Why does ND always choke in the Tournament?

[irishff1014]

This was our game to win. The players flat out choked. If Atkins doesn't make that stupid pass this is a totally different game.

 

[NDOM]

Jesus you guys, you act like you are surprised we lost.................REALLY?

 

[Irish Canuck]

Well fellas, here we are once again. Brey is still choking.

For the love of basketball... not you again.
You depress me...

...and your belly-aching about Brey is tiring... and lacking.

You obviously are too young to know what ND basketball was like before Brey.

 

[NDOM]

As much as I'm pissed (But not surprised) this is NOT Brey's fault. He's not the one that threw that pass out of bounds. Can't pin this loss on Brey. It's just not right.

 

[anarin]

They lived and died by the guard play. Atkins had a sub-par game and Grant did what he did all year; he hit tough shots and took horrible shots. They'll be alot better next season.

 

[gfviperman]

No doubt it should not have come down to the lane violation call.

BUT, does anybody believe that call would have been made against North Carolina or Duke????

No Way!!!

 

[IrishLax]

What's funny to me is that they call it March MADNESS for a reason. Brey got a team that had NO CHANCE of even being in the field to win 9 straight games including games over many future tourney teams including #3 Marquette and #1 Syracuse and make the field as a #7 seed. We should be THRILLED with just that.

We had, by Vegas oddsmakers, at best a 55% chance of winning that game. And then we lost on some insanity at the end of the game. Sh*t happens in March. The only people that choked were Atkins (sophomore), Grant (freshman), and arguably the officials. Trying to put this on Brey is laughable... he had a good gameplan that worked all day and got Cooley tons of easy buckets..... and then when Cooley got hurt (it was VERY noticeable how he could barely move after his knee injury) Xavier was able to come back. How on earth can you put a loss in a game that we are only supposed to win 5.5 out of 10 times on Brey? It makes absolutely no sense. Just like how it's not Frank Haith's fault that Norfolk State shot the freaking lights out on contested 3s when they're normally a poor shooting team. At the end of the day players make plays... and our players made some bad ones at the end and Tu Holloway made some awesome circus shots.

I think the only thing we should be disappointed about is that we had a great draw to make a run with a team that shouldn't even have made the tournament.

 

[returnofthemack]

I don't understand how you guys defend Brey when he always chokes in the tourney. I understand ND bball sucked before he got here. I know he's a great guy, and I know he loves ND. I like him a lot. But he is an awful Tournament coach. He works magic in the regular season, somehow getting into the top 5 of the Big East with gumps like Scott Martin. But come Tournament time, the only thing you can count on with him is an early exit.

 

[Irishnuke]

You can't put the mental lapses in this game on Brey. You can put one sweet 16 in 12 years on him though.

 

[returnofthemack]

People who rip on Brey are morons, it's as simple as that.

No one, and I mean no one, expected Notre Dame to make the tournament this season. Hell, no one expected it on January 1st either. The amount of improvement this team had throughout the course of the season was insane.

Next year Atkins and Grant will limit their idiotic plays, simply because of their experience growth and Brey's coaching. If Notre Dame adds some height and consistency in the paint and a guy on the edge who can make plays independently...look out. Oh that's right, Sherman and Biedschied accomplish that.

Sweet 16 or Bust in 2013.

I hope you're ready for the Bust. Especially since next year's bball team has expectations, which means that, like every other ND team, they will defy those expectations, thus probably resulting in a trip to the NIT.

 

[anarin]

I don't understand how you guys defend Brey when he always chokes in the tourney. I understand ND bball sucked before he got here. I know he's a great guy, and I know he loves ND. I like him a lot. But he is an awful Tournament coach. He works magic in the regular season, somehow getting into the top 5 of the Big East with gumps like Scott Martin. But come Tournament time, the only thing you can count on with him is an early exit.

I (and I'm sure others) would love to know your thoughts on how he could have changed the outcome of this game?

 

[IrishLion]

Statement: College Football implements a 32 or 16 team playoff. Brian Kelly's Irish are consistently ousted in the first or second round. Eventually this is not good enough, but is okay for Mike Brey in basketball. Discuss.

 

[returnofthemack]

You can't put the mental lapses in this game on Brey. You can put one sweet 16 in 12 years on him though.

Absolutely, it's foolishness to blame him for Atkins throwing it out of bounds. But it's not a coincidence that aside from 2003, he's never been past the second round, and has had some really embarrassing upsets in the first round.

 

[johnnykillz]

Statement: College Football implements a 32 or 16 team playoff. Brian Kelly's Irish are consistently ousted in the first or second round. Eventually this is not good enough, but is okay for Mike Brey in basketball. Discuss.

Hey Will Ferrell: where's USC?

Discuss.

 

[returnofthemack]

I (and I'm sure others) would love to know your thoughts on how he could have changed the outcome of this game?

I'm not a Division I Big East Coach of the Year, but I'm sure there are ways to prevent your team from losing a 10-point lead in the second half.

 

[johnnykillz]

Statement: College Football implements a 32 or 16 team playoff. Brian Kelly's Irish are consistently ousted in the first or second round. Eventually this is not good enough, but is okay for Mike Brey in basketball. Discuss.

BTW: this isn't realistic.

 

[anarin]

I'm not a Division I Big East Coach of the Year, but I'm sure there are ways to prevent your team from losing a 10-point lead in the second half.

So you don't have an answer? Just complaints.

I guess it was Brey's fault that Holloway hit the fadeaway bank shot, Atkins tossing the ball 15 rows deep, Grant taking an NBA range 3-pointer when they needed two, Grant committing the lane violation or players failing to switch off on ball screens?

 

[returnofthemack]

It's going to be really funny watching you guys try to defend Brey after a 1st/2nd round upset/NIT bid this time next year. It'll be just like how throughout the fall, there were plenty of people on here saying that Rees would cost this team in later games against better teams but were shouted down by people saying "He gives us the best chance to win" and my personal favorite, "He's a GAMER". I'm sure those who were ND bball fans before Brey are happy with consistent competitiveness in the Big East and fairly consistent trips to the NCAA tournament. However, during my four years at ND, I consistently got my hopes up in the tourney (two years ago, we had a ridiculous path to the sweet 16 - Old Dominion and some other team; how'd that turn out), and even got my hopes up this year, and they've consistently been shat upon. I (and I'm sure others) would definitely settle for a coach who doesn't get as many regular season wins, but actually does something in the Tournament. I don't feel that is unreasonable for a coach who has won Big East COY and National COY honors.

 

[johnnykillz]

It's going to be really funny watching you guys try to defend Brey after a 1st/2nd round upset/NIT bid this time next year. It'll be just like how throughout the fall, there were plenty of people on here saying that Rees would cost this team in later games against better teams but were shouted down by people saying "He gives us the best chance to win" and my personal favorite, "He's a GAMER". I'm sure those who were ND bball fans before Brey are happy with consistent competitiveness in the Big East and fairly consistent trips to the NCAA tournament. However, during my four years at ND, I consistently got my hopes up in the tourney (two years ago, we had a ridiculous path to the sweet 16 - Old Dominion and some other team; how'd that turn out), and even got my hopes up this year, and they've consistently been shat upon. I (and I'm sure others) would definitely settle for a coach who doesn't get as many regular season wins, but actually does something in the Tournament. I don't feel that is unreasonable for a coach who has won Big East COY and National COY honors.

So, how can a coach not have as many regular season wins, but grant us a pass to the final ****in four you gd genius?

Explain that to me returnoftheWHACK!

 

[IrishLion]

Hey Will Ferrell: where's USC?

Discuss.

Easy fella, I wasn't trying to be a troll, legitamately trying to start a discussion about how expectations for football are so much higher, when basketball should be no different. Also, I am aware of Will Ferrel's USC love, but I like the picture because it says swag.

Now forgive me for trying to throw some fuel on the fire to get people's thoughts, "realistic" situation or not.

 

[returnofthemack]

So you don't have an answer? Just complaints.

I guess it was Brey's fault that Holloway hit the fadeaway bank shot, Atkins tossing the ball 15 rows deep, Grant taking an NBA range 3-pointer when they needed two, Grant committing the lane violation or players failing to switch off on ball screens?

hahaha No those weren't Brey's fault. But if you're trying to tell me a team squanders a 10-point lead in such epic fashion without coaching blunders, you might as well say that the players won their games during the regular season without Brey. How many times did we see horrible rotation leading to easy dunks for Xavier? How many missed free throws? How many clock-burning plays when an easy bucket could have been had in transition? Keep the blinders on though. It'll make next year's disappointment easier when you can blame it on the players and say they'll be better the year after.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

So you don't have an answer? Just complaints.

I guess it was Brey's fault that Holloway hit the fadeaway bank shot, Atkins tossing the ball 15 rows deep, Grant taking an NBA range 3-pointer when they needed two, Grant committing the lane violation or players failing to switch off on ball screens?

Well that last one can definitely be a coaching problem.

 

[returnofthemack]

So, how can a coach not have as many regular season wins, but grant us a pass to the final ****in four you gd genius?

Explain that to me returnoftheWHACK!

How many regular season wins did Uconn have last year? They had less than ND did. Butler? Same story buddy. Try again.

 

[returnofthemack]

Well that last one can definitely be a coaching problem.

So can the lane violation. I assume Boeheim has drilled it into their players to not make that mistake, as have most other coaches.

 

[johnnykillz]

How many regular season wins did Uconn have last year? They had less than ND did. Butler? Same story buddy. Try again.

Calhoun?
LMAO!

Dude.

Terrible comparison.

Try again.

UConn is a traditional bball powerhouse.

And Calhoun is a ****ing legend.

Their recruiting prowess is immense. The talent they have is unbelievable.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Am I the only one that is ecstatic with NDs performance this year? I mean, my gosh surpassing expectations is an understatement.

I prefer basketball vastly over football, and Brey is starting to turn the switch on .. next year he'll had Cameron, zach, Austin, and Sherman (katenda possibly too). The talent is about to shoot through the roof. The next three years are looking great.

And say what you want about our guards, but jerian and Eric have swagger, yes they'll make mistakes, they're young... but they aren't ever nervous. Jerian hit big shot after big shot. Eric was handiling the ball well only made that one bad TO at the end of the game.

You guys are absurd if you are displeased with Brey. He's putting the pieces in motion, hes finally getting true athletes.

 

[returnofthemack]

Calhoun?
LMAO!

Dude.

Terrible comparison.

Try again.

UConn is a traditional bball powerhouse.

And Calhoun is a ****ing legend.

Their recruiting prowess is immense. The talent they have is unbelievable.

I'm sorry. You asked how a coach could have less regular season wins and get to the Final Four and I provided two examples, one of which you ignored. By the way, Calhoun wasn't COY. Imagine that.

 

[johnnykillz]

Am I the only one that is ecstatic with NDs performance this year? I mean, my gosh surpassing expectations is an understatement.

I prefer basketball vastly over football, and Brey is starting to turn the switch on .. next year he'll had Cameron, zach, Austin, and Sherman (katenda possibly too). The talent is about to shoot through the roof. The next three years are looking great.

And say what you want about our guards, but jerian and Eric have swagger, yes they'll make mistakes, they're young... but they aren't ever nervous. Jerian hit big shot after big shot. Eric was handiling the ball well only made that one bad TO at the end of the game.

You guys are absurd if you are displeased with Brey. He's putting the pieces in motion, hes finally getting true athletes.

Good post.

Thanks for bringing us back to earth.

Reps.

 

[returnofthemack]

Am I the only one that is ecstatic with NDs performance this year? I mean, my gosh surpassing expectations is an understatement.

I prefer basketball vastly over football, and Brey is starting to turn the switch on .. next year he'll had Cameron, zach, Austin, and Sherman (katenda possibly too). The talent is about to shoot through the roof. The next three years are looking great.

And say what you want about our guards, but jerian and Eric have swagger, yes they'll make mistakes, they're young... but they aren't ever nervous. Jerian hit big shot after big shot. Eric was handiling the ball well only made that one bad TO at the end of the game.

You guys are absurd if you are displeased with Brey. He's putting the pieces in motion, hes finally getting true athletes.

How are you so pleased when this team proved they could beat good teams during the regular season, and then loses to Xavier? They play and beat much better teams during the regular season and then annually choke against inferior teams in the tournament. I am ecstatic about the regular season success, but I wish they could get to the Sweet Sixteen once in a while.

 

[irishff1014]

We all know the Brey is NOT the best coach in the country. However he learn under on of the best. I didn't know that he used to coach at University of Delaware. Notre Dame Basketball isn't going toget top basketball recruits. Alot of people think football is bad look how many of the top player in college play 1 or 2 years and go to the NBA. Brey does what he can with the players he can get. But this is just like the football team. There is only some much the coach can do. He didn't make the bad pass Atkins did. He didn't leave early to get the rebound Grant did. Our best player was hurt almost all season i get it but you have to move on. Our players have to use their nuggets if they don't you can't win.