With the wounds of a narrow loss to Syracuse still fresh in their minds, the Irish head toward Morgantown tonight to face West Virginia.

And when they arrive, they'll try to answer questions about what caused the defensive breakdown that knocked Notre Dame out of first place in the Big East West Division.

In the waning seconds of the 82-80 loss in the Carrier Dome, after Matt Carroll hit a go-ahead 3-point shot, the Irish first dropped back into a zone defense that left Gerry McNamara wide open on the wing for a game-winning 3-pointer.

After the game, the Irish criticized their lackluster defensive effort that enabled the Orangemen to rally from a 12-point deficit.

The issue of Notre Dame blowing double-digit leads has popped up in recent weeks. In fact, it's something they've done three times in its last six games. But until Saturday, the Irish always managed to escape with a victory. Against Boston College, the Irish had a double-digit lead before the Eagles climbed back into the game and forced overtime. Against Georgetown, Notre Dame blew a 15-point lead yet still escaped with a win in double-overtime.

There's little concern that the Irish (19-5, 7-3 in the Big East) will not make the NCAA Tournament. With wins against four top-10 teams, a No. 4 ranking in the RPI standings and an undefeated home season, the Irish have amassed an impressive resume.

Yet Notre Dame's recent struggles are cause for concern. The Irish slipped one spot in the Coaches poll to No. 10 and two spots in the Associated Press poll to No. 12.

The Irish have also struggled on the road in the Big East, losing three of their five games. And the Mountaineers play the Irish tough in Morgantown, only losing by three points the last two years. More importantly, West Virginia has only lost two games at home this year.

But if the two teams' earlier meeting is any indicator, the Irish shouldn't have much trouble. When Notre Dame and West Virginia played in the Joyce Center Jan. 29, the Irish cruised to an 88-69 victory against an undermanned, overmatched squad.

The worst rebounding team in the Big East, Notre Dame out-muscled the Mountaineers on the boards. Since the Mountaineers lack a strong inside presence, the Irish sometimes got two or three extra chances thanks to offensive rebounds. When the game was over, Notre Dame had out-rebounded West Virginia 51-27.

"I may frame this," Irish coach Mike Brey said as he looked at the stat sheet after the game. "The big, tough Irish."

Now, the Irish look to repeat their performance earlier in the season. If anything, it may get their mind off why they're struggling to hang on to big leads.

Note:

Carroll is one of 10 finalists for the Senior CLASS award, given to individuals who excel in the classroom, on the court, and stay in school for four years.

The other finalists for the award are Illinois' Brian Cook, Arizona's Jason Garder, Wake Forest's Josh Howard, Oklahoma's Hollis Price, Kansas' Nick Collison, Louisville's Reese Gaines, Kansas' Kirk Hinrich, Creighton's Kyle Korver and Xavier's David West.

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