NCAA Tournament: No. 10 Xavier vs. No. 7 Notre Dame

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Team Comparison
Stats Xavier Notre Dame
Points 70.8 66.5
Points Allowed 67.5 61.5
Rebounds 39.8 36.9
Assists 13.4 14.5
Blocks 3.8 3.4
Steals 6.1 5.2
Turnovers 12.7 10.0
FG% 45.3 43.2
3FG% 34.9 32.9
FT% 69.2 70.8
 
IrishAlum1997

IrishAlum1997

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These are the typical tourney moments where ND has a great road to make a run and they wet the bed. Let's do this!
 
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X Offense v ND D
Xavier's offense is Tu Holloway and Mark Lyons, who together put up 32.5 points per game. The Musketeers don't have a true sharpshooter and aren't really concerned with 3-pointers. To beat Notre Dame, they'll need more from senior center Kenny Frease, who had just seven points and four rebounds in the A-10 championship final loss to St. Bonaventure. Holloway, unquestionably Xavier's emotional leader, is the straw that stirs the drink -- he can create his own shot, penetrate and pass well (5.1 assists per game). The NCAA tournament is when senior guards shine (see: Walker, Kemba), and Holloway could kick off his personal showcase against a Notre Dame defense that is solid but unremarkable. EDGE: Xavier

X D v ND O
Since the season-ending ACL injury to leading scorer Tim Abromaitis in November, which was supposed to doom Notre Dame's season, the Fighting Irish have gone with an offense by committee. It's worked. They're won 11 of their last 14 games, including victories over Syracuse and Marquette, with a balanced, creative and unselfish attack. Junior forward Jack Cooley (12.4 points per game), sophomore guards Jerian Grant (12.3) and Eric Atkins (12.2) pace the Irish offense. They take and make more 3-pointers than their opponents, but aren't especially adept from beyond the arc (32.9 percent). Xavier, which won at least 20 games for the 15th time in the last 16 seasons, hangs its hat on its defense. The Musketeers led the Atlantic 10 in field goal percentage defense (.398) and 3-point defense (.306), but they didn't play any particularly talented offensive teams. You can always expect a determined defensive effort from Xavier, but Notre Dame is playing at a different level right now. EDGE: Notre Dame

Overall
Notre Dame overcame enormous odds just to make the tournament after losing its best player, Tim Abromaitis, in November. Chemistry, shrewd coaching and a balanced offense are to thank for the Fighting Irish's third consecutive NCAA appearance. After an 11-game winning streak that ended in late February, in which they were as hot as any team in the country, the Irish are limping into the tournament now. They lost three of their last five games, getting outscored by 28 points over that stretch. The magic may have run out. The guess here is that Tu Holloway takes over and the defense-minded Musketeers pull the minor upset. EDGE: Xavier
-- Jimmy Carlton
 
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CBSsports.com listing 10:16 Tipoff.

Guess they're busy covering the funeral in Durham.
 
IrishAlum1997

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I rarely agree with the negative cheeba aficienado. However, this game already feels over.
 
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ND 3-10 from the floor.

Cooley 1-1
Atkins 1-2
Martin 1-3
Grant 0-2
Conn 0-2
 
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7-0 run
8-0 run

Hot and cold continues. Or is it cold and cold ...
 
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HereComeTheIrish

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It took Scott Martin to finally shut Jack Nolan up. Brilliant.
 
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