Rockne's Roundtable

Would not be suprised if we routed our first round opponent or we lost a close game. This team has shown it has no ability to play a full 40 minutes against any good foe. It's a flip of the coin as to which team shows up, but for the life of me, I cannot see them advancing against any quick athletic team away from Purcell.

Scottiefan34,

Not Wes (and for that he is thankful), but they do if ND does well.

Each February I start doing more on the women's basketball program. A couple of years ago I was expecting nothing but crickets but was quite surprised at how many people were jumping on the bandwagon. It's happening now too as ND tries to get to its third straight national title game.

Basketball basically seems to be a bandwagon sport at Notre Dame. If they start showing something, interest develops. If not, most people can take it or leave it.

I think more and more people are interested in the men's basketball team. What I don't understand is the student section not being full on a nightly basis at Purcell. There's really no excuse for that.

Obviously a deep run in the tournament (which probably isn't likely this season) would help immensely. But I can totally understand how people want to pull their hair out watching this team one day, then get pretty excited the next. You never quite know what you're going to get. The next couple years should be fun to watch. Biedscheid and Auguste, along with some really athletic players coming in next year, will blend with Atkins and Grant and give the Irish a different look.

Do0n't believe they will ever have sustained tournament success until we can recruit the "Ryan Humphrey" type of athlete here on a fairly consistent basis. As I have said before, I don't think any one on the roster(excluding freshmen), will even sniff an NBA roster.

It is sometimes embarassing how quiet our building can be at times. Are the prices too high? Is the ticket included in their fees that they pay?

Ham, its just not the apathy on the board, but on campus in general.

I have been an avid nd hoops fan since i can remember, about 7 years old in 1973 or so. But it does seem that the attitude towards hoops, especially in the student body, is not where it should be. Hopefully this team surprises us in the next few weeks. But i wont hold my breath,lol.

I was talking to a friend of mine on the beat about how not only is the student section rarely packed, it kind of lacks energy and creativity. There are a lot of classless things that the Cameron Crazies do, but those kids go bonkers. When St. John's Pointer smacked Knight in the face the other night, that was the perfect time for the ND student section to go after someone and there were crickets.

When I started watching ND basketball, they had Bob Arnzen and Ron Reed (MLB Pitcher and NBA Forward) and Larry Sheffield playing.
This years team just isn't very interesting. The players seem mechanical and their entire offense (other than last minute panic) seems like they learned it from a book. Guys like Ben Hanbrough and Tory Jackson and Kyle McAlarney were all gym rats who knew 'basketball' and were less concerned with getting to a spot then they were with 'how to get the ball in the basket' regardless of which player got it there. They were always interesting to watch, especialy when you had a Harangody or a Carleton Scott who could also make something happen if they got the ball. The current team doesn't have a real leader or go to guy and the heroics displayed by Grant have been stunning because they broke the pattern not because he is an extraordinary player who can carry his team. Maybe given the talent level, Brey's best stategy is what he's doing, slow it down and crash the board, play good defense, and get to the foul line. From a fan standpoint, the ceiling is still obviously limited and the style doesn't generate much vocal energy. Still, students should be in the seats!

As for the women, if you are a basketball fan you have to like the women's game generaly because it is more similar to the men's game of 20 years ago. I've watched the ND women's team since the Morgan - Gaither days. This year's team is exceptional again. Diggins and McBride are the best guard tandem in the country and Achonwa is a very smart player underneath. You also can see the talented freshmen that will contribute significantly in the coming years. I don't know what their attendance is like but the noise level seems good over the TV set!