Notre Dame seeks revenge for late season loss to Pitt
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Assosicate Sports Editor
Riding a four-game winning streak, the Irish head to Pittsburgh Saturday hoping to avoid a repeat of last year's road letdown against the Panthers.
"I'd say the Pittsburgh game was one of the ones that sealed us not getting into the NCAA tournament," Irish forward Troy Murphy, the current Big East Player of the Week, said.
A loss to the Panthers a season ago helped send the Irish packing to the Not In Tournament — NIT. Last year, Notre Dame traveled to Pittsburgh with a 14-8 record, having defeated the Panthers by 15 in the Joyce Center less than two weeks earlier. But Notre Dame caved to a 15-0 run by Pittsburgh in the second half and dropped five of its next eight games.
Despite the sour aftertaste of last year's game, Irish coach Mike Brey doesn't view Saturday's contest as a must win for his 13-5 team, which sits atop the West Division of the Big East at 5-2 in the league.
"It's not a make or break it game," Brey said. "It's another good road challenge, but we're not in must win territory. We're better, and they're better this year."
Not only are the Panthers (12-7, 4-4) better than they were in 1999-2000; they're anxious to show their dismal performance at Notre Dame was a fluke. In the Jan. 16 match, which Notre Dame won 74-58 to begin its current run of wins, the Panthers missed their first 11 shots and never recovered. The Irish held Pittsburgh's star player, Ricardo Greer, to 2-for-12 shooting, an outing he's not likely to forget.
"I don't think Pittsburgh's going to get off to as bad a start as they did here," Brey said. "We really have to be ready to play. They've shot it much better at home than on the road."
The Panthers have played much better at home in general, with just two of their seven losses coming at Fitzgerald Field House. Their shooting percentage against Notre Dame was a rare low ball for the Panthers. More often, the Panthers smother their opponents from the field. The Pitt defense is keeping opponents to the lowest point total and worst shooting percentage in the conference.
The Irish managed to hold down the tempo against high-scoring Georgetown, and their ability to control the game pace against the Panthers will be key.
"We know we need to go in and control the tempo," said Irish point guard Martin Ingelsby, who leads the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.65. "When opportunities are there, take them, but not be too crazy with the ball. We need to get it into our big guys in the post, because that's where we're most effective."
If the two teams keep things slow and patient Saturday, the Irish may actually benefit. With three strong post players in Murphy, Ryan Humphrey and Harold Swanagan, meshing with three potent perimeter shooters in Ingelsby, David Graves and Matt Carroll, Notre Dame has options galore.
Pittsburgh isn't quite as versatile, but the Panthers do have some options beyond Greer, a senior guard. Freshman point guard Julius Page and 6-foot-8 senior forward Isaac Hawkins each average 9.7 points per game, while forward Donatas Zavackas and guard Brandin Knight are also important contributors for coach Ben Howland's squad.
In the first Irish-Panthers contest this season, Brey implemented a new starting lineup, replacing Graves with Swanagan due to Graves' sprained ankle. The switch worked, and Brey's stuck with it ever since.
Swanagan became the team's shining example of gritty play with his penchant for rebounds and floor burns, while Graves, still averaging more than 30 minutes per game, provides energy and hot shooting off the bench. The flip-flop in positions among the teammates and close friends is a change the Irish look to as a possible turning point in their season.
"I don't know what the difference is," Murphy said of the change in Irish play. "It could have something to do with the new starting lineup."
Ingelsby added, "I think we're just playing well as a team right now. We're doing the right things at the offensive end and defensive end. I think guys know their roles, and we've established our guys in the post."
Doing the same on Saturday should up the Irish run of victories to five, a school record for consecutive league wins.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 2, 2001
