Notre Dame hopes to leave Kentucky blue
By KERRY SMITH
Sports Writer
After coasting through the first seven games of a non-conference schedule, Mike Brey and his Irish squad hit a few stumbling blocks.
Going 5-4 in their last nine games, the Irish have tasted a little bit of reality: the Big East conference is a tough place to play. Add a non-conference powerhouse like the No. 12 Kentucky Wildcat squad that is heading to the Joyce Center court Saturday to the mix, and the Irish are at a critical point in the season. But the challenge awaiting Brey's unranked squad is one the team is looking forward to.
"This game is a great attention-getter," Brey said. "It's an RPI game. It gives the program some attention if we can come up with a win."
Winning games against ranked teams has been tough for the Irish. The team traveled to the Carrier Dome Monday to take on No. 8 Syracuse, only to come up five points short despite a late-game defensive stand.
"This game is going to be very comparable [to the Syracuse game]", Brey said. "It's a top-15 program, they're a confident basketball team."
The Wildcats have proven their talent with a 11-4 record in the regular season. The pre-season SEC favorite, the Wildcats have disposed handily of several opponents, including Indiana, a team the Irish couldn't beat in early December. And Tubby Smith's Wildcat team proved it meant business when it came heartbreakingly close to an overtime upset over No. 1 Duke.
But with the highs have also come the lows.
A home-opening loss to unranked Western Kentucky jolted the program at the outset and a recent slump has hurt the team. The Wildcats dropped two straight games to Mississippi State and Georgia last week.
"They had a little lull, but they played well against Ole Miss in their last game," Brey said. "They are a very talented team."
If the Irish hope to pull off an upset before the home crowd, they will need to fine-tune their offensive game. The Irish, who averaged nearly 90 points in their seven-game winning streak to open the season, have averaged just under 62 recent outings.
But because the level of competition has increased and the Irish defense has held fast, Brey is not too concerned with the lack of offensive productivity.
"I think we're OK," Brey said. "I'm a big believer in averages."
According to Brey, the keys to an Irish win Saturday are rebounding and taking care of the ball.
"Our poise is important, and staying in character," Brey said. "In big game situations there is a tendency to do things that aren't you."
According to senior forward Ryan Humphrey, defense will continue to be the key when the Irish take the court.
"Defense is important," Humphrey said. "We need to play tough defense and keep rebounding."
Defensively, the Irish will look to contain the Wildcat's most explosive player, Tayshaun Prince. The forward, who shoots more than 50 percent from the field, averages nearly 18 points a game. The rest of the Wildcat scoring comes from a balanced and deep bench in which 10 players see consistent court time.
Playing to the home crowd will make the task of an upset easier for the Irish, who have not played in front of the Notre Dame student section in more than a month.
"Students drive the building," Brey said. " When the endzone is filled with students it makes a lot of electricity. And that's contagious."
Humphrey is looking forward to the familiarities of the Joyce Center.
"On the road, I was getting heckled a lot," Humphrey said. "With our student section, it will be good to have them on our side and against the other team."
All Sports Stories for Friday, January 18, 2002
