The temporary dismissal of Kyle McAlarney (10.3 points per game, 5.4 assists per game) seems to have galvanized the Notre Dame men's basketball team. Whatever works, right?,”

Irish flying high without suspended guard

When your team's starting point guard gets suspended from the university after a marijuana possession charge, you're not supposed to play like this.

The temporary dismissal of Kyle McAlarney (10.3 points per game, 5.4 assists per game) seems to have galvanized the Notre Dame men's basketball team. Whatever works, right?

Most of his teammates wrote McAlarney's No. 23 on the backs of their sneakers for their home game against Villanova Saturday. The result: Notre Dame overcame a poor shooting night (34.8 percent) to rally for a 66-63 win.

The Fighting Irish followed that up with an astonishing offensive performance at Syracuse Tuesday, putting up 61 first-half points en route to a 103-91 victory in a game in which Notre Dame led by as much as 28.

How are the Fighting Irish coping without McAlarney? Look no further than the team's leading scorer and the Big East's second-leading scorer, Russell Carter (18.4 ppg). The senior guard had been a mere role player before this season, averaging just 3.5 ppg as a sophomore and 11.5 ppg last season.

Carter, who has scored in double figures in all but one game this year, was not one of the 30 players named to the Wooden Award Midseason All-American team announced Tuesday.

If a suspended player can't rattle the Irish, though, don't expect Carter to lose sleep over this.

The Friars aren't going away

Marquette's double-digit loss at Providence in the beginning of conference play doesn't look so bad now.

The Friars (14-6, 4-3 Big East) embarrassed Connecticut on its home court Saturday, outscoring the Huskies 50-27 in the second half for an 84-72 win. The result simultaneously left perennial powerhouse Connecticut reeling – if the Huskies (13-7, 2-5 Big East) keep this up, they won't even qualify for the Big East tournament, let alone the field of 65 – and Providence beaming.

Why are the Friars so happy? Because they finally got a quality road victory for their NCAA résumé, and the rest of their schedule gives them four games against bottom-tier Big East opponents.

So you better start learning how to pronounce Weyinmi Efejuku's name so you can make fun of CBS announcers who butcher it in March.

It's still just 15 feet away, right?

DePaul has underachieved. On a completely unrelated note, the Blue Demons shoot a league-worst 63.2 percent from the free-throw line. The main culprits at the charity stripe are none other than the team's two top scorers: Wilson Chandler (60.0 percent) and Sammy Mejia (59.0).

Who's Hot – Georgetown. OK, the competition was weak, but the Hoyas still have won four straight Big East games by double-digit margins.

Who's Not – Connecticut. The Huskies lost four straight entering this week and need to turn things around fast to stay on the NCAA bubble.

Game of the Week – Louisville at Villanova, Saturday at 11 a.m., ESPN2. After close losses to Notre Dame and Pittsburgh, the Wildcats need to dig their way out of a 3-5 hole in conference play.

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