NU beats ND for first time since 1983

Hello from the Chicago Invitational Challenge, which had a decent crowd (3,308) Friday evening to watch Northwestern bounce Notre Dame and Iowa State beat Saint Louis.

Northwestern decided it would play its 1-3-1 zone trap until Notre Dame forced a change.
That change remains pending.
The Irish came in with a 5-0 record, averaging 86.8 points per game and shooting 46 percent from 3-point range.
The Irish left UIC Pavilion on Friday night with a 5-1 record after scoring just 58 points and shooting 23 percent from 3-point range.
Here’s the funny part: Both Northwestern coach Bill Carmody and Notre Dame coach Mike Brey left the floor believing the Irish had lots of open looks and just didn’t hit them. It all goes back to the saying on the Northwestern students’ purple T-shirts this year: MAKE SHOTS.
“It’s so stupid,” Carmody said. “It’s so basic, but it’s true.”
Ben Hansbrough, who hit 12 of 18 3-pointers in Notre Dame’s first five games, went 0 for 7. Luke Harangody went 0 for 6, though a few of those came in the waning seconds when the Irish were trying the first shot available.
Here’s the funnier part: When asked to talk about how good his 1-3-1 trap was, Carmody preferred to give credit to his team’s offense. While it sounds counter-intuitive, the Wildcats’ ability to be patient (and then hit big shots when they needed them) didn’t allow Notre Dame to play its usual uptempo game. The Irish managed a grand total of 2 fast-break points in the game.
Now Northwestern gets to play for the Chicago Invitational Challenge title at 7 p.m. Saturday against Iowa State (6-0). The Wildcats will have their hands full with Cyclones forward Craig Brackins, a likely NBA first-round pick who impressed John Shurna this summer. Brackins played for USA Basketball’s big-boy team at the same time Shurna trained with the U-19 team that won a gold medal.
“I got to see him play and he was phenomenal,” Shurna said.

OTHER STUFF
--A little birdie in the NU athletic department says it’s about “80 percent” that the football team will be in Orlando for its bowl. In other words, start thinking about the Champs Sports Bowl on Dec. 29. Since that matchup features the ACC’s No. 4 pick, you’re looking at North Carolina (8-3) or Clemson (8-3) or Miami (8-3) or Virginia Tech (8-3). If you go in order of the current BCS standings _ and assume Georgia Tech wins the ACC title game and gets the automatic BCS bid _ then the Cats are looking at No. 18 Clemson. That would be highly intriguing.

--Nice elbow that Luke Harangody threw into Jeremy Nash’s chest as both teams headed toward the benches for the media timeout with 15:27 to go. It’s probably coincidence, but NU led 41-38 at that point and reeled off the next nine points to build a 50-38 margin with 12:04 to play.

--I get the idea freshman lefty Alex Marcotullio doesn’t give in to nerves too often. Notre Dame turned that 50-38 lead into a 52-51 nailbiter with 7:18 to go. First, the Wildcats called a play for John Shurna (25 points) inside that drew Ben Hansbrough’s fourth foul. On the subsequent inbounds play, the Wildcats went into their little weave that ended with Marcotullio draining a 23-footer. This, of course, after he missed his two previous tries from that side of the floor…including a bomb from the corner that hit the side of the backboard.
“I got recruited to shoot the ball here,” Marcotullio said. “Coach Carmody and all the coaching staff has a lot of confidence in me to put me out in that situation.”
I had to know the extent of his easy range. That is, when he can use his normal motion without putting any extra “oomph” into his shot.
“About 26 feet,” he said. “25-26 feet.”
That might’ve been the length of the bomb he hit with 2:03 to go that gave NU a 61-56 lead. Notre Dame never got closer than that the rest of the way.

--According to crack Associated Press reporter Rick Gano, he counted 150 people in the seats for the afternoon sessions that featured Tennessee State beating Kennesaw State and Liberty beating Mississippi Valley State.

Good seats are available Saturday. Here's the schedule:
11:30 a.m.: Kennesaw State vs. Mississippi Valley State
2 p.m.: Tennessee State vs. Liberty
4:30 p.m.: Notre Dame vs. Saint Louis
7 p.m.: Northwestern vs. Iowa State

LW