Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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Cooley scored 18 points and snared 11 rebounds, with a double-bye in the league tournament still on the line. He had a complete clunker two days later at George- town, going 1 of 5 from the field for two points in the 59-41 loss, know- ing there was just one game remaining against Providence. Cooley promptly bounced back with a career-high 27 points and 17 rebounds for his 12th double-dou- ble and sixth 20-point game of the season. "Does Jack Cooley pick up where he left off?" Brey said at media day earlier this month. "We want him to keep thinking he can get bet- ter." fer Garrick Sherman (6- 10, 246), a center who sat out last season per NCAA rules, is eligible to play this season, and he and Cooley should make for a potent front- court tandem in 2012-13. "Garrick Sherman — Michigan State trans- how do we work with him and how is he go- ing to be used playing Big East Preseason Predictions ter and debuted at No. 23 in the preseason USA Today coaches' poll, are still the third-best team in the league. On Oct. 17, the Big East preseason coaches' poll was announced, with league tournament champion and season standings, made it to the semifinals of the league tournament, was invited to the NCAA Tournament, returns all five starters and bolstered its depth and increased its size and athleticism through recruiting? According to the coaches in that conference, the Fighting Irish, which turned in a 22-12 overall mark last win- What do you get when you take a basketball team that finished third in the Big East Conference regular- Final Four participant Louisville (31-6 last season) topping the list followed by Syracuse (34-3). Cincinnati, which made a run to the league championship in New York City and used that momentum to plow into the Sweet 16, was selected fourth (see chart for the complete poll). Louisville senior guard Peyton Siva was named the Big East Pre- Rk. School (1st-Place Votes) Pts. 1. Louisville (14) 2. Syracuse 3. Notre Dame (1) 4. Cincinnati 9. Connecticut 10. St. John's 11. Rutgers 12. Villanova 13. DePaul 14. Seton Hall 15. Providence 5. Georgetown 6. Pittsburgh 7. Marquette 8. USF 196 175 166 152 136 132 121 96 83 73 63 61 48 42 31 BIG EAST PRESEASON COACHES' POLL season Player of the Year by the coaches. Along with Siva, Notre Dame senior forward Jack Cooley, Gorgui Dieng (Louisville), Sean Kilpatrick (Cincinnati), Otto Porter (Georgetown) and Vincent Coun- cil (Providence) comprised the All-Big East first team. The second team was made up of Shabazz Napier (Connecticut), Cleveland Melvin (DePaul), D'Angelo Harrison (St. John's), Anthony Rookie team last season, Chane Behanan (Louisville), Tray Woodall (Pittsburgh) and C.J. Fair (Syracuse) were preseason honorable mentions. Last season, Notre Dame played in its third straight NCAA tourney, its eighth under head coach Mike Brey (the Irish played in the NIT the other four years) and for the 32nd time in school history, losing to Xavier 67-63 in its first match. The Irish won 10 of their last 12 regular-season games (nine straight), beginning with a home upset over then No. 1 Syracuse. Collins (USF) and Brandon Triche (Syracuse). Fighting Irish junior guard Jerian Grant, who made the Big East All- — Wes Morgan