BIG EAST GAME PREVIEW: Rutgers @ Notre Dame

February 8, 2006

Notre Dame looks to take out some frustration tonight on their home floor against Rutgers. We all know the Notre Dame story and all their tough losses as they are just 1-8 in the conference and fighting for an invite to the Big East tournament, let alone the NCAA or NIT. Tonight, they will attempt to close the gap on themselves and 12th place when they take on the Scarlet Knights.

Things are not going well for Rutgers as they have lost five of their last six games and now must face the next several weeks without starting freshmen forward JR Inman who broke his leg in their loss to Seton Hall on Sunday. The Scarlet Knights and reeling and Gary Waters has to be feeling the pressure.

Here are the pregame stories and previews from around the internet:

ND Not Your Average .500 Team (Chicago Tribune)
Rutgers Guard Lacks Experience, Not Production (Journal Gazette)
Rutgers Test is Douby-ous (South Bend Tribune)
Rutgers/ND Notes (Star-Ledger)
Rutgers-ND Scouting Report (Courier News)


For our preview and prediction on the game, click below!

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Maybe it is the craze that Villanova and Jay Wright has started with the four guard look because you can expect to see up to eight guards on the floor at a time in tonight's Notre Dame/Rutgers battle. With Rob Kurz, Luke Zeller and Rick Cornett not producing how Mike Brey would like, he has turned to a line-up lately that has featured Chris Quinn, Russell Carter, Kyle McAlarney and Colin Falls on the perimeter with Torin Francis in the middle. At Rutgers, the injury to JR Inman has limited their depth along the front line and it is very likely that the Scarlet Knights will counter with a line-up that features Anthony Farmer, Quincy Douby, Marquis Webb and Jaron Griffin with a revolving door at C that will include Byron Joynes, Frank Russell, Jimmie Inglis and Dan Waterstradt. They will also use Ollie Bailey at forward when they go to a more traditional 3-guard line-up (my how the game has changed in college to where a 3-guard line-up is traditional).

For Rutgers, playing on the road is never easy and going to South Bend after the loss to Seton Hall on the court and JR Inman to injury is probably not what they had in mind as a relaxing winter trip. As usual, it will be as far as Quincy Douby can take them, but without Inman, who had the most potential in giving Douby some help, it almost seems that not matter what Douby does, it will not be enough.

Again, it never seems like Notre Dame plays bad, they just come up short. Usually, the key defensive stop or rebound is not within their grasp, but they can still shoot it and that will continue to put the pressure on Rutgers to score. Rutgers actually matches up fairly well, especially with the athletes they can put on the floor against the 4-guard look for Notre Dame, but I don't beleive they will keep up with the Irish three's. Of course, live by the three, you could die by the three as well. But, on their home floor, the Irish should live tonight.

NBE Blogger Prediction:

Notre Dame 72 Rutgers 64

The Irish are 7-pt favorites in the game.