Wazzu'd

Since I was in Phoenix last weekend, I didn't get a chance to write about Notre Dame's 61-41 season-ending loss to Washington State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. While I wasn't surprised the Irish fell to the Cougars, I was very disappointed in the way they were defeated. In all my years watching Notre Dame basketball, I can't remember the Irish looking worse than they did last Saturday. Washington State completely and totally dominated the game, starting on the defensive end. Notre Dame shot less than 25% from the field for the game and took far too many contested shots.

If you looked at the computer numbers before the matchup, it was clear Washington State was the better team. This game was a contrast between how the computers saw our team and how the analysts show our team. Most computers downgraded Notre Dame for its average defensive statistics while rewarding Washington State for its defensive efficiency. In contrast, analysts focused more on Notre Dame's ability to score and ignored its defensive ability. Obviously, we saw which party was correct. You must play good to great defense in the Tournament, and Washington State did. Additionally, Pomeroy's rankings had Washington State a 68% favorite based on the numbers.

Anyways, since I was very late in posting about the game, there's really not much else to say that hasn't already been said. Notre Dame stunk and finished a very successful season on a down note. With only Rob Kurz graduating, the Irish have the opportunity next season to be very talented and successful in the Big East and hopefully the NCAAs.