MEN'S BASKETBALL: Irish host Hoyas on Senior Day
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Associate Sports Editor
The Irish have already earned the right to hang a Big East West Division championship banner in the Joyce Center, but they'd like to beat Georgetown Sunday to give seniors Martin Ingelsby and Hans Rasmussen a final home game to tell their grandkids about.
Notre Dame's final home game, which tips off at 2 p.m. Sunday, is the last chance for Irish fans to get an in-person glimpse of point guard Ingelsby and reserve center Rasmussen on the court — without packing up their bags and heading for the Big East or NCAA Tournaments.
"We want to defend our homecourt," junior All-American Troy Murphy said before practice Thursday. "We've only lost one game in here in the conference. It's very important for us to go out strong. Moose [Ingelsby] and Hans [Rasmussen], we want to send them out winners."
The Irish (19-7, 11-4 Big East) just suffered a 75-59 loss at Connecticut on Jan. 27, but are still riding high after winning 10 of their last 12 games. Wrapping up the West Division title also scored them a first-round bye in the Big East Tournament next week.
The Hoyas (22-6, 9-6), while stuck with the unpleasant reality of playing at the Joyce Center on Notre Dame's Senior Day, have just as much motivation to record a win. They are tied with Syracuse in the race for second place in the division, with the winner gaining a first-round Big East Tournament bye. Syracuse finishes the regular season at St. John's Sunday.
"Georgetown's playing well," Irish coach Mike Brey said Thursday. "They're playing for a bye. We've already got the bye. There's some incentive there, so we'll have to play very well to beat them."
The Irish stumbled a bit the game after securing the division title with a win at Virginia Tech when they lost at Connecticut. One loss should be enough to remind the players why winning beats losing.
"The UConn psychology was kind of hard to handle," Brey said. "We clinched the title, and it was probably difficult to be as hungry in all honesty. I think we can be pretty hungry about Georgetown — our last home game, 20 wins, there's a lot of things."
When the Irish have something larger to play for, like at Virginia Tech, they usually come together and play well as a team. Unselfish play is what could propel the Irish through both the Big East and NCAA Tournaments if they hope to make a run.
It worked in Notre Dame's first victory over Georgetown, a 78-71 win at the MCI Center on Jan. 27. The Irish had five players score in double digits in that win.
"Every game we have coming up is obviously going to be a huge game for us," sophomore guard Matt Carroll said. "They're all big-time games. In order for us to realize our potential, we've all got to play together and play unselfish."
Another key for Notre Dame, which has beaten Georgetown in the teams' past two matchups, will be controlling the game pace. In the season's first contest, Ingeslby and his teammates led the tempo.
"We want to do basically the same thing as we did the first time — try to control the tempo, take care of the ball and rebound," Carroll said.
Stopping one of the league's top freshmen, forward Mike Sweetney, is one part of holding the Hoyas in check. Other players to watch are forwards Gerald Riley and Anthony Perry, center Ruben Boumtje-Boumtje and guards Demetrius Hunter and Kevin Braswell.
The Irish have a few extra things on their list of goals this weekend.
The Irish are going for their 20th regular season win, a number they haven't seen in more than a decade. Then there's the fact that Ingelsby and Rasmussen are seeking to go out on a good note. Ingelsby's a candidate for the most improved player of the year in the Big East, after losing his starting job to Jimmy Dillon a year ago but averaging better than six assists per game this season.
Murphy may also have more at stake than normal. If the 6-foot-10 forward, who averages 23 points and more than nine rebounds per game, decides to go pro after the season, Sunday's game would be his last in the Joyce Center.
"It might be [my last game here]," said Murphy, who hasn't made up his mind about his future plans. "It could be. It would be nice to go out a winner if it was."
All Sports Stories for Friday, March 2, 2001
