Hoyas face Irish for third place in Big East
John Thompson III hasn’t looked at the Big East standings. But given how tight the race remains for seeds two through seven for the conference tournament that begins in a little more than a week, he still has as much information as anyone about how things will turn out.
Recommended Stories
Certainly the preseason Big East coaches’ poll didn’t end up as much of a guide. It pegged the ninth-ranked Hoyas (21-6, 11-5 Big East) to finish 10th in their own conference. That was right behind Notre Dame (20-9, 12-4), which arrives at Verizon Center on Monday ranked 20th. The Fighting Irish are one loss removed from a nine-game winning streak that started with a win against Syracuse and may have sealed a second-straight Big East coach of the year honor for Mike Brey.
Thompson could have a say about his own merits for the award with a victory over the Fighting Irish. Notre Dame is in third in the Big East, and a Hoyas’ victory would leave the teams tied in the standings.
| Up next |
| No. 20 Notre Dame at No. 9 Georgetown |
| When » Monday, 7 p.m. |
| Where » Verizon Center |
| TV » ESPN |
“There are so many unknowns as you come into a year,” Thompson said. “I guess for the sake of your fans, if you’re in there or not, if you’re ranked high or not, at the end of the day, they really don’t mean anything.”
The Hoyas know this much without having to look at other teams: They already have their most conference victories since 2007-08, when they won the Big East regular-season title. They’re also assured of at least a top-seven finish this year even if they drop their final two regular-season games to Notre Dame and No. 10 Marquette (24-5, 13-3). But overtaking the Golden Eagles is also attainable should Marquette lose at Cincinnati on Tuesday.
The Irish have spent nearly the entire season without conference preseason co-player of the year Tim Abromaitis, but multiple players have made substantial leaps in his absence. Junior forward Jack Cooley (12.4 points, 9.3 rebounds per game) has quadrupled his scoring from last season and leads the Big East in field goal percentage (.628). Guards Eric Atkins (12.7 ppg, 4.0 apg) and Jerian Grant (12.7 ppg, 4.9 apg) — the latter a DeMatha alum and son of former Washington Bullets player Harvey Grant — are equally capable in the backcourt. They combined for 36 points in Notre Dame’s previous visit to Verizon Center, a 78-71 loss to Maryland in the BB&T Classic.
Grant was held to just two points in Saturday’s 61-58 loss to St. John’s, a game in which the Irish, who have attempted the third-most 3-pointers in the Big East, missed 27 of 31 shots from the arc.
“The percentage that they shot against St. John’s was an anomaly,” Thompson said. “That’s not the norm for them. Quite honestly, in a perfect world, we don’t allow them to get that many off.”
Speaking of permission, Thompson would not say whether he will allow Georgetown sophomore guard Markel Starks to play. Starks was benched for Saturday’s 67-46 win over Villanova, missing his second start of the season, one game after going 1-for-9 from the field in the Hoyas’ 73-55 loss at Seton Hall.
“We’ll decide once we get there,” Thompson said.
