WSU VERSUS NOTRE DAME PREDICTIONS AND PREGAME DISCUSSIONS

[1972Shocker]

ND won the ACC tourney, but I they played the #319(!) non-con SOS based on RPIForecast. Their single non-con loss was to Providence on a neutral by 1. ND was overrated all year.

What counts most is how they are playing now. They have won two close games in the NCAA Tournament but the bottom line is that they won. They are on a 7-game win streak which includes wins over Louisville, Duke, UNC and Butler.

Whether they were overrated all year or not I couldn't say. But they sure as hell are legitimate right now and the Shocks will have to play well to advance to the next round.

I am expecting a tougher game than KU gave us.

[LoneStar48]

Guys on 810 up in KC aren't giving the Shocks much, if any, chance against ND. And zero chance against Kentucky if they somehow make it that far.

[ShockerFever]

Guys on 810 up in KC aren't giving the Shocks much, if any, chance against ND. And zero chance against Kentucky if they somehow make it that far.

Cool story bro.

What were their predictions for the WSU-KU game and how well did they do?

[SHOCKvalue]

Guys on 810 up in KC aren't giving the Shocks much, if any, chance against ND. And zero chance against Kentucky if they somehow make it that far.

This is textbook irrationalism.

We just took Kenpom #12/NCAA RPI #3 out behind the woodshed yesterday for an old-fashioned whoop-ass. We have Kenpom #10/NCAA RPI #16 up next. We sit at #9/#17 (respectively).

Totally a recipe for a blowout... if math and statistics aren't really your thing, and you speak and act based on emotion instead of reason.

[Play Angry]

As a Notre Dame fan, this should be a great game and I'd be surprised to see a blowout on either side; the Vegas line seems to agree.

For ND, strengths are balance, ball movement, and shooting on offense. Almost all Mike Brey ND teams have had good shooting and ball movement, however, this year's iteration is different because they are not reliant on the three mostly because Grant, Jackson, and Vasturia can all drive to the rim. They still shoot plenty of threes, but very rarely will it be a three not in the flow of the offense. Defensively, ND has made some strides over the last month. Vasturia, Grant, and Jackson are very good defenders. Connaughton is good and Auguste is serviceable. Based on that description, you would think ND would be a good defensive team, but they are just very inconsistent on that end; I would assume that's due to Brey's deficiencies as a defensive coach. Notre Dame plays almost exclusively man with a few possessions of zone here and there.

Biggest weaknesses are size, rebounding, and depth. Auguste is the only big guy. Second tallest guy is VJ Beachem (skinny 6'7 wing) followed by Colson, Connaughton, and Vasturia (all 6'5ish). To compound matters, much like with defense, I don't believe Brey does a good job coaching rebounding. Too many times, ND won't find their man and box out; lots of trying to outjump the opposition which is tough when you don't have the height although Connaughton is a very good rebounder for his size who has very good athleticism. Depth won't be an issue for ND from a fatigue standpoint, but if you get Auguste into foul trouble early, NDs offense and defense changes substantially since there is no one on the team who can fill his role at center.

The only givens in terms of matchups are Auguste on your big guy and Demetrius Jackson on Van Fleet. The second matchup should be a great one. Jackson is probably one of, if not the most athletic point guard in the country (he was ND's first 5 star recruit in a long time since he's from right outside South Bend). He's a great defender who is explosive, fast, and strong; however, he's not nearly as polished and as savvy as Van Fleet, especially on the offensive end.

I'll assume that Connaughton guards Wessel, Grant guards Cotton, and Vasturia guards Baker although Grant and Vasturia might get flipped. Vasturia is easily the most under appreciated player on ND's squad and despite all of the pub that Connaughton gets, Vasturia is the glue guy; not flashy, but makes plays on both ends of the floor. Baker will be a good test for him (or Grant) though. In terms of Grant and Cotton, I don't have much to add although I was shocked from reading online that Cotton is only 6'3; he seems to play a lot bigger than that. Grant is ND's name player, and he's good although he can try to do too much at times which leads to quick shots and some boneheaded turnovers. He has the ability to take over a game late though and make big shots.

A hot shooting night from either team could happen, but I'll be shocked (no pun intended) if this game isn't very close in the last 4 or 5 minutes; both teams are mentally tough and do not fear close games so it should be a fun one Thursday.

And with that, Notre Dame has already surpassed Kansas in number of classy posts by visiting fans.

[Ricardo del Rio]

Here is my question.

ND defeated Northeastern by 4. Northeastern has 12 losses plus a RPI in the upper 90s.

What does it mean other than ND had an off game? Otherwise, ND's game wins are impressive.

[WuShock16]

Guys on 810 up in KC aren't giving the Shocks much, if any, chance against ND. And zero chance against Kentucky if they somehow make it that far.

You'd think they learn, but whatever. Those who don't learn from history often repeat it. Notre Dame is certainly good, but they aren't that much different from the two teams we have already played at this point.

Kentucky would be a different animal, but there would be ZERO pressure on the Shockers in that game. If they lose by 15-20, so what? Everyone else loses to Kentucky like that too. The thing that would hurt playing Kentucky is that we played them last year, and with a lot of returners for them, they would be prepared for how hard we play. If last year's game didn't happen, I would be very excited about being able to jump up and bite them.

[BlkSaxShock]

Interesting: http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...urnament-field

Obviously, Notre Dame is far and away better than La Salle two years ago, but according to some (including me), we are considered the better team for our sweet sixteen game again.

We are going to need to find a way to stop Jerian Grant who is there high scorer who at 6'5" would be a good matchup for Tekele.
Steve Vasturia seems to have had a breakout postseason...but I expect Baker or Wessel to shut him down.
Demetrius Jackson will struggle against VanVleet...and if thats the case, Notre Dame will have a tough time running their offense.

We need to outrebound them and force 8 or more turnovers without commiting many ourselves.

If we do these things and make shots, we will win.

[1972Shocker]

Here is my question.

ND defeated Northeastern by 4. Northeastern has 12 losses plus a RPI in the upper 90s.

What does it mean other than ND had an off game? Otherwise, ND's game wins are impressive.

I think it means they beat a team who had nothing to lose and everything to gain. A super bowl type game on a neutral court for Northeastern if you will. Something the Shocks have experienced on numerous occasions in recent years. The bottom line is that they survived and they advanced. Something a couple of other 3 seeds can not say about their opening games in the Tournament. I don't think I would read anything into it other than ND, while playing very well, is not unbeatable. But neither are the Shocks.

[another shocker]

As a Notre Dame fan, this should be a great game and I'd be surprised to see a blowout on either side; the Vegas line seems to agree.

For ND, strengths are balance, ball movement, and shooting on offense. Almost all Mike Brey ND teams have had good shooting and ball movement, however, this year's iteration is different because they are not reliant on the three mostly because Grant, Jackson, and Vasturia can all drive to the rim. They still shoot plenty of threes, but very rarely will it be a three not in the flow of the offense. Defensively, ND has made some strides over the last month. Vasturia, Grant, and Jackson are very good defenders. Connaughton is good and Auguste is serviceable. Based on that description, you would think ND would be a good defensive team, but they are just very inconsistent on that end; I would assume that's due to Brey's deficiencies as a defensive coach. Notre Dame plays almost exclusively man with a few possessions of zone here and there.

Biggest weaknesses are size, rebounding, and depth. Auguste is the only big guy. Second tallest guy is VJ Beachem (skinny 6'7 wing) followed by Colson, Connaughton, and Vasturia (all 6'5ish). To compound matters, much like with defense, I don't believe Brey does a good job coaching rebounding. Too many times, ND won't find their man and box out; lots of trying to outjump the opposition which is tough when you don't have the height although Connaughton is a very good rebounder for his size who has very good athleticism. Depth won't be an issue for ND from a fatigue standpoint, but if you get Auguste into foul trouble early, NDs offense and defense changes substantially since there is no one on the team who can fill his role at center.

The only givens in terms of matchups are Auguste on your big guy and Demetrius Jackson on Van Fleet. The second matchup should be a great one. Jackson is probably one of, if not the most athletic point guard in the country (he was ND's first 5 star recruit in a long time since he's from right outside South Bend). He's a great defender who is explosive, fast, and strong; however, he's not nearly as polished and as savvy as Van Fleet, especially on the offensive end.

I'll assume that Connaughton guards Wessel, Grant guards Cotton, and Vasturia guards Baker although Grant and Vasturia might get flipped. Vasturia is easily the most under appreciated player on ND's squad and despite all of the pub that Connaughton gets, Vasturia is the glue guy; not flashy, but makes plays on both ends of the floor. Baker will be a good test for him (or Grant) though. In terms of Grant and Cotton, I don't have much to add although I was shocked from reading online that Cotton is only 6'3; he seems to play a lot bigger than that. Grant is ND's name player, and he's good although he can try to do too much at times which leads to quick shots and some boneheaded turnovers. He has the ability to take over a game late though and make big shots.

A hot shooting night from either team could happen, but I'll be shocked (no pun intended) if this game isn't very close in the last 4 or 5 minutes; both teams are mentally tough and do not fear close games so it should be a fun one Thursday.

thanks.

link to an irish message board?

[OregonShocker]

Once again, I read where some "expert" says, "Fred VanVleet vs. (other team's PG) will be a great matchup." When are these guys gonna admit FVV is the BEST PG in CBB? That position is in our column EVERY time!

[Mr. Pickle]

As a Notre Dame fan, this should be a great game and I'd be surprised to see a blowout on either side; the Vegas line seems to agree.

For ND, strengths are balance, ball movement, and shooting on offense. Almost all Mike Brey ND teams have had good shooting and ball movement, however, this year's iteration is different because they are not reliant on the three mostly because Grant, Jackson, and Vasturia can all drive to the rim. They still shoot plenty of threes, but very rarely will it be a three not in the flow of the offense. Defensively, ND has made some strides over the last month. Vasturia, Grant, and Jackson are very good defenders. Connaughton is good and Auguste is serviceable. Based on that description, you would think ND would be a good defensive team, but they are just very inconsistent on that end; I would assume that's due to Brey's deficiencies as a defensive coach. Notre Dame plays almost exclusively man with a few possessions of zone here and there.

Biggest weaknesses are size, rebounding, and depth. Auguste is the only big guy. Second tallest guy is VJ Beachem (skinny 6'7 wing) followed by Colson, Connaughton, and Vasturia (all 6'5ish). To compound matters, much like with defense, I don't believe Brey does a good job coaching rebounding. Too many times, ND won't find their man and box out; lots of trying to outjump the opposition which is tough when you don't have the height although Connaughton is a very good rebounder for his size who has very good athleticism. Depth won't be an issue for ND from a fatigue standpoint, but if you get Auguste into foul trouble early, NDs offense and defense changes substantially since there is no one on the team who can fill his role at center.

The only givens in terms of matchups are Auguste on your big guy and Demetrius Jackson on Van Fleet. The second matchup should be a great one. Jackson is probably one of, if not the most athletic point guard in the country (he was ND's first 5 star recruit in a long time since he's from right outside South Bend). He's a great defender who is explosive, fast, and strong; however, he's not nearly as polished and as savvy as Van Fleet, especially on the offensive end.

I'll assume that Connaughton guards Wessel, Grant guards Cotton, and Vasturia guards Baker although Grant and Vasturia might get flipped. Vasturia is easily the most under appreciated player on ND's squad and despite all of the pub that Connaughton gets, Vasturia is the glue guy; not flashy, but makes plays on both ends of the floor. Baker will be a good test for him (or Grant) though. In terms of Grant and Cotton, I don't have much to add although I was shocked from reading online that Cotton is only 6'3; he seems to play a lot bigger than that. Grant is ND's name player, and he's good although he can try to do too much at times which leads to quick shots and some boneheaded turnovers. He has the ability to take over a game late though and make big shots.

A hot shooting night from either team could happen, but I'll be shocked (no pun intended) if this game isn't very close in the last 4 or 5 minutes; both teams are mentally tough and do not fear close games so it should be a fun one Thursday.

Do you all have a basketball message board anywhere that has good discussion?

Edit: another shocker beat me to it

[LoneStar48]

Cool story bro.

What were their predictions for the WSU-KU game and how well did they do?

Just passing along some information "bro". You're up in Kansas, you tell me what their predictions were. Living in Texas, I hear more about losing our coach to the longhorns.

[ShoxRoxMySox]

Guys on 810 up in KC aren't giving the Shocks much, if any, chance against ND. And zero chance against Kentucky if they somehow make it that far.

I always wondered why my KC friends only listen to 610 sports radio.

[Dave Stalwart]

And with that, Notre Dame has already surpassed Kansas in number of classy posts by visiting fans.

I was thinking the same thing. I hope we get a lot of Notre Dame fans over here. I doubt ANY of them will blow us off, and vice versa.