Notre Dame still feels it has plenty to play for.
SOUTH BEND -- Banter about brackets and bubbles has ceased, though Notre Dame still has many reasons to play basketball deep into March.
Tuesday's Big East home loss to No. 13 Providence all but derailed dreams of returning to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth-consecutive spring. Needing the win to solidify a suspect tournament resume, the Irish instead dropped to 13-11 overall, 7-7 in the Big East with three games remaining in the regular season.
While the Notre Dame name likely will not be among those heard come Selection Sunday, point guard Chris Thomas insisted Wednesday that much more still can be accomplished - mainly, mustering momentum during the Big East Tournament to run through the other postseason tournament.
"We hate to even think about that," Thomas said of not being invited to experience March Madness. "But there is no shame in going to the NIT as long as you play well and attack it.
"We don't want to come off the floor."
There would be little disgrace this season in not being part of the one gathering by which every program is judged. One of only nine schools to win a first-round NCAA Tournament game each of the last three years, Notre Dame is not alone when it comes to teams that might fall short of expectations.
Alabama, Indiana, Missouri, Marquette, Oklahoma, Oregon and Xavier, all of which held much preseason promise, have also struggled and are likely ticketed for the NIT. The last time Notre Dame played in the NIT, it advanced to the championship game before losing to Wake Forest in 2000.
What matters most to Notre Dame now is finishing with a winning record in league play, something the Irish can do with victories over Georgetown and St. John's to conclude the conference schedule.
The senior class of Torrian Jones and Tom Timmermans may leave having missed the NCAA Tournament in their final seasons, but can take pride in pointing the Irish toward another first in school history - a fourth-straight winning season in the Big East.
"That's very important for us as a team," Timmermans said of a potential 9-7 finish.
"It's not like we're giving up on the season," Jones said.
Notre Dame easily wiped clean last week's letdown against No. 8 Connecticut, but dealing with Tuesday's loss may be a bit more difficult.
Knowing they needed to win on their home floor, the Irish faltered for far too long on the offensive end.
They twice labored more than nine minutes without a field goal against a stifling 2-3 Providence zone defense. Notre Dame shot 31.5 percent from the floor, 24.1 percent from 3-point range and finished with only five more baskets (17) than turnovers (12).
"We just weren't disciplined," Jones said. "Sometimes effort only goes so far and you have to be disciplined and stick to your game plan and play smarter."
Smarter in the sense that the Irish may have relied too heavily on the outside shots. Though Notre Dame finished 7-for-29 from 3, driving the ball into the zone may have loosened up more looks from outside.
The Irish finished with only eight baskets in the paint, a number that likely will not increase the rest of the way.
"We've got to make some shots outside," Irish head coach Mike Brey said. "Because of who we are right now, a couple of those things have to go in. We've got to keep taking them, because that's our identity."
Notre Dame steps away from Big East play Saturday with a rare late-February non-conference game at UCLA.
Thomas looks forward to his first visit to Pauley Pavilion, the site of so much college basketball excellence, if only because the pressure to perform no longer exists for a Notre Dame team often at its best, be it at DePaul, home against Connecticut or at Syracuse, where expectations are not overwhelming.
"It," Thomas said of the trip, "gives us a chance to relax."
And realize there are still plenty more reasons to play.
http://www.southbendtribune.com
SOUTH BEND -- Banter about brackets and bubbles has ceased, though Notre Dame still has many reasons to play basketball deep into March.
Tuesday's Big East home loss to No. 13 Providence all but derailed dreams of returning to the NCAA Tournament for a fourth-consecutive spring. Needing the win to solidify a suspect tournament resume, the Irish instead dropped to 13-11 overall, 7-7 in the Big East with three games remaining in the regular season.
While the Notre Dame name likely will not be among those heard come Selection Sunday, point guard Chris Thomas insisted Wednesday that much more still can be accomplished - mainly, mustering momentum during the Big East Tournament to run through the other postseason tournament.
"We hate to even think about that," Thomas said of not being invited to experience March Madness. "But there is no shame in going to the NIT as long as you play well and attack it.
"We don't want to come off the floor."
There would be little disgrace this season in not being part of the one gathering by which every program is judged. One of only nine schools to win a first-round NCAA Tournament game each of the last three years, Notre Dame is not alone when it comes to teams that might fall short of expectations.
Alabama, Indiana, Missouri, Marquette, Oklahoma, Oregon and Xavier, all of which held much preseason promise, have also struggled and are likely ticketed for the NIT. The last time Notre Dame played in the NIT, it advanced to the championship game before losing to Wake Forest in 2000.
What matters most to Notre Dame now is finishing with a winning record in league play, something the Irish can do with victories over Georgetown and St. John's to conclude the conference schedule.
The senior class of Torrian Jones and Tom Timmermans may leave having missed the NCAA Tournament in their final seasons, but can take pride in pointing the Irish toward another first in school history - a fourth-straight winning season in the Big East.
"That's very important for us as a team," Timmermans said of a potential 9-7 finish.
"It's not like we're giving up on the season," Jones said.
Notre Dame easily wiped clean last week's letdown against No. 8 Connecticut, but dealing with Tuesday's loss may be a bit more difficult.
Knowing they needed to win on their home floor, the Irish faltered for far too long on the offensive end.
They twice labored more than nine minutes without a field goal against a stifling 2-3 Providence zone defense. Notre Dame shot 31.5 percent from the floor, 24.1 percent from 3-point range and finished with only five more baskets (17) than turnovers (12).
"We just weren't disciplined," Jones said. "Sometimes effort only goes so far and you have to be disciplined and stick to your game plan and play smarter."
Smarter in the sense that the Irish may have relied too heavily on the outside shots. Though Notre Dame finished 7-for-29 from 3, driving the ball into the zone may have loosened up more looks from outside.
The Irish finished with only eight baskets in the paint, a number that likely will not increase the rest of the way.
"We've got to make some shots outside," Irish head coach Mike Brey said. "Because of who we are right now, a couple of those things have to go in. We've got to keep taking them, because that's our identity."
Notre Dame steps away from Big East play Saturday with a rare late-February non-conference game at UCLA.
Thomas looks forward to his first visit to Pauley Pavilion, the site of so much college basketball excellence, if only because the pressure to perform no longer exists for a Notre Dame team often at its best, be it at DePaul, home against Connecticut or at Syracuse, where expectations are not overwhelming.
"It," Thomas said of the trip, "gives us a chance to relax."
And realize there are still plenty more reasons to play.
http://www.southbendtribune.com
