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Desperate measures needed by the Friars

"Hey, the Big East Tournament starts (tonight) for both of us," Brey said.

The coach of the Fighting Irish could not have made it any clearer. If Notre Dame or Providence has any designs on being in the Big East tourney next week in New York, a win tonight is paramount. The Irish (4-10) and Friars (5-9) could conceivably still get in with five league wins, but six seems to be the magic number.

"We have another game (Saturday at Marquette)," said PC coach Tim Welsh, "so it's not the end of the season (tonight), but we know we can get somewhere and can put ourselves in great position if we win."

Notre Dame experienced these do-or-die games for nearly seven weeks. After starting 0-3 in the Big East, the Irish were panicked. A 92-77 victory over Providence in mid-January stopped the bleeding, but only for one night. Brey then watched his team lose its next five games in absolute heart-wrenching style. First came a two-point road loss at Marquette. A double-overtime thriller at home to Georgetown was followed by a two-point loss to Villanova when Kyle Lowry tipped in a rebound in the final seconds. Up next was a one-point loss at West Virginia, and then an overtime defeat at Louisville when Taquan Dean hit a buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of regulation.

Three wins followed, but the devastating close losses returned last week in Hartford when Connecticut's Marcus Williams squirmed inside for a rebound hoop in the final five seconds to force overtime. The Huskies went on to win, 75-74.

"I'm worn out," Brey said. "We've been under the gun for seven weeks when we started 0-3. We've been a desperate bunch since then."

After listening to Irish fans wallow in self-pity for weeks, Brey says he's tired of "talking about being snake-bit and all the bad luck." He says his players have bounced back from every excruciating loss with refreshing hardiness, but the time for sweet talk is over. There is no more room for another close loss.

"Hey, at the end of the day we're 4-10 and we have to scratch our way to New York," said Brey. "I'm very proud of the way they've handled things, but we've learned that to win you have to get that loose ball or block out on that rebound."

If there is a dangerous 4-10 team, it certainly is Notre Dame. The Irish lead the Big East in scoring, and roll out a group that can light up a scoreboard. Their best weapon is the 3-point shot. Colin Falls and Chris Quinn have shot the ball well virtually all season, and some newfound punch from Russell Carter and Kyle McAlarney gives Brey four shooters you must track down at all times.

"They play four guards who have the green light at all times," said Welsh. "They'll pull up on the break or shoot it from places you wouldn't think they'd try one from. And they can really put points up in quick spurts."

The Friars haven't been a consistent defensive team all season, and their zone looks will be tested tonight. In fact, they may even be junked since few teams have played zone defense against Notre Dame and lived to talk about it.

While PC's focus will be on Notre Dame's shooters, the Irish will almost certainly focus on PC's top shooter, Donnie McGrath. He's playing his final home game and will be honored in a pregame ceremony along with walk-on Tim Englert and manager Matt Grasso.

Any emotion of Senior Night will be quickly overshadowed by the game's importance. Both teams know their seasons are on the line, and that tonight's loser could very easily be watching the Big East Tournament on TV next week.