Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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it because six Big East teams were ranked as of Dec. 26, including No. 1 Syracuse and No. 4 Louisville. No conference game remotely resembles an easy victory this season. With Brey relying on so many in- experienced players, some of whom had never played a second of ball in the Big East prior to the tilt with Pitt, there are going to be some glaring mistakes made along the way. To fin- ish .500 this year, Notre Dame must go 8-10 in conference play. "You feel you've got a shot," Brey said. "I'd like to see that shot be this season. We are going to keep work- ing for that." The victory versus Pitt was the 28th consecutive home victory for the Irish. Since 2006-07, Notre Dame is 93-6 overall (.939) and 40-5 (.889) in the Big East at home. Next challenge: Win on the road, where the Irish are 0-5 this season. They will have a first such opportu- nity against Cincinnati in the Queen City on Jan. 4. WORKING WITH MARTIN Also on the agenda, which surely wasn't at the start of the year, is the need to figure out what mental hur- dles are standing in Martin's way. The co-captain already had the green light to fire at will when Abro- maitis was still part of the equation. When his roommate went down with an ACL tear, Martin became hesitant and a non-factor in the mar- quee games. His field goal percent- age (.355) is the lowest on the team among the nine scholarship players. In Notre Dame's five losses, Martin registered 12 points against Missouri, six points versus Georgia, one point at Gonzaga, seven against Maryland and six versus Indiana. Notre Dame desperately needs Martin to contrib- ute more than his current 8.7 points per game. In the Big East opener against Pitt, he finished with four points. "I'm not worried about him getting 30, but those mid-range shots in the lane are things that he gets for us," Brey said. "Whenever you can go out there and hit a couple shots, you always feel better about yourself. … It's an overall comfort thing rather than get- ting the ball in certain spots," Mar- tin added. "It's not going to happen overnight. When you struggle, you struggle. Hopefully it works out." www.BLUEANDGOLD.com THE FIRST FIVE Other roles, however, are begin- ning to crystallize. Brey has settled in comfortably with a starting five that features Martin, Cooley, and emerg- ing sophomore guards Eric Atkins, Jerian Grant and Dragicevich. That appears to be the most effec- tive starting group moving forward, with junior guard Joey Brooks, junior forward Tom Knight and freshman guard Pat Connaughton coming off the bench. Forward Mike Brogham- mer also has seen spot duty. Cooley has put up 15.2 points and 10.6 rebounds in his last six outings. Atkins (14.0 points per game) and Grant (12.9 points per game) are be- coming more confident each night out, but Dragicevich has become the crucial X-factor, according to Brey. "I really felt we needed to be com- mitted … it was Dragicevich getting in there," Brey said. "They all help each other. [The victory against Pitt] really solidifies them carrying them- selves like they're the group. That helps me teaching that they had suc- cess and won a big game together." As is the case with most young players, it's now going to be about consistency and playing well on the road. "I'm going to tell them tomorrow, 'Can you go for it for 40 minutes and not be safe? You went for it for 20 minutes,' " Brey said of his sopho- mores. "I want them to attack — and they were trying. Those three guys playing that way helps Scott Martin." Although Connaughton has expe- rienced some bumps along the way, the rookie has the mental makeup to give the Irish a spark in the Big East. Knight has fed off Cooley's energy at times to make a dent in the post, including six crucial points and two blocked shots versus Pitt. If Brooks can collect himself away from Purcell Pavilion, he's capable of providing 20 quality minutes per game. Notre Dame will not be aided by forward Eric Katenda, who plans to enroll in January. The forward was supposed to join Connaughton this season in a two-man 2011 class, but he was permanently blinded in his left eye during a summer pickup game. He recently told the South Bend Tribune that he will not attempt to play this season, but expects to be in the mix next year. ✦ Three-Point Play 1. Notre Dame is the only program in the basketball-mad state of Indiana that has had a winning record every single season for 12 straight years. It appeared to be in jeopardy after an 8-5 non-conference record, but the 72-59 victory versus No. 22 Pitt in the Big East opener restored hope. 2. Notre Dame has scored 60 or fewer points five times this year and is 1-4 in those games. The Irish were 4-6 in such games last season. 3. Over the course of Brey's head coach- ing career, which dates back to the 1995-96 season at Delaware, his teams have averaged 12.9 turnovers per game. The Irish, even with so much youth, averaged only 9.7 turnovers per game in 13 non-conference games — and then had just six (two in the second half) in the Big East opener while defeating Pitt. M 2011-12 NOTRE DAME Date Opponent Result/Time (ET)/TV Nov. 12 Mississippi Valley State W, 80-67 Nov. 14 Detroit^ Nov. 16 Sam Houston State^ W, 74-41 Nov. 18 Delaware State^ Nov. 21 vs. Missouri# Nov. 22 vs. Georgia# Nov. 27 Bryant Nov. 30 at Gonzaga Dec. 4 vs. Maryland@ Dec. 8 Maine Dec. 10 Dartmouth Dec. 17 vs. Indiana% Dec. 19 Sacred Heart Dec. 27 Pittsburgh* Jan. 4 Jan. 7 W, 93-69 L, 87-58 L, 61-57 W, 84-59 L, 73-53 L, 78-71 W, 87-78 W, 65-47 L, 69-58 W, 106-65 W, 72-59 at Cincinnati* at Louisville* Jan. 10 South Florida* Jan. 14 Connecticut* Jan. 16 at Rutgers* Jan. 21 Syracuse* Jan. 25 at Seton Hall* Jan. 29 at Connecticut* Feb. 4 Marquette* Feb. 8 at West Virginia* Feb. 11 DePaul* Feb. 15 Rutgers* Feb. 18 at Villanova* Feb. 22 West Virginia* Feb. 25 at St. John's*! Feb. 27 at Georgetown* March 2 Providence* 7 p.m./BEN 4 p.m./ESPNU 7 p.m./BEN 11 a.m./ESPN2 9 p.m./ESPNU 6 p.m./ESPN 8 p.m./BEN 12 p.m./BEN 1 p.m./CBS March 6-10 Big East Tournament! 9 p.m./ESPNU 12 p.m./BEN 7 p.m./ESPNU 9 p.m./ESPNU 7 p.m./ESPN2 12 p.m./ESPN2 7 p.m./ESPN 7 p.m./BEN TBD ^ Progressive CBE Classic regional round; # Pro- gressive CBE Classic semifinals and final round at Kansas City, Mo.; @ BB&T Classic at Washington, D.C. (George Washington, Maryland, Notre Dame, VCU); % Close The Gap Crossroads Classic (Butler, Indiana, Notre Dame, Purdue); * Big East game; ! at Madison Square Garden in New York; MASN — Mid- Atlantic Sports Network, BEN — Big East Network FEBRUARY 2012 45 EN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE W, 59-53