With Notre Dame's football woes grabbing headlines, the Fighting Irish faithful were happy to read some good news, even if it did come from the hardcourt. The eighth-ranked Irish men's basketball team won handily over Indiana, 88-50, at the EA Sports Maui Invitational in Lahaina, Hawaii.
Irish coach Mike Brey was happy with the maturity the team showed in the win:
"Old" and balanced is exactly how they did play. They were careful with the ball, giving up just 10 turnovers in contrast to Indiana's 20. The Irish also ruled the boards, pulling down 10 more rebounds than Indiana. Tory Jackson had a remarkable game with 21 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. He was helped by Luke Harangody who had 14 points and 5 steals and Kyle McAlarney who had 18 points and three assists.
On the other hand, Indiana showed that the gap between Indiana and Notre Dame is much larger than the 200 miles between the two campuses. The Hoosiers shot just 29.6% from the field, and could not get their offense in sync. The Indiana starting five only scored 32 points, including a goose egg from freshman guard Matt Roth. IU coach Tom Crean blamed the loss on the youth of the team and ensures that every mistake Indiana made is correctable.
Next up for the Irish is No. 6 Texas. The Longhorns have not faced a ranked opponent yet this season and have wins over Stetson, Tulane and St. Joseph's. The Texas team has a deep bench, good defense and will be ready for Notre Dame. Tip off is at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
