Irish Basketball is Back!

The Irish hoopsters tipped the 2007-08 season in impressive fashion Monday, routing Long Island 82-50. Rob Kurz paced Notre Dame with 19 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots while Luke Harangody added 15 points and six boards. The win was Notre Dame's 21st straight at the Joyce Center.

Basketball season is always exciting, but that's especially true this season for a couple reasons. First, Notre Dame should have good team with athletic shooters on the perimeter and quality big men down low. This team is quick and plays well together. While they were picked 9th in the Big East Preseason Coaches Poll, I expect the Irish to surprise plenty of people around conference this season.

Secondly, with the football team being so awful, Notre Dame fans are relieved to watch one of their teams actually produce on the field (or in this case, on the court). Personally, I've never been happier to see football season fade away and basketball season arrive.

The Irish travel to the Virgin Islands to face Monmouth on Friday at 8:30 ET. The winner of that game gets either Baylor or Wichita State. Notre Dame's non-conference schedule is loaded with patsies, so it's important the Irish go down to the Caribbean and pick up a couple victories against some slightly above average talent.