Irish look to steal win away from No. 23 Pirates
By BRIAN KESSLER
Sports Editor
The road has been a lonely place for the Notre Dame basketball team this season.
Aside from huge wins over Ohio State and Connecticut, Notre Dame has been 0-8 away from the Joyce Center. It won't get any easier Saturday when the Irish take on the No. 23 Seton Hall Pirates at Continental Airlines Arena in East Rutherford, N.J.
"Playing on the road is definitely a concern for us," sophomore forward David Graves said. "When we play at home, we feed off the crowd and we feel comfortable. We're definitely due for a big road win, but this will be a tough game. We need to come out and set the tone defensively."
Seton Hall earned a Top 25 ranking this week for the first time since 1993 and boasts an 18-5 record.
The Pirates are also second in the conference with a 10-3 mark, but are coming off a 59-50 loss to Connecticut.
The Pirates are led by Darius Lane and Rimas Kaukenas, who average 15.1 and 13 points per game, respectively.
Sheehan Holloway is one of the best point guards in the league and leads the team in both assists (5.9 per game) and rebounding (5.3 per game).
He also averages 12.8 points per game.
The Pirates are a very dangerous team from behind the arc. Lane, Kaukenas, Holloway and Gary Saunders (9.4 points per game) have taken nearly 400 3-pointers and shoot a combined 40 percent from downtown.
"We definitely need to extend our zone because they have some great shooters," Graves said. "Their team feeds off what they do from the outside. They live and die from the perimeter, so we have to make sure we get out there and contest shots."
The Pirates also have one of the best shot-blockers in the country in freshman Samuel Dalembert who averages 3.5 blocks per game.
The Irish are led by All-American candidate Troy Murphy, who is fourth in the nation in scoring (23 points per game) and sixth in the country in rebounding (10.8 boards per contest).
Last year, the Irish defeated the Pirates twice during the regular season, but fell to Seton Hall in the first round of the Big East Tournament. Murphy was injured for the first game, but averaged 25 points and 14 rebounds in the final two contests.
"I think we definitely have the advantage inside," said Graves who is second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game. "We're going to try to pound the ball into Troy and Harold [Swanagan]. Hopefully we can control the game that way and get them into foul trouble because they are not very deep."
Notre Dame is coming off last Saturday's 68-66 upset win over defending national champion UConn.
This game is the start of a crucial five game-stretch that closes out the regular season. During that stretch the Irish will face the top three teams in the conference.
"Coach has been saying that we can finish the season anywhere from second place to ninth place," Graves said. "We control our own destiny. If we come out and play hard, play smart and play together than we'll be right up there at the top."
The road to the top begins Saturday at Seton Hall.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 18, 2000
