2010 Big East Tournament: Day 4 ups and downs

BY MIKE VORKUNOV

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

BIG EAST TOURNAMENT

NEW YORK — The name on the back of the jersey strikes you. That's usually the first thing they notice about Ben Hansbrough, little brother of Tyler. That will probably go down in his basketball epitaph. It is the second sentence of his Wikipedia entry, which is the closest facsimile.

But his coach Mike Brey would describe him a little differently.

"Fearless competitor, tough S.O.B., winner," said Brey.

Against West Virginia last night in the second semifinal game of the Big East Tournament, you could see all of that. Except for the last one as Notre Dame fell 53-51 to the Mountaineers.

But you can't hang the loss on Hansbrough. He scored a team-high 17 points, including four three-pointers, to lead a late but fruitless charge.

Two of those threes came on back-to-back possessions with about four minutes remaining to take a seven point deficit and cut it into a 48-45. In fact he scored 10 of the final 12 Irish points, including a smooth up-and-under layup.

"He knew we needed something so he lit the flame and kind of got us going. He senses that," said Brey. "I think Ben jump started us believing again that we would have a chance to win the game."

Brey calls him a "tough, competitive, ornery guy" which sounds a lot like somebody else in the family. When a foul was called on Da'Sean Butler in the second half that he didn't agree with, Hansbrough had a few words for him and a look that, in essence, said "Don't start."

Brey says that the inherent contrasts with his brother bring out a little something extra in Ben. His season numbers of 11.7 points, 4.5 assists, 3.9 rebounds per game don't come close to matching his brother's. And the heckling he hears from opposing fans isn't out of subconscious jealousy like it was for Tyler, but because of him.

"I think for him there is probably a little bit of a chip on his shoulder," said he said. "You have to hear about older brother so he wakes up every day, works hard."

For his part Hansbrough says the heckling is what it is and after he gets on the court he doesn't even think about it.

"I couldn't be any more proud of what my brother has done. He's accomplished a lot," said Hansbrough. "I'm happy he's as good as he is."

And Brey is happy to have Ben. Transferring from Mississippi State, he has a toughness and spark to the Irish. So while everyone else may overlook him, Brey never does.

"I don't undervalue him and I think people that really follow us know how good this kid he is," he said.

Day to Remember

Greg Monroe: This was obvious. The sophomore center nearly went for a triple-double as he scored 23 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists. Monroe imposed his will on the game, clearly motivated by the grand stage.
Da'Sean Butler: Yes, again. He scored a game high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds. There were no buzzer-beating heroics but give him a break on that one. Butler was the lone Mountaineer able to consistently get anything going offensively and helped his team barely grind out a win.

Day to Forget

Tory Jackson: It was a tough one for the senior point guard. He missed the game's last shot, a three-pointer that could have won it for Notre Dame. On top of that he was just 2-of-9 from the floor for seven points, and hit just 1-of-6 threes, although he did dish out seven assists.
Darius Johnson-Odom: Marquette had their run in the Big East Tournament end in a blowout loss, not playing game-deciding minutes late in the game seemingly for the first time since November. Johnson-Odom wasn't the main culprit, but he didn't help. He hit just 1-of-8 shots and missed all three three-pointers. His teammate Lazar Hayward could have made this list too because he shot 5-16 for 15 points, but his season long brilliance earns him a one-game immunity.

Game of the Day

Only two to choose from yesterday. The early game turned into a romp but the late game between Notre Dame and West Virginia provided some final minute excitement. Notre Dame made a quick charge to erase a 10-point deficit that felt like 20 the way they were shooting. It came down to final shot, this time out of the hands of last night's Mountaineer hero Da'Sean Butler. Tory Jackson missed three that could have won it and the West Virginia squeaked past another opponent.

For more Big East Tournament coverage, along with Rutgers and Seton Hall basketball news, follow Mike Vorkunov on Twitter at @Mike_Vorkunov

Day 4

Georgetown center Greg Monroe playing his way into the company of Ewing, Mourning and Mutumbo

Day 3

2010 Big East Tournament: Day 3 ups and downs

Syracuse tries to stay positive after Georgetown loss, injury to Arinze Onuaka

Day 2

2010 Big East Tournament: Day 2 ups and downs

Seton Hall sits on NCAA bubble after loss to Notre Dame

Big East Tournament: Marquette over St. John's in a nail-biter

Georgetown's Austin Freeman facing life with diabetes

Big East Tournament: Georgetown sends South Florida packing