Brey seeks win with or without Humphrey
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Associate Sports Editor
After nosing past the Big East's top-rated Boston Colege team Wednesday, outdoing Virginia Tech — the team at the bottom of the barrel — should be simple for No. 18 Notre Dame.
The Irish (18-6, 10-3 Big East) aren't looking at the standings, however.
They're more concerned with another notation, the one that reads: game site — Cassell Coliseum in Blacksburg, Va.
The Hokies (8-17, 2-12) are new to the Big East Conference, so the Irish are heading to Virginia Tech for the first time, expecting an atmosphere as hostile as the one they faced at the Appalachia neighbor West Virginia on Feb. 11.
"Everywhere we go, we get that kind of greeting," Irish junior David Graves said. "Being a small town in Virginia, there's nothing else to do. Especially against the top team in the league; they'll come out for us."
The Hokies have nothing to lose by hurling their entire arsenal at the Irish. Just three games remain on their 2000-'01 slate as they have already been eliminated from contention for a Big East Tournament bid.
Irish coach Mike Brey, meanwhile, faces the dilemma of trying to win a Big East regular season title while keeping his players' legs fresh enough to play well into March. Figuring into that predicament is the sprained ankle forward Ryan Humphrey that played through against Boston College.
"It's something we absolutely have to consider," Brey said, "because we have to get Humphrey well. There's a big picture, too. We'll do what we have to do. We want to have as fresh of legs as possible going into New York [for the Big East Tournament]."
Notre Dame can't afford to risk further injury to its leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, but it also wants to bat 1.000 on this road trip against Virginia Tech and Connecticut.
Going two-for-two on the road would assure the Irish of first place in the Big East West Division, since they boast a two-game lead over the second-place Syracuse Orangemen heading into Saturday.
"These two games are critical for us," Graves said, "because we're going to have to come home and face a very, very tough Georgetown team. You don't want to have a must-win game against a team like Georgetown. We're going to have to take care of business these first two games."
Virginia Tech, while not as talented as Boston College, is similar in its speed and defensive pressure.
The Hokies' top talent is sophomore guard Brian Chase, who leads the league with a 47 percent shot from behind the arc. He will be hard-pressed to match that against Notre Dame. The Irish hold opponents to a conference low in shooting and stifled BC's daggers at the right times Wednesday.
"You just extend your man-to-man out and don't let him get any good looks," Graves said. "Just disrupt his rhythm, do a lot of the things they do to us. That's one thing we've learned. We can do a lot of the things they do to us. They'll bother the other teams, too."
Other key players for the Hokies are 6-foot-10 transfer Carlton Carter and small forwards Carlos Dixon and Bryant Matthews.
Notre Dame holds the advantage across the board with steady Martin Ingelsby at point guard, aided by Graves and Matt Carroll at the guard positions.
Down low, the Irish are usually dominant with All-American Troy Murphy and forwards Harold Swanagan and Humphrey. If Humphrey is missing from the lineup, however, depth will be a concern, particularly on defense.
"When we start man-to-man, it gets us active," Brey said. "Who's healthy? Is Humphrey starting? What we do defensively is based on, `Is he going to be available?'"
The Irish will see on Saturday.
All Sports Stories for Friday, February 23, 2001
