Two Unbeatens Fall, While One Rises to the Occasion

Three previously unbeaten teams entered play tonight, only one survived to remain as one of the final four unbeatens left.

As many of the top Big East teams found out, conference play is just as much of a battleground as ever. Pittsburgh got upset, Syracuse rolled in an easy game, and UConn survived a scare, but all eyes were really on the nationally televised matchup featuring the unbeaten Louisville Cardinals playing host to the Georgetown Hoyas. Louisville came in the favorites riding a 20 game home win streak. The Cardinals built a lead early, but a young Georgetown squad refused to get rattled by a frenzied hometown crowd. The Hoyas' roster features 10 freshman and sophomores. They took the lead in the second half and built it to as much as 11 points at one point. Louisville tried to rally, but Georgetown stood firm in a gritty three point win. The Hoyas were led by sophomore Markel Starks, who scored 16 of his career-high 20 points in the second half, and freshman Otto Porter, who was clutch down the stretch. The Cardinals were led by senior Kyle Kuric, who made five three pointers, and junior Peyton Siva, who added 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals. Louisville will need to bounce back from their first loss quickly though, as they play their in-state rival Kentucky Wildcats on Saturday.

A resurrected Indiana program came into the night as the only unbeaten Big Ten team left. The Hoosiers had a tough task though as they had to survive a trip to the Izzone to face Michigan State. The Spartans came out strong (18 point first half lead at one point) with the hometown crowd roaring, but Indiana answered with a run of their own (a 25-2 run) building a considerable second half lead (up to 9 points). Ultimately, this was a game of runs, as Michigan State closed out this one in convincing fashion. Spartan sophomore Keith Appling scored a career high 25 points. Junior Christian Watford had 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Hoosiers. Indiana will need to bounce back quickly from their first loss as well, as they face Jared Sullinger and the #2 Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday.

Baylor and Mississippi State met at a neutral location matchup in what was supposed to be a matchup of two premier post players, the Bears' Perry Jones III and the Bulldogs' Arnett Moultrie. The two players' defensive efforts against each other helped to limit both players to eight points each. However, the real matchup to watch turned out to be between these very similarly talented teams. Baylor led by one at halftime, and the second half tuned out to be much the same, as neither team led by more than four points the rest of the way. As time ran down, the game was tied at 52. Baylor junior Pierre Jackson had made many notable mistakes during the course of the game, but he made up for it when we came around Quincy Acy's screen and finished his layup with 28 seconds left. That proved to be the difference as the Bears remained undefeated, despite getting all they could handle and then some from the Mississippi State Bulldogs.

UConn Freshman Drummond Turns Down Scolarship and Becomes a Walk-On

Has the potential number one overall pick in the NBA draft ever been a walk-on? Probably never. But it might happen with the way UConn freshman center Andre Drummond is starting to play.

Drummond was the number #2 ranked recruit in the class of 2011, but didn't decide to come to UConn until a few days before classes began in August. The problem was that the Huskies didn't have a scholarship to offer him due to how late of notice it was and the fact that they lost one scholarship because of NCAA violations and two more because of a poor academic performance rating.

When this was realized, redshirt freshman Michael Bradley offered to give up his scholarship, so that Drummond could get one. Bradley had overcome a rough childhood, some of which was spent in the Tennessee Baptist Children's Home. This meant that he could likely receive some financial aid from the university.

This decision made for much uproar from many observers. They felt that while it was legal for a player to do this, it was wrong for a player to "volunteer" his scholarship just so a better player could get it.

However, Andre Drummond decided he wasn't going to take it. "I'm thankful for what Mike was trying to do for me," Drummond said Tuesday. "I told Mike, 'Don't do that, man. I'll pay my way and take a scholarship next year. You don't have to give up a scholarship for me.' "It was my decision. That's not fair to him. He worked hard to get that scholarship. I'm not going to take something from somebody that's not mine. It was my decision to come late."

This is good news all around for UConn. The Huskies are showing signs of playing well as a team both on and off the court. They enter Big East play tomorrow night with a record of 10-1. On Monday, Drummond earned Big East Rookie of the Week honors for the first of what will likely be many times this year. Last year's national champions look loaded and ready for a run at back-to-back titles.

Out of Luck: Notre Dame's Irish Shocked with Winless Streak

The Leprechaun was enjoying himself.

Notre Dame took an eleven-game undefeated streak from October 21 thru November 25th, the longest active streak in the nation. During that period, the Irish outscored their opponents 34-21, with goaltender Mike Johnson allowing more than two goals/game only once (Johnson had a .5 GAA during that span). Despite some close games, Notre Dame seemed destined to win, even rising to the #2 team in the country.

But finally, Lake Superior State found the magic they needed, ending Notre Dame's streak with a 5-2 victory in Sault, Michigan. And while LSSU celebrated their victory, the Irish boarded the bus back to South Bend to await their weekend against a no-name Northeastern University squad, in preparation for the "real" test against #11 Ferris State.

Perhaps that's only speculation. But it helps explain the next four games.

Because ever since then, the Irish have struggled. They showed up at Compton Ice Arena with a chip on their shoulder from the loss at Lake Superior. But as fans across the country looked up at the jumbo-trons in their respective arenas on Friday night, they blinked twice and rubbed their eyes as the final score from South Bend flashed up on the screen. 9-2 Northeastern.

Same story the next night. Just a little closer. Not that it mattered.
Northeastern wins, 2-1.

It wasn't exactly the prep weekend the Irish were hoping for. The practice weekend for Notre Dame turned into them surrendering their first sweep of the season. Just in time for a Ferris State team the came out blitzing the Irish, shutting down an offense led by Anders Lee and TJ Tynan. The Bulldogs took the first game 4-1.

The winless streak was something quite unforeseen just two weeks ago for Coach Jackson's Irish. Notre Dame is not supposed to lose four straight games, at least in the eyes of Irish Nation.
But that Saturday, Notre Dame rebounded. The Irish came out Saturday night and split the series with Ferris State with a reflection of Friday's game: 4-1, this time for Notre Dame.

With that win, the Irish hope to be propelled into their three games over Christmas break with as much momentum as they can. It won't be an easy break either; games for Notre Dame include Boston University, the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and an exhibition against the Russian Red Stars.

The losing streak may be over, but Notre Dame's work to regain momentum is not. Fortunately, they are still listed near the top of the nation (currently #6), and are coming off a solid road win against Ferris State. A tough Christmas break will tell the country a lot about the future of this team's season.

The Leprechaun is on his knees now. But he's getting back up.