Irish face dangerous foe in Big East matchup
By TIM CASEY
Assistant Sports Editor
One team's success has led to national recognition. The other squad's unexpected wins have gone virtually unnoticed.
But both the Notre Dame and Seton Hall women's programs have upstaged their more heralded men's counterparts.
Before the season, prognosticators predicted Notre Dame and Seton Hall's men's teams as two of the top rising programs in the nation. With four returning starters for the Irish and three All-Everything freshmen coming in for the Pirates, the two schools received many preseason accolades.
Two months later, the women have closed the gap. Whereas the men's teams have struggled as of late, the women have been on a tear. Entering Sunday's contest in New Jersey, Notre Dame and Seton Hall may be the two most surprising squads in the league.
The Irish's 17-0 record, and most noticeably the victory over Connecticut, has been well documented. But the lesser known Pirates have also had a solid beginning.
Seton Hall, which entered the season predicted to finish 13th out of 14 teams in the conference, has an overall record of 12-5, including a 5-1 Big East mark. The five wins in six games give the Pirates a slight edge over Connecticut and Rutgers (both 4-1), in the battle for second place in the league. Last year, Seton Hall won just 11 of 27 games and had just five Big East victories.
However, the Pirates' fast start is a bit misleading. Their last three wins have been close, with victories against Pittsburgh (62-60 on Jan. 10), Georgetown (56-53 on Jan. 13), and Villanova (52-50 on Jan. 16). And Seton Hall has yet to play any of the teams (Connecticut, Rutgers, Notre Dame and Boston College) ranked on top of the conference's preseason poll.
By comparison, Notre Dame's 6-0 conference record includes a 64-33 win over Villanova. The Irish have also played games against league stalwarts Connecticut, Virginia Tech (twice) and Rutgers. The average margin in those four contests was 17 points per game.
That's not to say Seton Hall provides little challenge for the nation's No. 3 team.
Senior forward Arminda Moreno, who started for four years on Spain's Junior Nation Team, leads the squad in scoring (16.2 points per game) and sank two free throws in the final seconds to seal the Villanova win. Plus, the tight victories have given the Pirates some added confidence.
But they still must contend with the only undefeated team in the country.
Early in the season, consistent 3-point shooting helped the Irish become a more balanced team. Alicia Ratay's, Jeneka Joyce's and Niele Ivey's accuracy from the outside have made opposing squads defend the perimeter, which leaves more offensive opportunities for All-American center Ruth Riley.
The senior has sparked Notre Dame's recent surge. She has averaged nearly 22 points in the past eight games and has won the Big East Player of the Week award in two of the past three weeks. Her performance against Connecticut (29 points, 12 rebounds, 5 blocks and 4 assists) will most likely give Riley her third Player of the Week award.
Following Sunday's game, the Irish play at West Virginia on Jan. 24 and have seven days off before hosting Providence.
All Sports Stories for Friday, January 19, 2001
