Notre Dame Blows Out Villanova 93-72

From the get go this game wasn't close.  Notre Dame jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, as Villanova loses its third in a row.  Ben Hansbrough led the Notre Dame attack on Senior Night, with 30 points, 10 assists, and 5 steals.  Tim Abromaitis was on fire from three point range, dropping 9 of his 13 attempts as he scored 30 points as well.  Notre Dame shot 56% as a team and made 20 of 32 from downtown.  Tyrone Nash set a career high with 11 rebounds to go along with 11 points, as Notre Dame secured a double-bye in the Big East tournament, which is next week.

Villanova was led by Corey Fisher, who finally broke his cold streak.  The Senior guard had 22 points, but it was too little too late for the Wildcats.  Notre Dame took a 20 point lead into halftime and for most of the second half hovered around 30 points before the Villanova backcourt drained some threes late in the game.  This game had less to do with Villanova's lack of offense, than its absence of perimeter defense.  Jay Wright continuously changed up the defense to try and stop the strong offense of the Fighting Irish, but nothing worked. The 2-3 zone proved to be the least effective, as Tim Abromaitis sat in the corner and waited for the ball.

This game is huge for Notre Dame as they secure that double bye in the Big East tournament, not having to play the first two nights.  Villanova on the other hand may not even receive a bye at all in the tournament, which actually could help them in the long run, because they will be playing a team that is significantly worse than them, allowing Villanova to find their rhythm.  These two teams are moving in polar opposite directions and only time will tell if this play translates in the future of each team's NCAA tournament chances.