch over to gain optimal viewing angles while additional interested alumni and parents find themselves slowly drawn to the glowing screens.

We are so sorry. We all love you, but we also know you understand.

2-0 Kentucky, 1st Half, 19:51 Remaining

As Trey Lyles throws down a dunk for the opening points of the game, my mind immediately begins to think of two things going on right now:

1) How excited and terrified that everyone is for this game and how cool it is that we get to experience this ride together and not through text, Twitter, or Facebook.

2) Thank God there is an open bar because we’re gonna need it.

Speaking of said open bar, we made the conscious decision to ban all Kentucky spirits for the evening. There was Maker’s Mark available. This was no small sacrifice.

4-3 Notre Dame, 1st Half, 15:53 Remaining

ND has managed to score on two layups and my mind is just not sure how to accept a world in which the Irish have scored all their points in the paint against Kentucky. At first glance, the size difference in the two teams makes it seem like a NBA team decided to pick on a college team for shits and giggles. Hilariously/sadly enough, this isn’t too far from the truth.

Still the Irish ball movement allowed for two easy layups and a lead by the first media timeout. My brain starts to go to places of joy that I do not want it to go for fear of the ultimate disappointment later.

But still, if the Irish can keep this up…just maybe…

11-10 Notre Dame, 1st Half, 12:54 Remaining

Pat Connaughton drills the first three of the game and creates the first huge cheer from Table 11 and Friends.

It is at this point that we realize the joy of on-demand streaming technology: the delay. My side of the table is now spoiling the game for the other side of the table.

Through various freezes and buffering oddities, this switches throughout the night, but never stops being hilarious.

19-19 Notre Dame, 1st Half, 6:33 Remaining

Zach Auguste picks up his second foul after just having gone full #DunksDulac at the other end. The entire table is loudly cursing the level of officiating by this point.

Sure, the game is still tied, but everyone in attendance knows that Kentucky living at the free throw line will kill any upset hopes. And those hopes are still certainly there at this point. The conversation around the table buzzes during the commercial break of just how well the Irish are playing right now.

No one has really moved from the table either, but the wedding reception is still living on without us. And really so, is the rest of life.

I’m not sure when it happened, but at breakfast the next day, I had a rather hilarious story relayed to me. At some point during the gamewatch, one of my friends looked over at me and stated “holy shit, Ritter’s going to be a dad in a couple months.”

I can only imagine it happened during of these TV timeouts in which I’m furiously drinking whiskey and coke like it’s water and cursing officiating incompetence. Life certainly does move on regardless of sports and somehow I’m going to be entrusted with another human life.

21-19 Kentucky, 1st Half, 6:33 Remaining

But right now, I’m screaming “THAT MOTHERFUCKIN’ BALL IS LYING” in between gulps of booze at the top of my lungs after Karl-Anthony Towns drains his two free throws.

Future father of the year. Book it.

31-31, Halftime

As soon as the halftime buzzer sounds, by what has to be instinctive habit for us, our entire table gets up and takes either a much-needed trip to the bathroom or to the bar. The only difference between this and a game at the stadium or even a gamewatch at the bar is that we also find our way to the dance floor.

Any halftime “analysis” of the game is limited to conversations while waiting for alcohol or the walk to/from the bathroom. But once feet hit the dance floor, all of that fades into the background with our iPads in the distance.

We can compartmentalize. The game is great and we are all loving what Notre Dame is doing to this point, but we all wouldn’t be in the same place if it weren’t for the bride and groom to begin with.

You bet your ass we are going to dance with them just as they continue to stop by our table to watch the game with us.

38-33 Kentucky, 2nd Half, 17:38 Remaining

Jerian Grant is about to shoot a pair of free throws, but the DJ rolls out a slow dance, something my wife was hoping would happen during halftime.

Before she even looked at me, I was out of the chair and taking her to the dance floor. I don’t pretend to be an expert at this marriage thing, but I know better than to disappoint the pregnant wife, especially a pregnant wife that offered to keep my iPad in her purse just so I didn’t have to carry it so I could watch the game.

I make sure I don’t dart my eyes behind her to the iPads at Table 11 either. The road from awesome husband to asshole is short and filled with too much regret to quantify. I’m definitely steering clear of that detour tonight.

As we dance, cheers from Table 11 continue to erupt in the background. I ensure my gaze goes nowhere besides my wife even though she too is taunting me and asking if it’s hard to not look over. I stay strong, with the hope that I will see some replays and that Notre Dame will have the lead when I sit back down.

46-42 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 14:24 Remaining

I arrive back at Table 11 in the middle of a timeout. Half the table is excitedly telling me about Auguste and Connaughton dunking with a Steve Vasturia three in between.

The other half is telling me to go back to the dance floor because we went on a run while I was out there.

I love my friends.

48-44 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 11:15 Remaining

The anatomy of a major upset is an interesting beast. For most of the game, the reality of a win is nothing more than a fleeting thought and fantasy. At some point though, you start to realize that it could happen. Eventually you start to buy in.

TBS shows a graphic that Notre Dame is beating Kentucky soundly in points in the paint, turnovers, and assists. I’m starting to believe an Irish victory is a very, very real possibility.

However, you don’t vocalize this. You aren’t all-in quite yet. There is still some doubt because you know the other shoe can drop. Because there is another point in the potential upset in which you actually go all-in. We aren’t quite there yet.

59-53 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 6:16 Remaining

Vasturia hits a three. Kentucky calls timeout. They look shell-shocked, exhausted, and you can see that they see a potential future in which their undefeated season could end tonight.

There’s a great scene from Rounders that describes where I am mentally right now:

I could be completely satisfied how everything has played out and take that to the bank. It’s clear Kentucky is getting pushed to the limit, a result a certainly would be more than happy with before the game started.

Mike (Matt Damon) eventually can’t shake the thought of not just shutting up a taunting KGB (John Malcovich), but being the guy that takes him down. Mike wants to avenge his past loss, and prove to both KGB and himself that he’s good enough to win and dance with the big boys at the table.

Much like Mike, I know I can’t win much if I don’t put it all in the middle.

I’m all-in.

64-63 Kentucky, 2nd Half, 3:18 Remaining

Want to know what one of the worst feelings in poker is? Going all-in with pocket kings only to watch your opponent call with pocket aces. Sure, you have a couple of outs to survive, but all you want to do is grab you bet back immediately.

Aaron Harrison hits a three to give Kentucky the lead back and I’m diving across the table to get my emotional investment back, but it’s too late.

66-64 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 2:36 Remaining

Jerian Grant gives me one of the few outs left in the deck with a three of his own and I can breathe again. I need another drink, but I’m not moving and neither is anyone else save for the bride who had to leave the table to toss her bouquet.

66-64 Notre Dame, 2nd Half, 1:53 Remaining

The DJ decides to play “Living on a Prayer”. I have no idea if it was any kind of intentional, but the group of 30-40 people at our table are now screaming the song in hopes we somehow will the Irish to victory.

The moment is equal parts incredible and heart-attack inducing terror.

66-66, 2nd Half, 1:14 Remaining

We try to scream Bon Jovi’s lyrics even louder as Karl-Anthony Towns ties the game.

We have now entered #NDMensBBallIsDeterminedToKillMe territory.

66-66, 2nd Half, 0:36 Remaining

It’s ND Ball, with 1 second on shot clock after one of the worst possessions that we’ve had all game.

I’m pretty sure I’m almost dead.

66-66, 2nd Half, 0:34 Remaining

Notre Dame turns the ball over for the first time in nearly 30 minutes on a shot clock violation. Kentucky can now take the last shot.

My mind is screaming at itself with “THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING” and “JUST STOP THEM!”

The DJ calls for the garter toss. The groom is at the table and isn’t moving. The DJ then sheepishly then asks for permission to do the garter toss and then follows up with “is now not a good time?”

NOT GREAT, BOB!

68-66 Kentucky, 2nd Half, 0:06 Remaining

So, uh, can we get “Livin’ on a Prayer” going again?

68-66 Kentucky, Final

Jerian Grant’s prayer of a corner three falls harmlessly to the ground. My all-in bet of emotions is quickly scooped up by Coach Calipari and an overjoyed Kentucky Wildcats team.

I’m proud of my team, but I’m crushed. There are no moral victories in sports. I firmly believe that ND and her fans should hold their heads up high, but, in the end, the scoreboard is a cruel reminder of the reality that the Irish were two points short. You can’t shake that cold, hard fact regardless of how well-fought the game was.

The dance to put away the iPads is a collection of long sighs, random four-letter outbursts, and a shaking of heads. With the technology put away, we head to the bar, reminisce on what could have been and hit the dance floor for the remainder of the evening.

Because, as one wise Texan sage said, “the road goes on forever and the party never ends.” Life continued on its course, uninterrupted by Irish defeat, but altered with the memories of a wedding and the rare opportunity for a group of friends to cheer for the Irish together just as they had done in college.

The post Wedding and Wake: A Tale of Notre Dame vs. Kentucky appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Courtesy of Showtime

“This group should be remembered. When it’s all said and done – we’re going to play for a long time. Our season’s going to go for a while. We should be remembered for things that happened in Notre Dame basketball that’s never happened before.” – Notre Dame men’s basketball coach Mike Brey

It’s seven weeks before Selection Sunday, and Showtime has brought its cameras to two college basketball programs that are both on surprising upswings.

After disappointing 2013-14 campaigns, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have figured out how to win consistently on the road despite a grueling ACC schedule. The Maryland Terrapins, newcomers in the Big Ten, have rebounded from a disappointing final season in the ACC and are taking down traditional powerhouses like Indiana and Wisconsin on the way to second place in their conference this year.

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What Showtime put together, the NCAA has continued – placing both Notre Dame and Maryland in a daunting Midwest bracket. On the eve of the tournament’s beginning, Showtime gives us a chronological look back to how exactly we got here.

The 90-minute documentary chronicles Notre Dame’s big home win versus Duke, their crushing loss to the Blue Devils in Durham, road wins at Boston College and Louisville and the head-scratching home loss to struggling Syracuse. It also replays our last wonderful week, culminating in the university’s first conference championship in men’s basketball.

The game footage is thrilling, and the producers made a brilliant decision by including Jack Nolan’s enthusiastic radio calls of the team’s finer February and March moments.

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But it’s the smaller stories that make the documentary worth watching.

The Boston College game is a homecoming for Arlington, Mass. native Pat Connaughton, whose enormous extended family has managed to secure a mind-boggling 500 tickets to the game. After the Irish’s convincing win, Pat’s family and friends party in the Conte Forum – because there’s literally nowhere else they’d all fit.

Demetrius Jackson has a similar family affair in Louisville, where his foster family has made the four-hour trip south to root on the son they’ve claimed as their own. It should be no surprise, then, when Demetrius has one of his better games in an Irish victory.

Before the tourney starts, there’s Senior Day at the Purcell Pavilion as the Irish host Clemson. Harvey Grant, Jerian’s father, perfectly encapsulates the true meaning of the special event.

“The thing that I’m so proud of that he’s getting his degree from Notre Dame. You know, that goes a long way,” he said. “I tell him the other things – basketball – that’s the icing on the cake. And you make your own destiny.”

There’s other little moments, too, such as mass in the hotel before the game, the cheer squad’s amazing send-off before the ACC championship game. Showtime posted two that didn’t make the final cut on its website: the team hitting up a hibachi restaurant and taking in the Bengal Bouts, the university’s charity boxing tournament.

HIBACHI: [iframe id=”http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid3671166871001/?bctid=4109578133001&autoStart=false” align=”center” autoplay=”no” maxwidth=”500″]

BENGAL BOUTS: [iframe id=”http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid3671166871001/?bctid=4109563313001&autoStart=false” align=”center” autoplay=”no” maxwidth=”500″]

Notre Dame fans will appreciate Showtime’s effort to get them pumped up for today’s 12:15 game vs. Northeastern. By time “Hoops U” re-airs, let’s hope the team has given us even more to get excited about. As the gents are fond of saying: Not done yet.

“Hoops U” re-airs on the following dates and channels:

• 8:05 p.m. Saturday, March 28 on Showtime Extreme
• 1 p.m. Sunday, March 29 on Showtime Extreme
• Midnight Saturday, April 4 on Showtime Extreme
• 1:15 a.m. Sunday, April 5 on Showtime
• 3:15 p.m. Monday, April 6 on Showtime Extreme
• Noon and 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 11 on Showtime Extreme
• 1:15 p.m. Wednesday, April 15 on Showtime
• 10 a.m. Thursday, April 16 on Showtime Extreme
• 7 p.m. Saturday, April 18 on Showtime
• 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 on Showtime Extreme
• 9 p.m. Sunday, April 26 on Showtime Extreme
• 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 29 on Showtime Extreme
• and Showtime On Demand

The post Review: Showtime’s “Hoops U” appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

To clear up my central conceit, I did not consider any other players given the discrepancy in voting. After Grant’s fourteen votes, the next-highest vote-getter was Virginia’s Malcom Brogdon, Jr. with three. Thus, and because we are a blog about Notre Dame, after all, symmetry and simplicity begged for a two player comparison. As another point of clarification, I did not delve into advanced stats, mainly because of time constraints, and tried to present as fair a sample of indicators as I could., meaning I picked “center” stats and “guard” stats, for that is what Jerian plays.

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So who was the runaway winner? When you put the players head-to-head, the case for Okafor is not as strong as the vote would indicate. A 6’11” center, he did the things one normally associates with five position well: he scored points and grabbed rebounds. He grabbed a ton of rebounds. For historical comparison, a 7’0 freshman center at Georgetown, Patrick Ewing, grabbed 279 total rebounds in his freshman year. Over 37 games. Okafor did so in only 30. Ewing also scored fewer points, 469, again, in seven more games.

Jerian Grant did the “guard” thing pretty well, too. At 6’5″, he’s taller than your normal point guard, but point guard is what he plays, with the Irish starting with the ball in his hand. He scores well, distributes the ball very well (207 assists), defends very well (56 steals), and turns the ball over infrequently (64 turnovers). Heck, Golson had 22 turnovers in thirteen games. Yeah.

Head-to-head, Okafor scored more points in fewer, a lot fewer, minutes. His 529 points came in just 922 minutes. Grant’s 521 came in 1131. In big games, against big competition, Grant came up short. Against North Carolina, Virginia, and away at Duke, Grant was mired in single digits. Okafor didn’t have those games, for example scoring 22 points away at Notre Dame and 20 at home. As scorers, then, Okafor comes out on top. For what it’s worth, too, Okafor’s shooting percentage is better as well, 66.8% versus 49.4%.

Head-to-head, Grant runs away with some pretty critical metrics: turnovers and free-throw percentage. If Okafor has a flaw, and as a freshman you cannot blame him for having flaws, it’s his free-throw percentage. Frankly, shooting 52.4% from the stripe isn’t good and at the next level, whether playing center or power forward, will be a major liability.

If a year is made of weeks, it should be noted that Grant pips Okafor, too, when it comes to conference recognition as Player of the Week, which Grant has been twice. Okafor was selected as Player of the Week but once.

So, the case can be made that the ACC POY voters got it right. And the case can be made that the ACC POY voters got it wrong. In my opinion, Grant should have won the award for having the “better” overall season, for instance Grant beats Okafor’s teammate and point guard Quinn Cook in most categories, and for being the conductor and star of one of the better offenses in college basketball. Still, Okafor is the star of one of the sport’s most prominent teams. Sound familiar?

The post The Case for Jerian Grant: Did the ACC Get it Wrong? appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Defense is still a touch lacking and often times the Irish have dug themselves into holes because of some defensive lapses. Despite that, the Irish have found ways to claw back into games, including an improbable 18 point comeback in the second half to topple North Carolina State on their home court (where, incidentally, Duke recently lost) just this past weekend. The Irish have never felt outclasses, even when they fell against undefeated Virginia, one of their only two losses on the season.

So now Duke rolls into the Bend with likely future #1 NBA draft pick, Jahil Okafor (yes, that last name should ring a bell, he’s Emeka’s cousin), with a similar two loss record against a very similar schedule. I could attempt to break this game down, but it’s already been done, and, to be frank, much better than I could even hope to do. This matchup is a far cry from last year in which yet another sure-fire NBA lottery draft pick, Jabari Parker, came into South Bend to take on an Irish squad that struggled to down Canisius at home and weren’t too far removed from the news that Jerian Grant would miss the remainder of the season. That game was a pure, unexpected upset, seemingly an annual staple for Notre Dame squads.

But that’s not what’s happening tonight. Tonight is a heavyweight fight between two of the nation’s best. Jerian Grant is generating his own NBA draft buzz while Demetius Jackson is coming into his own and Zach Auguste has found the next level of his game. Of course, we can’t forget Pat Connaughton still managing to do his thing, leading the Irish in both three-point shooting (45%) and rebounds (175).

I know we’ve all been conditioned to not get too excited until March when the rug gets pulled out from underneath us. But this is different. No Mike Brey team has ever gone this far into a season with just two losses–hell, I only found a couple of Brey teams that managed to not lose more than two games in the month of January when conference play ramped up. Simply put, this team is different. Not just in record, but in the style of ball that they play as I mentioned at the start of the post. Worries about what may or may not happen in the postseason are so incredibly fruitless when this team is so much fun to watch:

https://vine.co/v/Od5rX7TWDxg

https://vine.co/v/Op3zbJwxB6l

https://vine.co/v/Od5pxTKgDYZ

To hell with the ides of March. #4 Duke is here tonight in our house. Posterize them like we did last year:

Go Irish. Beat Devils.

The post Notre Dame vs. Duke and Why You Shouldn’t Be Waiting Until March appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

#NotreDame confirms both DaVaris Daniels and Jerian Grant have been granted readmission, will begin summer school next month.

— Observer Sports (@ObserverSports) May 28, 2014

This is great news for both squads.

For football, Daniels appeared to start last season ready to break out for a big year; however, the end of his 2013 campaign was plagued with inconsistent play. We came to find out later that Daniels was battling injuries that he allowed to bleed into poor academic performance. A physically and mentally stronger, and hopefully wiser, Daniels will be a very needed weapon for an Irish receiving corps looking for someone to fill the void left by T.J. Jones.

For basketball, the Irish get back one of their most dynamic players whom was considered a lottery possibility before his dismissal. It was just one of many frustrating stories in a disappointing 2013-2014 season for ND hoops. Hopefully, Grant’s return will spur a comeback season for the Irish.

Welcome back, you two. Now, please, can we stop the academic suspensions, everyone? My heart can’t take another one.

The post DaVaris Daniels and Jerian Grant Readmitted to Notre Dame appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

Eric Atkins and Mike Brey look on as the Irish fall to Wake Forrest in the ACC tournament. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)

The 2013-2014 Notre Dame men’s basketball season is a frustrating thing to deconstruct. On one hand, you have one of the most incredible snake-bitten season’s possible with the academic suspension of Jerian Grant, Austin Burgett needing heart surgery of all things, Demetrius Jackson had his own academic issues for a short while, and Cameron Biedscheid going from redshirt to transfer. On the other hand, you have simply the worst Fighting Irish basketball season in the Mike Brey era, ending the season below .500 and winning only one conference game on the road against Boston College, an eight-win team.

The season was also full of multiple frustrating performances and some, like Indiana State and Ohio State, came while Grant was still on the roster. While I can certainly say, this team “never quit”, the other side of that coin is that they could never quite get over the hump. When something like that happens, I can’t help but look at coaching.

And perhaps this is a good time to take an aside. I’m far from Brey’s biggest fan. My first experiences with him as a student weren’t exactly great:

Three incredibly mediocre-at-best seasons, with some court-storming worthy upsets mixed in, all ending with postseason disappointments. I thought that streak stopped during my senior year after a horrid 2005-06 campaign, but then I was slapped in the face with a 10 point loss to 11-seed Winthrop. Not exactly a great way to win someone over.

And that seems to be the way of things: meddle around, throw in a big win here and there, finally get a bit of hope, and get slapped in the face by postseason reality. And right or wrong, those postseason memories (or lack thereof) are the ones that stick the longest.

I do understand that Brey and Notre Dame are fighting a bit of an uphill battle as it is in men’s basketball. ND isn’t in the business of attracting the one-and-done superstar nor are they ever going to be heavily involved in the ever-increasingly shady AAU programs. Basically, I don’t have any illusions that ND will ever be considered an annual national title contender, but I don’t think it’s too much to ask for a bit of postseason noise/excitement on a semi-regular basis.

I’m also aware of the other favorite excuse: sub-par facilities. While I know it isn’t helping the cause, Brey pulling in two of his best recruiting classes ever seems to shoot that argument down immediately. Further, I’d argue it’s easier to sell postseason excitement to a recruit than nicer practice digs. And while I hate drawing analogies to football, to me it would be like saying that we should’ve been more patient with Ty because the Gug was on the way or that Weis’ two BCS appearances were a direct result of the Gug.

In short, for the past decade of watching Brey-ball (and for others that have seen this for four additional seasons), all the excuses and continual postseason disappointments have grown increasingly stale (and that’s with my personal preference of boring play-style aside). However, this year, coming off Brey’s two best recruiting classes, falling this flat, loss of Grant or not, is inexcusable.

Even worse, Brey had this to say about next season:

We were 6-12 in the regular season. How far were we from nine league wins? We weren’t that far from nine league wins or I would be even more concerned…Nine league wins would be absolute heaven next year. That’s where you start.

Absolute heaven?! I’m not sure trying to be next year’s NC State, who just barely scraped their way into the Big Dance thanks to SMU’s horrid out-of-conference schedule, fits that bill.  And while Brey believes this year’s team was close to nine ACC wins, they were also just as close to only having three ACC wins as two came in OT and one by a margin of only three points.

I can understand Brey trying to deflect a bit of concern away from his team considering what happened to them this season, but to set the bar so low for next year is just mind-boggling. Going .500 in conference play should be a stepping stone of a season–nothing more, nothing less.

Perhaps that .500 mark is a good measuring stick for a young team rebuilding, but if Grant returns as planned that isn’t a rebuilding year, that’s getting back a potential NBA lottery draft pick. With Grant in place, if young players like Jackson and Zach Auguste play up to their potential, you have a team that, on paper, should have a much higher expectations that tripping over a .500 bar.

In short, I’m not exactly sure which direction this program is going. To crib from True Detective, Notre Dame is in a flat circle of time, going nowhere but right back to where they started a few years ago.

I certainly hope that I am wrong about all this and this is all simply my pessimistic bias of Brey taking over rational thought. At some point though, I need to see a spark that shows me 2014-15 is a new beginning for this team. Because if it looks like we are starting another classic cycle of Brey, I’m going to go mad watching the rest of the Brey-era.

#BreyBallIsDeterminedToKillMe

The post The Frustrations of Brey-Ball and the 2013-14 Season appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.

The Big East Tournaments are forever behind the Irish and both men’s and women’s basketball have earned berths in their respective NCAA Tournaments. One squad will be looking for a chance at the title that just barely eluded them last season. For the other, a chance to put previous March disappointments behind them and start their ACC lives with a new legacy.

So let’s take a look at both teams paths to potential March glory. Hit the preview music (if this isn’t used continuously by CBS, I will be shocked):

Women’s Basketball

Region: Norfolk
Seed in Region: #1
First Opponent: #16 Tennessee-Martin
First Game: Sunday, March 24 5:50pm ET (ESPN2/WatchESPN)

Ladies (and Big East Champs and a #1 seed) first.

Led by all-everything Skylar Diggins, the Irish look to claim the title that has eluded them the past two years. In 2011, they finally dispatched Tennessee in convincing fashion and took down rival UCONN in the Final Four, only to watch their storybook ending fall short by six points against Texas A&M. Last year, the Irish again took UCONN out in the Final Four in overtime, but ran into the machine that was (and still is) Brittney Griner and the Baylor Bears.

Baylor is the favorite to take it all home once again and the Irish find themselves lined up themselves aligned for a possible title game rematch. UCONN once again could be a potential Final Four opponent, as Geno’s squad has landed the #1 seed in the Bridgeport reason.

Perhaps we will be fortunate enough to watch this play out again:

If you haven’t been watching this season, you’ve been missing out on quite the dominate run for Skylar Diggins’ senior season. The Irish went a perfect 16-0 against Big East opponents, capturing both the regular season and Big East Tournament titles. In fact, the Irish only suffered one loss all season…a 12 point loss to Baylor (whom themselves only have one loss all season: Stanford — another #1 seed and likely Final Four opponent on the other end of the bracket).

So yes, the stars seem aligned for yet another Final Four face off with UCONN and a possible title rematch with Baylor. Anything less than that would be likely be considered a serious disappointment for this team.

Here’s hoping their last act in the Big East is taking it all home.

Men’s Basketball

Region: West
Seed in Region: #7
First Opponent: #10 Iowa State
First Game: Friday, March 22 9:45pm ET (CBS)

The men, however, are fighting a different kind of postseason frustration as we seem to find ourselves in the same spot we usually do every year at this time. Every year it appears as if the Irish might just finally get hot at the right time — only to fall apart in the Big East Tournament followed by an early exist from the Big Dance.

The last four years, the Irish have been bounced from the Big East Tournament in the semifinals — the last three by Louisville alone (this year, the Cardinals find themselves as a #1 seed and one of the few tournament favorites). And since 2010, the Irish has followed up each of those disappointments, which an equally awful NCAA Tourney showing, with their best being a second round exit in 2011 when they found themselves as a #2 seed.

The Irish haven’t found themselves in the Sweet Sixteen since 2003 — the sole appearance in the Mike Brey era.

So yes, the Irish have quite a few postseason demons to exorcise.

This year, the Irish find themselves facing off against #10 seed Iowa State, the 4th best scoring team in the nation, driven mostly by their three-point shooting (their field goal percentage is a surprising 45.5% — good or only 70th in the nation). The Cyclones have attempted an incredible 878 three-pointers and hit 37%.

To put this in perspective, Iowa State took 2000 field goal attempts total, making 43.9% of them three-pointers. ND, who also has relied on the three quite heavily, has only taken 600 three-point attempts out of 1878 field goal attempts, making 31.9% of all attempts three-pointers (the Irish success rate was similar: 37.3%).

To be quite frank, it’s a matchup that I absolutely fear for this squad. There is very little you can do defensively against a team that is willing to take nearly half their shots willingly from beyond the arc. If they get hot, they get hot and there’s nothing you can really do about it. All of a sudden you are wondering what hit you and by then, it’s too late (think Jerian Grant vs Louisville in the 5-OT thriller).

Add on to the fact that the Irish have had some horribly slow starts out of the gate and you have a potential recipe for a blowout by halftime in the wrong direction.

Even if the Irish manage to get past Iowa State, their road to the Sweet Sixteen gets no easier as they would potentially face #2 seed, and Big Ten Champion, Ohio State. The Buckeyes have played fairly solid all season long and only suffered losses to some of the better teams in the nation: Duke, Kansas, Illinois, Michigan State, Michigan (in OT), Indiana, and Wisconsin (it should also be noted that Ohio State also managed to beat each of those Big Ten teams at some point this season).

In short, the Irish look to have quite a rough road ahead of them and I’m not overly hopeful about their chances.

—————–

So there you have it. Your March Madness Preview of how our two squads will go forth and try to get their…well, you know:

http://youtu.be/c9-w5OHeemw

The post Men’s & Women’s Hoops Prepare for the Madness appeared first on Her Loyal Sons.