Don, you reminded me of something I forgot to mention. OSU’s bench far outperformed ND’s bench. I was amazed by the comparison. Bench strength always has been a problem for us. We just don’t have depth and and it hurt us last night.
I see that Coach K is questioning whether we should even be playing basketball right now. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski on Tuesday called on college basketball to consider whether it's best to continue playing during the COVID-19 pandemic. "I would just like for the safety, the mental and physical health of players and staff to assess where we're at," Krzyzewski said. Krzyzewski's comments came after an 83-68 loss to Illinois. The five-time championship-winning coach said that the idea for everyone to start on Nov. 25 wasn't planned well. The goal, according to Krzyzewski, was to get in as many games as possible. Many players won't be able to go home and visit family for holidays, Krzyzewski said, arguing that this is a time when they should do that for their mental health. Coach K questions continuing play in pandemic
Sid there might be some help for the short ND bench. NCAA REPRIEVE? Notre Dame's bench is preposterously short. The Irish got modest contributions from freshmen Tony Sanders Jr. and Matt Zona Tuesday night, to the tune of four combined points, three rebounds, a block and an assist in 23 combined minutes. Nik Djogo remained out with an injury, though Brey has said he hoped to have Djogo return Saturday at Kentucky. Robby Carmody has a targeted return after the first of the year as part of his path back from a pair of knee surgeries. Yet Brey expressed optimism the Irish could land help next week – if the NCAA elects to grant eligibility to transfer players currently sitting out, such as Notre Dame guard and former Santa Clara standout Trey Wertz. “I think it's being discussed,” Brey said. “I think there's a lot of discussion at the NCAA level on having availability of guys on your roster. I think you probably saw something about Dec. 16, them really thoroughly talking about that. … I think there is a school of thought that, you know what, maybe all these guys need to be eligible now so that we can get through a season and not cancel games. “I applaud the NCAA for at least discussing this next Wednesday. This doesn't move that fast usually.” In two years at Santa Clara, including an West Coast Conference All-Freshman selection, the 6-foot-5, 195-pound Wertz averaged 12 points per game each season.
Well the Irish hang on and get the 1 point win at Kentucky. Irish had a 22 point lead at half, but Kentucky came out and dominated the 2nd half and had the shot to win at the end but it didn't go down and we get the win. Kentucky has a ton of talent headed to the NBA, but Cal is having a hard time getting them to play as a team. Maybe a light has finally gone on for them with their 2nd half play.
I saw that the Irish had a 20+ point lead on the Cats so I tuned in to watch the second half. Terrible basketball. Honestly, I used to coach CYO and 5th and 6th grade girls had more skill getting the ball in the basket that that ND team. They didn't score for over 14 minutes. Maybe Brey should wear his mask over his eyes.
Florida lost to FSU today but much more important is that on a time out early in the game one of our players collapsed on the floor face first and was taken to the hospital where he is listed in critical but stable condition. He is in the hospital in Tallahassee is in all our prayers.
Bad news for the Buckeyes, our most profile player Liddell has been diagnosed with mononucleosis. No one is sure what is down the road, just wait and see. Coach Holtmann is going to be challenged to replace him with maybe multiple choices. Bad timing with conference play beginning this week.
Don, I don't recall which player he is, but with your deep bench, you shouldn't suffer as much as a ND-type team would. Good luck. As I've said here before, I'm a big fan of Coach Holtmann because of how he conducts himself and because of what he did for Butler as its head coach.
Power Forward Sid, Mr Illinois basketball twice. He was relatively quiet in the first half but managed 17 points in the second half. Agree with your comments on Coach Holtmann. We will play Cleveland State this afternoon on BTN. We will see how things look after todays game.
Well we managed to win the game but it was't pretty. Poor defense and Walker our point guard, needs to dribble less and get the ball to the scorers more quickly. We are definitely a work in progress as we head to West Lafayette to meet Purdue Wednesday evening.
Don, you (we) shouldn't have too much problem with our REALLY young team. They are kind of fun to watch but the B1G is so good this year I don't expect much except maybe a couple upsets.
That surprises me...Ohio State ranked in top 20. Sagarin Computer has Ohio State at 29 and Purdue at 41. Plus lots of the home field advantage gone with no attendance.
Don, was a good game. Travion Williams was a monster. OSU missed Liddell. OSU will be fine. Purdue will continue to be hot and cold with all our youth. They were hot tonight.
Nice win for Purdue this evening Stu. I am afraid we have a long way to go in the Big Ten conference without E.J. Liddell. Trevon Willams is really smooth down by the basket in the paint. Our defense really needs to improve.
I didn't get to watch the Duke/ND game but Irish fans who did say the game wasn't as close as the final score would indicate. The Irish are going to struggle again this year, many think our lack of big men inside is a "big" problem. Texas however is off to the best start in the Shaka Smart era...a job saving start if he can keep it up!!