Tables Turned
Irish feel what it's like not to cover the 3

Feel sick today, so this will likely be a short post.

I mentioned in an earlier post this season that Notre Dame's biggest weakness is perimeter defense. At the time Notre Dame was ranked in the 160s for opponents' 3-point shooting percentage. Heading into the Louisville game Notre Dame had improved to 134th in D-1, which is still not very good. Simply put, the Irish have failed to effectively defend the 3-point shot.

It killed them Thursday.

The Cardinals made six of their first seven 3s and finished the first half 7-of-11 en route to building a 42-27 halftime advantage. Luke Harangody and the Irish battled back but couldn't overcome several huge deficits and, ultimately, lost a golden opportunity to put themselves in pole position for the Big East regular season title.

The biggest difference in the game was how each team defended the 3. Louisville extended its 2-3 zone and bottled up Kyle McAlarney, not allowing the sharpshooter to get even a peek at the basket. McAlarney nailed 9 3s against Syracuse, but he didn't have a chance against the Cardinal. They simply took him out of the game.

That would be OK, if fellow guard Tory Jackson had stepped up. But Jackson probably played his worst game of the season. Not only did Jackson struggle shooting, he failed to create baskets for his teammates. Almost every time he penetrated to the paint, he was forced to dish the ball or take a low percentage shot.

Harangody obviously carried the Irish offense from start to finish, scoring 14 of the Notre Dame's first 18 points, and finishing with a career-high 40 points including the first three 3s of his career.

But besides Harangody and Ryan Ayers, who came off the bench to score 17 points, Notre Dame's offense struggled. Yes they scored 58 points in the second half and 85 for the game, but remember 57 of those 85 came from just two players. The guards combined to shoot 4-of-21 and, despite some open looks, Rob Kurz finished a meager 1-of-5 from 3-point range. And while the Cardinals were shooting better than 63% from 3 in the first half, the Irish made just 1-of-9.

Meanwhile, Louisville showed the difference between a team that effectively extends the 2-3 zone and a team that doesn't. Syracuse struggled to stop Notre Dame from getting open looks, while Louisville did not. By taking away the 3-ball, the Cardinals ensured that the Irish would not have a chance to overcome an early deficit with a barrage of long 3s.

The Irish did finish the game 12-of-29, but many of those came at the end of the second half during Notre Dame's furious rally that cut a 19-point deficit at the 5:41 mark to seven points with three minutes remaining. However, the game was effectively over at half thanks to the distinct contrast between each team's 3-point shooting.

If the Irish do not improve their perimeter defense, they are leaving themselves vulnerable in the NCAA Tournament. Every team in the tournament will have shooters who can drain open 3-point looks. And so far this season, many teams have gotten open looks against the Irish. It's this team's fatal flaw.

Until the Irish significantly improve their 3-point defense, they are, to a great extent, at the mercy of their opponents' 3-point shooting.