Notre Dame stands two wins away from NIT title
By KATHLEEN O'BRIEN
Associate Sports Editor
The Irish men's basketball team waits two wins away from a feat never before accomplished at Notre Dame — a championship in a postseason tournament.
Winning the National Invitation Tournament may not be the pinnacle of college basketball; that's something reserved for the NCAA Tournament champion. But for a basketball program that last won 20 games in the 1988-89 season and most recently qualified for the NCAA tournament a decade ago, cutting down the nets in Madison Square Garden would send the message that Notre Dame basketball is back.
That's a message that Notre Dame (21-14) would like to communicate loud and clear in tonight's semifinals match-up against the Penn State Nittany Lions (18-15).
"I'm just looking forward to going back to New York, proving the [NCAA Tournament selection] committee wrong, and showing everybody that we could have been in the tournament," sophomore forward Harold Swanagan said.
The Nittany Lions, who have been on fire since starting the postseason, stand in the way of an Irish celebration.
Since dropping five straight conference games to close out the regular season, Penn State won five of six in the Big Ten tournament and NIT. Three of those victories have been over teams Notre Dame also defeated — Michigan, Ohio State and Siena.
"I know that they're playing really well right now," Notre Dame sophomore David Graves said. "I remember during the middle of the season they weren't doing too well, but obviously they made a big run and a big surge and they won some quality games. It's going to be a battle."
Penn State turns to the inside tandem of senior forward Jarrett Stephens and junior forward Titus Ivory, both of whom average in double digits.
Stephens, who scores 18.7 points per game and pulls down 10.7 rebounds, was the only Big Ten player to complete the year in the top five in both categories. He recorded 19 double doubles this year.
Brothers Joe and Jon Crispin pose a perimeter threat for the Irish. Joe Crispin, a junior guard, pours in 18.8 points per game, while Jon, a freshman guard, adds 9.5 points per outing. The siblings are buddies of Notre Dame freshman guard Matt Carroll, a Pennsylvania native.
"The only thing I know about Penn State is the Crispin brothers because Matt Carroll is good friends with them," Graves said after Notre Dame beat Brigham Young to advance to the semifinals. "I know that they're tremendous shooters, and they really look for their shots."
The Irish will be looking to get Graves some open shots, who is tied for the school record in single-season 3-point field goals with 80. Carroll and senior point guard Jimmy Dillon should dish out the ball, as both have tallied at least five assists in each of Notre Dame's three NIT games.
Troy Murphy, a 6-foot-9 power forward who was named a consensus first team All-American this season, needs to work his way free for shots wherever he can get them. Murphy, who averages 22.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, gets double- and triple-teamed every time he sets foot on the court. The Irish need to find a way to get him the ball inside to beat a red-hot Nittany Lions squad.
"We're not just going to go there happy that we made it to the semifinals," Graves said. "We're going to prove to everybody who counted us out that we're legit and that we should be in the tournament."
The winner will play the victor of the North Carolina State-Wake Forest game in the finals at 7 p.m. Thursday, while the two losers will face off in a consolation game Thursday at 4:30 p.m.
"Now we want to win this first game, because they have a consolation game in the NIT," Doherty said. "Nobody likes to play in a consolation game, so that might be a good motivator for us."
Both the Irish and the Nittany Lions are looking for their first ever NIT title.
All Sports Stories for Tuesday, March 28, 2000
