Irish Insights

Men's Hoops: ND-Eastern Michigan Prediction

Eastern Michigan can shoot the ball -- they love the three-pointer more than Notre Dame. But the Irish are playing better.
This is an important game, too. Notre Dame needs to make sure it doesn't look ahead to the Kansas State game (and Michael Beasley) on Tuesday. But the Irish, with a win, will tie the school record for home winning streak, so they have that.
Plus, Luke Harangody will notch another double-double with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
Notre Dame shouldn't have reason to worry in this game. After all, the Eagles lost to powerhouses Brown, Oakland and Detroit.

Our pick: Notre Dame 91, Eastern Michigan 69.
-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

It's A Mailbag! Your comments, thoughts and questions, 11/30/07

It's Mailbag time at Insights, where we take your comments, criticisms and e-mails and answer them or give them props in this space. Questions about football, basketball, lacrosse, soccer or anything else is fair game. Send your questions to [email protected] or leave them in comment boxes below during the week. If you do ask a question, we ask that you list your name (at least first one) and hometown. And one day, we'll enforce it, too.

On to the questions, which as always come from real readers:

Thanks for the good article on how Coach Weis can get smarter, faster. What so bothered me about CW's references to the Patriots last week was it seemed to(o) arrogant in making the hackneyed reference to his professional buddies...just how relevent (sic) to ND's challenges is yet to be seen. You wrote a nice column on this. Thanks.
-Joe Casper

Joe,
Thanks for the kind words. We disagree, though, that it is arrogant. It is him seeking out some help, which is probably a good thing.

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You know next to nothing about football -- you write for a small town hick paper and you presume to offer Charlie Weis advice about whom he should seek out? Get over yourself!
-Michael Ahern

Michael,
Shame to hear you feel that way -- and our paper isn't a "small town hick paper." And no matter the paper I work for, part of my job is to analyze -- so I analyzed that Weis might want to talk to more than the Patriots.

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Weis needs to talk to college. Pro style practices and all that do not work in college. There is a reason why pro coaches don't do well in college. Belichick should let him know why he failed with the Browns and tell him to let the coaches coach at ND instead of Weis trying to do everything himself.
-Mike Holmes

Mike,
Weis has for sure picked up on part of that -- he is going to make practices more physical. As for the rest of it, this is a critical offseason.

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I think the key point is that the Patriot coaches know Charlie well enough to offer criticism. Strangers, esp. other college coaches, will be too polite.
I hope you have thick skin. Some people don't understand that part of your job is to offer opinions on Charlie's. I don't always agree with you but you have been honest and fair. Keep up the good work.
-Moose Krause

Moose,
Thanks. We've seen it over the past three weeks -- when people disagree, it can get to be an ugly, ugly place. I agree about going to the Pats. It's a smart move. And thanks for the kind words.

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How exactly did Weis win 9 games in 2005 and 10 in 2006?  Was it because Willingham and his staff did such a wonderful job of teaching people like Brady, Jeff, and Maurice the fundamentals?  Look at the numbers- Weis took essentially the same team that was 6-6 in 2004 and went 9-3 in 2005- 2 of the losses were by 3 points. Brady magically went from a 50% passer in his first 2 years to a 60%+ passer in his third and fourth.  Jeff S. went from a no-name receiver to one of the best in college football overnight.  Surely, Weis couldn't be responsible for this.  Willingham was such a great coach that his influence lasted an additional 2 years and is just now wearing off!
Weis is a NFL guy- in the pros, you don't need to block and tackle.  We need a college coach like Ty!  If we can't get him back, maybe we could hire you (Michael) as a consultant.
Michael, when are you going to write an article comparing Tyrone's masterful recruiting with Charlie's?  That's another area where Charlie has failed- maybe you can help!
-Leahy

Leahy,
We are not discrediting Weis' performance in the past (although we will remind you that the players Weis inherited had talent and had some experience). And we sense your sarcasm, for sure. As for that article -- when Tyrone shows he can recruit as well as Charlie, we'll write it. However, don't hold your breath.

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Mr. Rothstein,
Of course the mailbag seems to be a bit negative, but keep up the good work. I must say - I wouldn't have gone for the field goal either based on the situation/factors but hey agree to disagree. The practice observations are always interesting and I don't think you trash ND.
Keep writing and I will keep reading. Who knows, maybe you might become a fan in the process?....
-Jared

Jared,
Thanks for the kind words. We still would have kicked that field goal. As for becoming a fan...we doubt it.

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"We believe Weis should take a few more trips to meet with others, those in the college game, to help refine his coaching"
Did you eat paint chips as a kid?
-Craig Ehlo

Craig,
Yep -- we especially like the red chips. Tasted like M&M's. Are you still bitter about Michael Jordan's shot in the playoffs? Seriously, if that's you, e-mail us at [email protected].

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Didn't Weis go out to West Virginia this past off season?????
A lot of good that did...
-John Doe

John,
We're pretty sure he did. Doesn't mean he shouldn't go around college coaches again, though.

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Getting NFL coaches perspective is not going to help in this situation.  Wies needs to get Holtz involved with things.  It would be great to have Holtz involved once again.  Weis has potential to be a great coach but he can't go to the NFL for advice on the college game, it is two different styles with different approaches
-Joe L.

Joe,
Don't worry. We think he will.

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Kansas had a shot against Missouri, who is now ranked #2 in your poll.  Why do they drop below 2 loss teams?
-Jeremy M.

Jeremy,
We dropped Kansas because we think those three two-loss teams would beat the Jayhawks right now. Teams can be so fragile (witness South Florida, etc...) when they aren't used to being at the top. Va. Tech, Georgia and Oklahoma would beat the Jayhawks.

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i honestly believe that if they played tomorrow, USC would beat every single team in front of them.  that stanford loss killed them.
-Derek Schultz

Derek,
We think you might be right. It'll be interesting to see if the Trojans get to the Rose Bowl.

Thanks for the questions. We'll be back next week.
-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

UCLA back on ND Hoops Sked?

Notre Dame men's basketball coach Mike Brey just confirmed the Irish and UCLA are in discussions to start playing each other again, beginning next season.
The way it would set up is Notre Dame would travel to UCLA next season in February and then the Bruins would come back for the first season of the refurbished Joyce Center/Purcell Pavilion in 2009-10.
"It's moving along well," Brey said. "It's finding a date, finding a time. We want to do it. It's a matter of finding a date. You want to make sure. You want CBS on it. It's a CBS game."
Brey said the discussions took place between himself and UCLA coach Ben Howland during an AAU event at Loyola this summer. It has been three seasons since the two schools have played.
"It's a major matchup for us and it brings back a lot of memories," Brey said.
While UCLA will return to South Bend for the 2009-10 season, Brey doesn't think the Bruins will be the inaugural game in the refurbished arena.
He's thought about it, but the scheduling between the two conferences could make that part of the matchup too tricky.
UCLA leads the series, 27-19, and the last meeting took place on Feb. 27, 2005, with UCLA beating Notre Dame in the Joyce Center, 75-65.
-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

So goes the merry-go-round of coaches

No news from Notre Dame yet regarding coaching changes in South Bend (we wouldn't expect any before Monday at the earliest, when Weis meets with the media), but for the second straight year, offensive coordinator/running backs coach Michael Haywood's name is being tossed around for jobs.
If you remember last season, Haywood was mentioned as a candidate for the Minnesota job. Now, he's being linked as a candidate for the Northern Illinois job (since Joe Novak retired) along with former Irish defensive coordinator Rick Minter.
This job, though, could be the one that nabs Haywood: The University of Houston. It is Haywood's hometown. Plus, he still carries weight there because his last job before Notre Dame was at Texas, where he developed Cedric Benson. It'd be a good fit, but he's lumped in with a lot of candidates, including former Texas quarterback Major Applewhite and Terry Bowden. The job opened when Art Briles bolted Houston for Baylor of the Big 12, in Waco, Texas.
-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Academically inclined...

Notre Dame has two football players on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American teams.
Fifth-year senior defensive end Trevor Laws and fifth-year senior tight end John Carlson were both named to the second team. Both were graduate students this year.
Laws graduated with a 3.220 GPA majoring in marketing and sociology. Carlson had a 3.63 GPA as a history major and is a finalist for the Draddy Trophy, known as the Heisman of academics.
-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Notes from Notre Dame-Colgate

Luke Harangody didn't have the best game Monday.
What's important for Notre Dame is that the Irish found a way to be just as productive without a big night from their top scorer.
Harangody had 11 points, but just five at halftime. Yet Notre Dame still scored 46 points in an eventual 94-63 rout of Colgate.
"You have scorers like Rob (Kurz) and Kyle (McAlarney) that are going to pick it up so that's good to know when it's not going good for me, one of them, we always have someone to pick up the scoring, too," Harangody said. "Everyone on this team has confidence in each other."
Four Notre Dame players -- McAlarney (25), Kurz (20), Luke Zeller (14) and Harangody -- scored in double figures. Junior guard Ryan Ayers was also close, with nine points.
But after Hanrangody led the team in scoring the past three games, each time with 20-plus points, Notre Dame showed it still has the balance it was known for last season.
"That's what I like," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "We're pretty good offensively. It's the first time we've made that many three's and shot it really well. We were really good with the ball and made single-digit turnovers, I don't care who you're playing, that's pretty good. We play fast and a lot of different guys handle it so there are more opportunities to screw it up, nine turnovers is pretty good.
"Getting into an offensive confidence these past two nights has been very important for us right now."
Notre Dame made more three-pointers (13) than it had turnovers (8), the first time all season that has happened since the Big East semifinals against Georgetown last year, when the Irish had 10 three-pointers and eight turnovers.

Zeller Becoming Complete
He says he has a long way to go still, but junior forward Luke Zeller is beginning to round himself into a more complete player.
Last year and over the summer, Brey implored Zeller to work more on his inside game instead of being merely an outside shooting threat.
On Monday the shooting was still there -- Zeller hit 4 of 5 three-pointers -- but he also displayed a willingness to go into the post and fight for rebounds. The former Indiana Mr. Basketball scored 14 points and had four rebounds, three offensive, against Colgate.
"I've been in a real good flow and just able to step up and knock it down," Zeller said. "I don't think there is a real science to it. I know I can knock down shots and that's the way I should be playing."

This and that
Notre Dame picked up its 23rd straight home win, one off tying the school record set in 1973-74. The Irish also have the country's fifth-best current home win streak, three games behind Wisconsin. ... Freshman Tyrone Nash played 11 minutes, part of Brey's plan to slowly grab minutes for Nash to develop in games. He scored one point, had two assists, three rebounds and three fouls. ... Sophomore point guard Tory Jackson took only three shots, but had seven assists and three steals. ... The win was Notre Dame's third 30-plus point win of the season. ... Notre Dame will run its Toys For Tots program Saturday against Eastern Michigan. The first 500 fans that donate a new, unwrapped toy will receive a coupon for a free box of popcorn.

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Men's Hoops: ND-Colgate Prediction

Trying to hustle and beat the snow up to South Bend so not much time for analysis.

Notre Dame should roll here as Colgate will be outmatched in every area.

Our pick: Notre Dame 90, Colgate 60

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

Our Top 25 -- Week 14

The Insights curse of being No. 1 (or, this week, No. 1 or No. 2) strikes again in this wacky, weird college football season. Kansas lost the Border War to Missouri. LSU fell in triple overtime to Arkansas. Mizzou and West Virginia began making cases for the championship game, but remember what we said earlier in the season? Losses by Missouri and WVU would mean a two-loss team will end up in the national championship game.
This week of college football will be very, very interesting:

On to the rankings:
Team                    Record       Last Week's Rank
1. West Virginia    10-1                  3
2. Missouri            11-1                  5
3. Ohio State        11-1                  4
4. Virginia Tech    10-2                  6
5. Georgia             10-2                  8
6. Oklahoma          10-2                 9
7. Kansas               11-1                  1
8. LSU                    10-2                 2
9. Hawaii                11-0                10
10. Boston College 10-2                14
11. USC                   10-2                15
12. Florida                9-3                17
13. Arizona State    10-2                 7
14. Clemson             9-3                 18
15. Illinois                9-3                 19
16. Tennessee          9-3                 20
17. Boise State        10-2                11
18. Texas                  9-3                 13
19. Virginia               9-3                 15
20. Oregon                9-3                 12
21. Wisconsin            9-3                  22
22. Texas Tech          8-4                  23
23. BYU                      9-2                 24
24. Cincinnati            9-3                 25
25. Arkansas               8-4                UNR

Dropped out: No. 21 Connecticut

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette                

A couple interesting football notes...

A little birdie at the Stanford-Notre Dame game told us that Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh blew off the normal post-game media session after the Cardinal lost to the Irish, 21-14.
The rumor has since been confirmed by Stanford's Sports Information department. In a season of tirades (Hello, Mike Gundy and Mike Leach) in post-game sessions and the wackiness on it, this is a rarity -- a coach completely blowing off the post-game session.
While Harbaugh didn't talk, his players did (Quotes courtesy of the Stanford Media Relations Department as we didn't travel to California).
"It is the same story every week, we are just killing ourselves," Stanford quarterback T.C. Ostrander said. "There were missed opportunities, whether it is a dropped ball or a missed throw. It is inexcusable at this time in the season, and that is why it is so frustrating."
Notre Dame also talked to the media, celebrating its second straight win. The Irish also discussed the amount of key plays reversed in the game -- from a David Grimes touchdown catch that wasn't to a Stanford interception that ended up as an incomplete pass.
"I've never seen a game with that many reversals," Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis said. "I want to see the Grimes catch again. I don't know about the other ones, but that's the one I want to see. He said he had the ball underneath his hands. And I trust him."
Grimes also said he caught it.
"I thought I had [the catch]," Grimes said. "The refs didn't. I was running, and I was like 'I got to turn it up.' I knew I couldn't just run under it so I dove, and it wound up in my hand. I knew I had it."

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette

All in all, a good day for Notre Dame

We apologize for the sort-of absence, but other things took us away from the blog for a day or so, but we're back.
Overall, a good day for Notre Dame sports overall. Let's recap:

• Notre Dame's football team won another game, beating Stanford, 21-14. A chippy game by all accounts that almost had a feel of a letting out of frustrating seasons on both sides, the Irish showed they can win a game ugly. That might be more progress than anything.
• Notre Dame's men's basketball team held off a feisty Youngstown State squad, 87-75. Sophomore forward Luke Harangody had another impressive game, notching a double-double of 25 points and 13 rebounds. If he plays like this during the Big East, he could end up on the league's first team.
• Notre Dame's women's basketball team beat Boston College 88-58 with five players scoring in double figures, led by Lindsay Schrader's 16 points. Charel Allen added 15 points and eight assists.
• Now for a surprising win, Notre Dame's women's soccer team knocked off No. 1 seed North Carolina in the third round of the NCAA women's soccer tournament, setting up a home game -- the Notre Dame Web site says Friday -- with the winner of Sunday's Indiana/Duke game. Another win and the Irish are back in the Final Four.

-By Michael Rothstein of The Journal Gazette