Big East Two Step

Notre Dame got two critical Big East wins within 48 hours and did so in two very different ways.

Luke Harangody recorded a career-best 29 points and 16 rebounds Thursday against West Virginia in a 69-56 win and Kyle McAlarney scorched Connecticut with 32 points, including 6-of-7 3-pointers, to pace the Irish past the Huskies 73-67.

When West Virginia tried to take away Notre Dame's perimeter shots, the Irish fed the ball to Harangody on the block, and the big sophomore delivered a bruising performance.

When Connecticut decided to stick 7-foot-3 center Hasheem Thabeet on Harangody, McAlarney stepped up and had, as ESPN commentator Len Elmore described it, "the best single performance I've seen this season."

Notre Dame is not a one-dimensional offensive team that relies too much on the 3-ball. The Irish can beat opponents with their outside shooting, kick-and dish penetration or by feeding the ball to the post.

In past seasons head coach Mike Brey has been criticized for relying too much on the 3-point field goal for offense. Not anymore. Notre Dame took just 12 3s on Thursday and 17 on Saturday. In contrast, last season Notre Dame averaged 22.9 3-point attempts a game. The Irish had little chance of winning if they had a cold shooting night. Now they have talented low-post forwards in Rob Kurz and Harangody who can balance a weaker perimeter shooting performance.

Brey also has the Irish crashing the offensive and defensive boards and being more physical in the paint. For example, Notre Dame out-rebounded Connecticut 48-44 and West Virginia an astonishing 46-33 on Thursday. After averaging 38 boards per game in 2006-07, Notre Dame now grabs 43 rebounds per night, which is 10 more than its opponents. The difference is more second chance points on the offensive end and limiting opponents' scoring opportunities on the defensive end.

Finally, Brey and assistant coach Gene Cross have made defense the No. 1 priority in every game this season. I have never witnessed an Irish defense quite this suffocating and relentless. Against West Virginia, the Irish did an excellent job of switching on the high screens and denying the Mountaineers Joe Alexander from receiving the ball with an open lane to the basket. The result was Alexander scoring just nine points on seven shots and essentially being a non-factor.

During the Connecticut game, Notre Dame harassed the Connecticut big men well into the second half and forced the Huskies to win with outside shooting. Connecticut finished just 2-of-17 from the 3-point line.

The entire team plays better defense this year. Tory Jackson with his quickness and speed can handle any opposing guard. Ryan Ayers gives the team a 6-foot-7 forward with a long wingspan who is fast enough to cover any perimeter player and ideal for the 2-3 zone. Zach Hillesland does a little bit of everything, and can cover quick guard or big forwards. And Kurz and Harangody have become a formidable force in the paint. In all, Notre Dame has allowed just 61 points per game and only San Francisco scored more than 75 points this season.

I was worried that Notre Dame would split these first two home games (or worse) and face the daunting task of needing to take two of three road contests against Marquette, Villanova and Georgetown to stay in contention for an NCAA bid. It was tough to gauge this team's ability after seeing them lose two close games to inferior opponents and beating unranked Kansas State during the non-conference schedule.

But in the first two conference tilts the Irish continued doing what they've been doing for much of the season. They adjusted offensively to their opponents defensively strategy and didn't force the issue. As mentioned, the Irish pounded the ball inside Thursday and let it fly from beyond the arc Saturday.

They continued out-rebounding opponents by combining to beat West Virginia and Connecticut on the glass by a 94-77 margin.

And the Irish maintained and even improved their defensive intensity en route to holding both opponents well under season scoring averages.

The team has a week to enjoy these victories before traveling for their first true road game against a dangerous Marquette team in a hostile setting. But two quality wins in two days showed the Irish could be very dangerous as the season progresses.