All you could hear was Jay Bilas talking about how Notre Dame could come back, “Give it to Harangody…They have got to see Harangody down low…He has got to get to the line more.” He did that, but it did not solve the recent woes of a sliding Irish team. It has been clear in the last two games that Notre Dame, while hanging tough, may not be the contender in the Big East that everyone thought they were. It has a lot to do with Luke Harangody. Back up the truck, chief. Harangody is a beast, he’s a corn-fed monster with a stroke. I wonder aloud what he could do at offensive tackle. Speculation aside, his work is on the court and he can’t do it all for the Irish to win in the Big East, that is becoming crystal clear, with the Irish taking their 5th in conference loss on the chin Tuesday night from Marquette.

Harangody is a serious candidate for player of the year and has been averaging almost 25 points per game all season, with 13 rebounds dominating the glass for the Irish throughout their season. That’s not the problem, the problem is Luke cannot carry the team alone.

The Irish dropped to 12-7 Monday night with a second home loss to a tough, experienced Marquette team who is best in the Big East, undefeated in conference play. Tough game. So, was Saturday’s UConn game, too. No win with Gameday in house. It’s a tough conference, though, not just a tough game. They have racked up 5 in-conference losses, already, dropping games to Marquette, UConn, Syracuse, Louisville and St. John’s.

The Big East is the, top to bottom, most complete conference this year. It seems each team can be a contender but Notre Dame has begun to sink, slowly since a strong start. Harangody has been out of his mind, though, with 14 double-doubles and with last 9 games in a row. He is a dominant force in the Big East playing like Blake Griffin of Oklahoma but in the toughest conference in the country. There’s a problem, though, he’s it. He is it for the Irish. Yes, other players like Kyle McAlarney and Tory Jackson have done some great work on the court, but neither can remain consistent and when one, or both of those players fall off, the Irish stall and cannot produce effective offense, enough, to win games.

Against Marquette, Monday, Harangody put up 29 points and pulled down an amazing 17 rebounds. He took over the paint at moments, putting the Irish in the driver’s seat and within striking range for a majority of the game. They lead by as much as 4 in the second half, and were playing in a Joyce Center that was about to lose it’s top for the 2^nd time in 3 days. Ultimately, though, they could not finish.

There are dozens of problems, questions and answers surrounding Notre Dame and their season right now. They must play better defense on penetration, they must execute their offense and stop resorting to the long ball and they certainly need someone else to step up and at least play in the same gym as Harangody. Tory Jackson and Luke Zeller have visited that gym, but never stayed. McAlarney plays there, and will. He’s definitely trying. He’s working his darndest to do his Reggie Miller impression, running off every screen he can find. But the news is out on him and so he hasn’t been able to back up the big fella. Buzz Williams rotated his defenders and kept a fresh set of legs on McAlarney’s jock all night, then the answer was easy. Do the best you can with Luke, don’t foul him too much, too early and get in foul trouble. Then, shut down the other 4 on the floor and take advantage of their spotty, slow defense on the offensive end. There’s no easy solution for Coach Mike Brey.

The Big East features some of the best guard play in the country and certainly some of the toughest defense. Marquette was the perfect example. With 3 seniors leading the #8 team in the country, Marquette saw 27 points from Jerel McNeal, 15 points from Dominic James and 16 points from Wesley Matthews. They created 17 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks and 9 assists. They played a floor to floor game that with the help of Maurice Aker that put Kyle McAlarney on ice with 9 points in the full 40 minutes and let Luke have a day. Notre Dame could not find a winning answer, though. The only thing keeping them in the game was Big Luke, but he can’t win games alone.

It’s a big problem. A problem that has some wondering if they can salvage the rest of the year without seeing many more losses, that they can’t afford.

Buzz Williams notched one more strike for the Irish tonight. He did it with a team that fell in his lap, but he did it, and on the road. Marquette left Domers shaking their heads, wondering where days of old, and wins over Texas and Georgetown had gone for the Irish. Where the team had gone off to that was going to be a force in the Big East.

Luke will find help, the Irish will not die. I see some W’s coming soon against, perhaps, UCLA, Cincinnati and Providence, hopefully against South Florida, Rutgers and in a second chance against St. John’s. Those aren’t guaranteed, though, no game in the Big East is and Luke Harangody is feeling that hurt now for his low-luck Irish.