SB Nation Notre Dame Basketball
+4
For more on the Irish, check out Rakes of Mallow.
For the first time since 1981, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish earned a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where they will take on the 15th seeded Akron Zips Friday afternoon in Chicago. The Irish come into the tournament 26-6, and 14-4 in the Big East, finishing just one game behind league winner Pittsburgh. They lost in overtime to Louisville in the Big East Tournament, a game in which they led by 14 at halftime, one night after absolutely demolishing Cincinnati 89-52.
The Zips, making only their third NCAA Tournament appearance, last made the dance in 2009, where they were a 13 seed and lost to Gonzaga 77-64. Their only other appearance was in 1986, where they lost to Michigan in the first round. Akron sits at 23-12 on the season, and were the 6th seed in the MAC Conference Tournament, which they won over Kent State 66-65 in OT, finally winning the title after losing in the Championship game the previous two seasons. They are led by Nikola Cvetinovic, who averaged almost 12 points per game and 7 rebounds per game, and a pair of Bretts, McKnight and McClanahan, both average just over 10 points per game, and shoot Three Pointers at 39%.
Notre Dame is led by Big East Player of the Year Ben Hansbrough, who averaged 18.4 points per game, 4 rebounds and 4 assists per game, and shot over 44% from beyond the arc. Tim Abromaitis averages over 15 points and 6 rebounds per game, and Carleton Scott averages 11.5 points and 7 rebounds per game. The Irish don't play a deep bench, with only two guys getting significant minutes.
The key to the game will be whether Akron can get hot from beyond the arc, where they score over a third of their points. The Irish have struggled defending the three this season, so making a few Threes, and gaining some confidence, could keep the Zips in the game. Look for Notre Dame to have a significant rebounding advantage on both ends of the floor, so Akron will have to make their initial shots. Also don't expect the Zips to head to the Free Throw line very often, as they are bottom of the country in Free Throws attempted, and ND ranks fourth nationally in not allowing their opponents to get to the line.
Notre Dame is one of the most efficient offenses in the country, and it'll take a Herculean defensive effort by the Zips to slow them down. Look for what ND does with 7'0" Zeke Marshall, as they'll almost certainly pull him out top with Tyrone Nash, freeing up the lane for Irish cutters. They did this to perfection against Cincinnati and Yancy Gates. The Zips can stay in the game by making some long range shots, but the Irish should prove to be too much for Akron.
Tip is set for 1:40 ET Friday in Chicago, and the game can be seen on TBS. The winner will play the winner of Texas A&M and Florida State on Sunday.
9:40 p.m., TBS: No. 2 Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. No. 10 Florida State Seminoles (Spero Dedes, Bob Wenzel, Jamie Maggio)
Be sure to grab an updated 2011 NCAA Tournament printable bracket.
GAME NOTES: The 10th-seeded Florida State Seminoles and the second-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish take to the United Center court tonight for Southwest Regional third-round action in the NCAA Tournament.
Florida State won its first game in the Big Dance since 1998 with a 57-51 decision over seventh-seeded Texas A&M on Friday. With the win, the Seminoles, who are 13-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, notched their 22nd victory of the season, marking their school record third consecutive season with at least 22 wins. Florida State has not advanced to the Sweet 16 since the 1992-93 campaign.
Notre Dame earned an expected 69-56 victory over 15th-seeded Akron on Friday. The Irish, who improved to 31-34 all-time in the Big Dance, have now recorded 27 wins on the season, which stands as the second most in program history. They are now 13-2 over their last 15 games.
Florida State and Notre Dame have never met on the hardwood.
In typical fashion, Florida State won its tourney opener behind a strong defensive effort, as the 50 points allowed to Texas A&M marked the fewest allowed by the Seminoles in an NCAA Tournament game. It also marked the third consecutive game that they have allowed 67 points or fewer in the Big Dance. Florida State, which has given up just 51 ppg in its last two contests, also held the Aggies to 31.4 percent field goal shooting for the game. The Seminoles enters tonight’s contest as the national leader in field goal percentage defense (36.2). Key to the Texas A&M victory was the willingness of head coach Leonard Hamilton to change his philosophy. Trailing 26-23 at the break, Hamilton switched his team to a rarely used zone defense during intermission, which resulted in a 34-24 second half advantage. Also fundamental in the win was Derwin Kitchen, who scored 15 points, grabbed seven boards, handed out three assists and tallied two steals. Bernard James added 10 points, six boards and three blocks. Kitchen is now averaging 10 ppg on the year, good for second on the team. Chris Singleton, who returned to the lineup after missing a handful of games down the stretch with a foot injury, recorded five points in a limited 16 minutes. His return to form will be essential to the cause, as he currently leads the team in scoring (13.5 ppg) and holds Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year distinction. In all, the Seminoles rely on their defense, as they hold teams to 61.9 ppg, while averaging 68.9 ppg on the offensive end of the floor.
Notre Dame appeared tight in the role of favorite during the early going Friday, and led by just four at the break after a lackluster first half. The Irish rallied however, scoring the first nine points after intermission to build a comfortable cushion, before pulling away for the convincing win. Ben Hansbrough, the Big East Conference Player of the Year, led the squad with 15 points, despite going just 4-of-11 from the field. He has now led the Irish in scoring in 13 of the last 16 games and a team-high 20 times this season. His 31 games in double figures also stand as a team-high. Tim Abromaitis added 14 points in the win and has now scored in double figures in 11 of the last 12 contests. Scott Martin added 11 points, while Carleton Scott pulled 14 boards to go with his eight points. In all, the Irish went 7-of-17 from three-point range, a step below their impressive 8.1 threes per game average. Overall, the Irish went 44.7 percent from the field, as compared to 35.9 percent for Akron. They are now 23-1 this season when shooting a higher percentage from the field than their opponent. Hansbrough continues to lead the team in scoring (18.4 ppg) and assists (4.3 apg) and has knocked down a team-high 83 three-pointers on 43.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc. Abromaitis adds 15.3 ppg and has hit 75 threes, as the Irish average 75.8 ppg. Defensively, they allow 65.3 ppg.
Expect Notre Dame to earn the win tonight. Florida State relies heavily upon its strong defense, but the Irish have the shooters to combat the Seminoles’ strength. Offensively, it is unlikely Florida State will have the firepower to hang with the explosive Irish.
GAME NOTES: The 10th-seeded Florida State Seminoles and the second-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish take to the United Center court tonight for Southwest Regional third-round action in the NCAA Tournament.
There were stretches Friday afternoon where it looked like Notre Dame was going to run away with their second round match-up with Akron, but the Zips kept hanging around and hanging around, eventually falling 69-56 to the favored Fighting Irish. The game had a few smaller runs, but there was never a huge run by either team.
The Irish made a commitment to getting on the boards in the second half, outrebounding the Zips 21-9, which forced Akron into one-and-done trips on multiple occasions. Notre Dame was also 20-26 from the Free Throw line, while Akron was only 3-6. The Irish didn't shoot the ball well, only 44.7% from the floor, and were outshot 64-47, but managed to outlast the resilient Zips.
Ben Hansbrough led the way for Notre Dame with 15 points and 6 assists, including a perfect 6-6 from the Free Throw line. Tim Abromaitis had 14 points and 4 rebounds, including 3-3 from beyond the arc, and Carleton Scott had 8 points and 14 rebounds, a career high, to go with 4 blocks. Akron was led by Quincy Diggs, who had 11 points on 5-7 shooting, but was the only Zip in double figures, a very balanced scoring team. Big man Zeke Marshall was held to just 2-13 on the day, a frustrating day for the seven-footer.
The Irish will take on the winner of Texas A&M and Florida State on Sunday in Chicago in the third round. Time for the game will be announced later Friday night.
Coming into the game, Notre Dame should have a big edge rebounding the basketball, but they are letting Akron control the boards with an 18-14 advantage, only giving the Fighting Irish a 34-30 lead at the break. ND jumped out to a quick 10 point lead, but the Zips kept chipping away, eventually getting it to the four point deficit they currently face.
Ben Hansbrough leads the way for ND with 11 points and 3 assists. Tim Abromaitis and Eric Atkins each have 6 points. Akron was led by Brett McKnight and Brett McClanahan, who each had 7 points.
2011 NCAA Tournament Scores: Notre Dame Falls To Florida State 71-57
Prior to the game, CBS studio guest Rick Pitino, coach of Big East powerhouse Louisville, guaranteed Notre Dame would defeat Florida State after TV analyst Charles Barkley called the Big East Conference 'over-rated.'
When the game was over, it seems Sir Charles was right all along, and Rick Pitino guarantees aren't worth much.
In what has been nothing short of a disastrous weekended for the conference that sent eleven teams to the 2011 NCAA Tournament, No. 2 seed Notre Dame joined No. 4 seeded Louisville, No. 3 seeded Syracuse, and No. 1 seeded Pittsburgh as an early exit from the tourney.
The Florida State Seminoles used tenacity and tough defense to completely shutdown Notre Dame’s star players, including Big East player of the year Ben Hansbrough. Hansbrough finished with 18 points, but fouled out of the game after completing only 5-13 field goal attempts. Notre Dame shot an appalling 32% from the field, while Florida St. shot 46%. They were also 9-18 from three-point land.
Notre Dame shot 7-29 from behind the arch.
Tim Abromaitis chipped in 21 points and 9 boards for the Irish, who end their season on a very disappointing note. Florida State moves on to the Sweet Sixteen where they will face VCU, who demolished Purdue earlier in the evening evening.
Be sure to grab an updated 2011 NCAA Tournament printable bracket.
For more on the 2011 NCAA tournament, stay tuned to this StoryStream on SB Nation Indiana. Browse our 300 team blogs for a community devoted to your school, and visit our NCAA basketball hub for more on the NCAA tournaments.
Mar 21 12:16a by Brad Wells