Big Win For Notre Dame

Look out -- Luke Harangody is becoming a star.
The sophomore from Schererville, Ind., scored 19 points and had 14 rebounds in Notre Dame's 68-59 win over Kansas State in the Jimmy V Classic and outplayed the Wildcats' stud freshman Michael Beasley in the process.
The Irish threw a combination of man and zone defenses at Beasley, limiting him heavily after halftime.
Junior guard Kyle McAlarney, in his homecoming game to New York's Madison Square Garden, scored 18 points and had the shot that really put away Kansas State.

A big win for Notre Dame, though, one that could help erase part of the losses in the Virgin Islands. This could be one that helps get them into the NCAA Tournament in March.

This win also showed two things that will be important come Big East play in January: 1) The Irish can make quality defensive adjustments at halftime and implement them, such as the decisions on Beasley; 2) Notre Dame can deal with a star and beat a team with two players more athletically talented than anyone on their roster. This will be key when playing Georgetown (Roy Hibbert and DaJuan Summers) among others.
--By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette