If thereโs only school that doesnโt fly under the radar it is Notre Dame. Plenty of pub for the Fighting Irish. Very few schools have seen their university as the star of a big budget Hollywood film; this school has had three.
But thatโs college football, not college basketball. Is the overwhelming obsession with the gridiron, at the expense of interest in the hardwood the main reason this Fighting Irish team isnโt being talked about all that much? The Irish certainly take care of business on the court, 17-4, 6-3 in the Big East, the best conference in America. Theyโre #9 in one poll, #8 in the other and Jeff Goodman of Fox Sports.com ranks them #5.
But yet theyโve all done this very โquietlyโ because South Bend is like Ohio State and Penn State- the fans just donโt get into hoops on a level remotely close to how much they care about football. Despite the fact that football team never graced the polls for a single week in 2010.
Letโs try to figure out why
By Paul M. Banks
Maybe itโs Hansbrough fatigue?
Yes, the Irish have a star player in Ben, little brother of Tyler, perhaps the most over-hyped player in college basketball history. โPsycho T.โ is essentially the Sarah Palin of basketball. During 2008-09 they were constantly talked about, but today in 2011 we know that there really isnโt any substance there. Crazy like a fox has turned into just plain crazy. Ben is grindy like his brother, and has some skills Tyler never displayed, but America doesnโt tune in to him. Just like Palinโs mini-me, Christine OโDonnell was unable to win her election.
Or is could be a media market thing.
ND football is Chicagoโs college football team, but Illinois is the cityโs college hoops team. And even if Illinois fell (keep that streak of years without a tournament win going and it just may happen) ย DePaul would theoretically supplant them (if that program could ever get itself off the floor, a very big if). College football isnโt big in urban areas, itโs more rural, but college basketballโs popularity is big in both the city and the countryside. And ND is Indianapolisโ home football team too. Basketball? Not so much, itโs Indiana, Purdue (and to lesser extent Butler) territory. So Mike Breyโs program has this factor going against him too.
Brey may be one of the snappiest dressers in college hoops, but all the mock turtlenecks in the world wonโt change the number one factor keeping the best team heโs ever had from being a consistent lead on Sportscenter.
I think the main reason weโre not seeing a major buzz is because of all the parity and mediocrity in the national college hoops season this year. Our friends at Midwest Sports Fans summed this up nicely.
“#2 Pitt lost at home to Notre Dame and almost lost again at Rutgers.ย #3 Duke got shellacked by St. Johnโs in Madison Square Garden.ย #4 San Diego State lost at BYU.ย And #5 UConn lost at home to Louisville.
Overall, only seven, thatโs right, seven, of the AP Top 25 went unblemished for the week (and two of those teams played but a single game).ย The Top 25, as a whole, compiled a record of just 22-20 for the week.ย Thatโs right, the best 25 teams in America, at least according to the voters, won, on average less than a single game last week, and barely beat the .500 mark.”
And later the author mentions the scenario that will impact the Irish:
โThe more interesting debate will be regarding how the committee chooses to seed the teams it does select.ย There is very little difference right now between getting a #1 seed and a #4 seed.โ
Indeed the Irish will likely be a #2 seed come March, and probably no lower than a #3. Look at their resume, it verifies this. Yet today, Irish nation will be a million times more interested in national signing day than in gearing up for their next game. The Irish will have ten days off before taking on DePaul. Ok, fine 11 days off. (Sorry but you know the Blue Demons’ record in conference games these past few years). The they’re home to Rutgers on Super Bowl Sunday; sounds like a couple more wins and another slot or two up in the next poll on Monday. But do the Irish โseemโ like a #2 seed. Do they feel like one?
Maybe the Irish havenโt shifted into โcollege basketball modeโ yet? Maybe all the negative publicity surrounding the football program this fall is having adverse consequences on basketball?
Breyโs team is good. No, Breyโs team really is that good. And you should be paying attention to it.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest webzine. He’s also a regular contributor to the Tribune’s Chicago Now network, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker Network, and Fox Sports.com
You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank
He also does a regular guest spot each week for Chicagoland Sports Radio.com and Cleveland.com
