Monday Lay-up Lines

Big Monday is back, and tonight we get another dandy in the Big East as Georgetown will head to South Bend to take on Notre Dame. Both teams are coming off of sobering losses (Notre Dame to St. John's, Georgetown by 16 at home to Pitt) and will be looking to avoid a 1-2 start in league play. The question for the Hoyas is going to be how do they slow down Luke Harangody. DeJuan Blair destroyed to Hoyas on the interior on Saturday, and Harangody, the reigning conference POY, is another fantastic rebounder and post presence (12.5 rpg, 4.2 offensive). I don't see Georgetown having as much trouble with 'Gody as they did with Blair, simply because the rest of the Irish are no where near as big and strong as Pitt's front line, meaning guys like DaJuan Summers and Austin Freeman will have more of an advantage on the glass. The biggest problem I see for the Irish is going to be on the defensive end. Notre Dame is never really known for their defensive prowess, and in order to be successful against the Georgetown system, you need to play disciplined and fundamental defense (for example, knowing that if you are guarding a guy on the wing, and the man at the top of the key dribbles towards your side, more than likely your man is going back door). Tory Jackson and Zach Hillesland are both good defenders, but Georgetown might be able to exploit some other match-ups. Specifically, I think Freeman should have a field day against Ryan Ayers. Freeman has a bit of old-man-game in him - he is crafty, smart, and strong. I also think the Hoyas will have an advantage with whoever Harangody is guarding. Can he really cover Greg Monroe or Summers on the perimeter?

With Wake Forest winning at BYU, Notre Dame now holds the nation's longest home winning streak. The Irish always seem to shoot and play well there. Kyle McAlarney has really struggled of late, so if he can get on track as the Irish play their first Big East home game, I think the Irish get the win.

The rest of the night's games:

• 7:00 PM: Florida Atlantic (4-10) @ Miami FL (10-3)
• 7:00 PM: Wofford (4-5) @ South Carolina (10-2)
• 8:00 PM: Florida A&M (2-9) @ Nebraska (9-3)
• 8:00 PM: Maryland Eastern Shore (1-8) @ Oklahoma (13-1)
• 8:00 PM: Western Kentucky (9-4) @ Mississippi State (8-5)
• 8:00 PM: Chicago State (8-7) @ Kansas State (10-3)