The Color Orange

Manny may be wearing blue, at least for the time being, and Youk will stay red for the next several years, but the color this winter is clearly Orange. We were in the dome yesterday afternoon, along with thirty thousand other screaming fans, and saw the Cuse completely dominate Notre Dame. The nineteen point margin at the end might have overstated things, as the game was close, only five points, with about five minutes to go. But the fact was that the Orange were in control all afternoon. McAlarney’s threes kept the Irish in the game, and they made occasional runs at the Cuse, repeatedly cutting the lead to single digits. But each time that happened, the Orange responded with a run of their own -- one time scoring six points in a forty-second span coming out of a time out, and then again, outscoring Notre Dame 15-2 over the last three minutes, running away with the win.

Everyone seemed to contribute for the Orange, but the big guys made the biggest contributions, especially considering that Harangody is the reigning Big East player of the year, and will probably repeat; he’s only one of two kids in Division One who averages over 20 points, and over ten rebounds. But even though he ended up with gaudy stats – 25 points and 16 rebounds – it took him 28 shots to get those points, and really, our guys defended him pretty well all afternoon. And when we had the ball, it seems like no one could stop AO. He and Jackson scored 33 points, on only 22 shots, and if AO could only hit a free throw, he would have matched Harangody point for point, on fewer than half the shots.

And let’s not forget Rick Jackson, who has suddenly become a force. Blocked shots, rebounds, putbacks, and an occasional soft touch with the left hand off the glass. I’m having trouble recalling another player who made such strides between his first and second seasons with the Orange. Forget about KO starting any more games; unless the other guys get in foul trouble, that guy isn’t going to see many more minutes this year. I can’t say I’m sorry about that. We’ve been playing 4 on 5 with him at forward; now with Jackson playing next to AO, everyone on the floor can score.

Devo had a great game as well, which was especially important once Rautins got in foul trouble. The guards didn’t shoot great from the outside, but they made enough threes to keep Notre dame honest, and to prevent their D from collapsing on the big guys. Plus Eric is shooting over 90% from the foul line in the final five minutes. We’ve had our troubles at the line all year, but Eric’s late game shooting has been one bright spot.

Game ended with six guys in double figures, and over 90 points against a ranked team. Our offense hasn’t looked like this since the first half of the 04-05 season, before Billy Edelin had his first nervous breakdown. Now the team is running the floor, and scoring in bunches. So not only are they winning, but they’re fun to watch. I was really glad that, with a national TV audience, and with 30,000 fans jammed into the Dome, the team gave everyone their money’s worth. I’m guessing this won’t be the last time we have one of those monster crowds this season.

Meanwhile, I need to thank my friend Robert for bringing the lovely Jane to the Dome yesterday. Apparently, the last time Jane went to see a game in the Dome was the 2003 season, and we all know how that turned out. In fact, it may be that Jane's absence is the explanation for why Mookie played so poorly in the intervening years. Maybe we should take up a collection for Robert, so he can take Jane on the road come March. But let's not get ahead of ourselves; after all, there's a game in Pittsburgh tomorrow night.