Tag: Tory Jackson

Watch: Notre Dame gets big win over UConn in 2010

Remember this game?

Notre Dame’s season is about to begin, and it probably is going to be a rough one. So the only thing to do in this situation is look back on better times. In this case, let’s watch ESPN’s highlights of the Irish’s 58-50 victory over UConn in 2010, even though much of the clip talks about the Huskies’ NCAA Tournament bubble possibly bursting:

Indeed, the Irish’s victory in this Big East matchup was a big blow to the Huskies. More importantly, it improved the Irish’s NCAA Tournament resume, and they indeed made the Big Dance while the Huskies had to settle for the NIT.

Perhaps the most impressive thing about the game is that the Irish won it without the injured [autotag]Luke Harangody[/autotag]. Instead, [autotag]Tory Jackson[/autotag] scored all but two of his 22 points in the second half to lead the way.

Even though it’s been 10 years since the Irish left the Big East, do you still miss it? This clip definitely might make you.

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Watch: Guard recruit Markus Burton announces commitment to Notre Dame

The Irish go local again.

[autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] and his staff have done a terrific job recruiting local talent to come to Notre Dame lately. South Bend natives [autotag]Blake Wesley[/autotag] and [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] were freshmen on this past year’s team. Wesley was drafted by the San Antonio Spurs after this past season, and Konieczny is about to play in a Dream Team anniversary event in Barcelona. The Irish now hope to get big returns out of Mishawaka’s [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag], a Penn student who has announced his commitment to the program:

Take a look at Burton’s offer timeline. Notre Dame was by far the biggest school to make an offer, and he needed considerably less time to think about it. He helped his own cause by playing well this summer, and the Irish obviously decided to strike while his stock was high.

It’s been a long time since the Irish had a player who was only 5-foot-10, which is Burton’s height. You have to go back to [autotag]Tory Jackson[/autotag] (5-foot-11) in 2010 to find the last Irish player under 6 feet. However, Brey obviously didn’t take height into account when recruiting Burton. As long as he can bring something to the team, which Brey thinks he can, he’ll be a success with his hometown school.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame blows out Georgia Tech to clinch double bye in ACC tourney

The Irish will get a two-round head-start in the ACC Tournament.

When Notre Dame first met Georgia Tech this season, it needed overtime to pull off the victory. When the teams reconvened in South Bend, the Irish made sure from the beginning that there would be no extra basketball this time. They led the Yellow Jackets wire-to-wire in a 90-56 victory that gave them their largest margin of victory in ACC play this season. More importantly, they clinched a top-four spot in the conference, guaranteeing them one of four double byes in the upcoming ACC Tournament.

The outcome of this game never was in doubt. You had to believe it after the Irish (21-8, 14-4) shot a whopping 66.7 percent from the field in the first half and made their last seven shots of the frame. That was enough to catch the attention of Tory Jackson:

Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets (11-18, 4-14) shot 34.4 percent for the entire contest. They missed eight of their final nine shots, including their last six. It was so decisive that Mike Brey felt comfortable enough to let 10 players see the floor.

Dane Goodwin led the Irish with 17 points, all of which came in the first half and were more points than he scored in the past two games combined. Blake Wesley scored 15 points, and Prentiss Hubb balanced out his 13 points with a game-high six assists.

Paul Atkinson Jr. rounded out the list of Irish players scoring in double figures with 10 points. Cormac Ryan recorded a game-high 10 rebounds and finished one field goal short of a double-double.

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Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’07-08 Irish Win Title vs. ’06-07 Team

The Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament was filled with close games and come-from-behind wins.

The Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament was filled with close games and come-from-behind wins. It only seemed fitting that the championship feature both of those. The 2007-08 Irish won the tournament title after defeating the 2006-07 Irish, 85-81, in a game they had to fight for.

The ’07-08 Irish coughed up a six-point first-half lead and trailed by three at the break. The ’06-07 Irish led by as much as 12 midway through the second half and still held a nine-point lead with six-and-a-half minutes left. That’s when the ’07-08 Irish went on a 13-2 run to take a two-point lead. From there, the teams battled back and forth until it came down to the final minute, which the ’06-07 Irish entered with a 78-76 lead.

With 38 seconds left, Luke Zeller hit a 3 on a nice pass from Jonathan Peoples to give the ’07-08 Irish a 79-78 lead. Colin Falls was unable to answer with his own 3, and Rob Kurz got the rebound before being fouled and hitting two free throws to make it 81-78. After the ’06-07 iteration of Kurz missed a shot, the ’07-08 Zach Hillesland cleared the rebound and got it to Zeller, who made two more free throws to put his team up five and ice the game. The points scored in the final 12 seconds made no difference.

The ’07-08 Luke Harangody wrapped up the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honor with his best performance yet of 27 points and 19 rebounds. In three games, he averaged 22.3 points and 16.3 boards. Kyle McAlarney scored 25 points, including five 3-pointers, to wrap up an equally impressive tournament in which he had a 22.0 scoring average. Kurz scored 10 and joined Harangody and McAlarney in accounting for 19 of the ’07-08 Irish’s 25 free-throw attempts, all of which they made.

Falls and Kurz scored 19 points apiece to pace the ’06-07 Irish. Russell Carter achieved a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds. Tory Jackson scored 10, and their iteration of Harangody grabbed 10 boards off the bench.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’06-07 Irish Defeat ’05-06 Irish

The first of our two Cinderella teams in the quarterfinals of the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament and the oldest in the field has fallen.

The first of our two Cinderella teams in the quarterfinals of the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament and the oldest in the field has fallen. It had to happen against a heavy hitter sooner or later. Though the 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish didn’t go down without a fight, it was the 2006-07 Irish that emerged victorious, 87-78.

The ’06-07 Irish got off to a fast start and were up by as much as 11 in the first half, but the ’05-06 Irish roared back and took their first lead right before halftime on a 3-pointer from their iteration of Colin Falls. The second half was close almost throughout with the ’06-07 Irish leading most of the time until the game was tied at 70 with four minutes to go. Then, led by their iteration of Rob Kurz, the ’06-07 Irish went on a 9-1 run that put the game out of reach with a minute-and-a-half left. All the ’05-06 Irish could do from there was keep the deficit close to where it was at that moment.

Kurz was the hero for the ’06-07 Irish with a double-double of 19 points and 13 rebounds. Luke Harangody came off the bench to score 14 points and have himself an 8-of-10 showing at the free-throw line. Russell Carter scored 12 despite shooting 4 of 15 from the field, and Falls added 11 before fouling out. Tory Jackson also fouled out, but not before scoring 10 points and dishing out seven assists.

Chris Quinn led the ’05-06 Irish with 22 points and seven assists. Torin Francis wasn’t far behind with 20 points and six rebounds, but he fouled out before he could catch Quinn on the scoresheet. Carter scored 12 points, and Falls added 10.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 3 Seed – 2007-08 Irish

We round out our profiles for the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament field with a look at the 2007-08 Irish.

We round out our profiles for the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament field with a look at the 2007-08 Irish. They went 10-2 in nonconference play with their only two losses coming in the Paradise Jam Tournament just before Thanksgiving. The goodness continued during a 14-4 Big East showing, which tied them for second in the conference and left them one game back for the title. They also ran the table for the conference home schedule, becoming the first Big East team to do so in back-to-back years, and it helped Mike Brey defend his conference coach of the year award.

The Irish were one-and-done in the Big East tournament, but they still earned a fifth seed in the NCAA tourney. At that time, they were their season-high ranking of 14th. March Madness didn’t go how they had hoped as they cruised over George Mason in the first round before getting blown out by Washington State in the second. They ultimately finished 15th in the final poll.

Luke Harangody was named Big East Player of the Year after averaging a double-double of 20.4 points and 10.6 rebounds a game. Kyle McAlarney joined Harangody on the all-conference first team thanks to 15.1 points a game. Rob Kurz averaged 12.5 points and 1.5 blocks a game, and Tory Jackson paced the team in assists with 5.8 a game.

As a team, the Irish ranked eighth nationally in 3-point percentage (.405) and ninth in assists (608).

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 4 Seed – 2006-07 Irish

Towards the end of their nonconference schedule, the 2006-07 Irish had an incident that could have derailed their entire season.

Towards the end of their nonconference schedule, during which they went 12-1 and upset fourth-ranked Alabama, the 2006-07 Irish had an incident that could have derailed their entire season. Hours after a win over Rider, starting point guard Kyle McAlarney was arrested for marijuana possession, and he subsequently was suspended from Notre Dame. Rather than let losing such a prominent player become the turning point, the Irish continued to win games and ultimately finished with a 24-8 record and the 17th spot in the final rankings.

At first, the Irish kept their overall record respectable with a 6-5 start to Big East play. Then, they got hot, winning their final five games of the regular season to earn an 11-5 record in conference play, good for fourth in the standings and enough to make Mike Brey the Big East Coach of the Year. After picking up a win in the Big East tournament, the Irish went to March Madness as a sixth seed. That was as far as they got as they were upended by 11th-seeded Winthrop in the first round.

Russell Carter paced the Irish with 17.1 points a game. Colin Falls averaged 15.3 points a game, and Rob Kurz was a threat on both ends with 12.6 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game. Luke Harangody ended with an 11.2 scoring average, and McAlarney’s 5.4 assists a game remained the team high at season’s end, although replacement Tory Jackson wasn’t far off with 4.3.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’09-10 Irish Superior to ’11-12 Irish

It took until the second round of the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, but we finally have a win for a higher seed.

It took until the second round of the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, but we finally have a win for a higher seed. Boy, did the victors here come out with a vengeance for all the higher seeds that didn’t get out of the first round. In the only second-round matchup that was predetermined, the 2009-10 Irish led the 2011-12 Irish wire-to-wire en route to an 85-59 win.

The ’09-10 Irish jumped out to an eight-point lead just over four minutes into the game and continued to build from there. After the lead was pushed to 11 with less than six-and-a-half minutes in the first half, it never fell below double digits again. No points were scored in the game’s final minute-and-a-half, but at that point, it had been garbage time for a while.

Four ’09-10 Irish starters scored in double figures, but Luke Harangody came off the bench and led everybody with 18 points. Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis came together and scored 17 points apiece while also make seven of their team’s 12 3-pointers. Tory Jackson scored, and Tyrone Nash had 10 while coming within one rebound of a double-double.

Jerian Grant led the ’11-12 Irish with 16 points. Jack Cooley scored 13 and was two rebounds away from achieving a double-double.

Shooting percentage made the difference here as the ’09-10 Irish held a 48.3-36.4 advantage from the floor.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 8 Seed – 2009-10 Irish

We finally have our first team in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament which qualified for March Madness: the 2009-10 Irish.

It took long enough, but we finally have our first team in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament which qualified for March Madness: the 2009-10 Irish. Even though Notre Dame was upset by Old Dominion in the first round of the NCAA tournament, this still was a decent team that flew under the radar. That’s the best to describe a group that finished 23-12.

The ’09-10 Irish are the last to go undefeated at the Purcell Pavilion, which meant they took care of business when they absolutely should have. They never had a losing streak longer than three, and they were one of eight Big East teams to win at least 10 conference games. No, they weren’t able to take down the top dogs in the conference like Syracuse, West Virginia or Villanova, but they did what they needed to obtain an at-large NCAA bid, and making the Big East semifinals surely helped. This definitely was a comeback year for them after missing out on the Big Dance the year before.

Luke Harangody came close to averaging a double-double with 21.8 points and 9.1 rebounds a game. Tim Abromaitis obtained a 16.1 scoring average while shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range, and Ben Hansbrough posted 12.0 points a game. He also averaged 4.4 assists, not far behind the 5.3 assists from Tory Jackson. With those two setting the pace, the Irish ranked sixth in the country in assists (585).

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’05-06 Irish Upset ’08-09 Irish in Opener

The Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament already has an upset after one game.

The Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament already has an upset after one game. The 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish squeaked by the 12th-seeded 2008-09 Irish, 68-65, to open the first round. Like all great college basketball games, this one came down to the wire.

After leading for much of the first half, the ’05-06 Irish fell behind by eight at halftime. From there, they came back to take the lead, but the ’08-09 Irish stayed on their tail to the point where the game was tied at 65 with over two minutes to play. The score stayed there until Kyle McAlarney was fouled with 52 seconds left and hit two free throws to make it 67-65. Torin Francis then tipped away a jump hook from Tyrone Nash on the other end, and Rob Kurz came up with it, allowing the ’05-06 Irish to burn some clock.

After Russell Carter missed a shot, Francis collected the offensive rebound and got the ball back to Carter, who was fouled and had a chance to ice the game with two free throws with eight seconds left. Carter made the first shot, but missed the second, and Luke Harangody got the rebound, giving the ’08-09 Irish one chance to force overtime. Harangody missed a straightaway 3 at the buzzer, and the oldest Irish team in the field was able to celebrate. They will play the fifth-seeded 2016-17 Irish in the second round.

Chris Quinn led the ’05-06 Irish with 17 points, and Carter was just behind him with 15. Francis just missed out on a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds. Kurz came up short on double figures in both of those categories at eight points and nine boards.

Harangody’s 21-point, 17-rebound effort for the ’08-09 Irish went to waste, as did a 12-point game from Tory Jackson.