Foul trouble dooms Irish in upset bid at Villanova

PHILADELPHIA -- Too many options for one team, but too few answers for the other. Notre Dame had a chance to make a statement in the second half Wednesday against No. 3 Villanova, but the Wildcats had other ideas. Still undefeated in Big East play, the Wildcats simply pulled away from the out-manned Irish for a 90-72 victory at Wachovia Center. Notre Dame falls to 15-6 overall, 4-4 in the league. Villanova, rolling toward a possible No. 1 ranking next week, improves to 19-1, 8-0. Luke Harangody’s 21 points and nine rebounds led Notre Dame, which trailed by as many as 23 points. Being careful with the ball did not immediately carry over for Notre Dame, which worked the first 30:33 in Saturday’s win over DePaul before committing its first turnover. The Irish had their first miscue just over three minutes in and had another less than eight minutes in. Those two turnovers tied Notre Dame’s total against DePaul. The Irish had six turnovers in a first half where they shot 43.3 percent from the floor but only 18.2 percent (2-of-11) from 3. The Irish were in fine shape at halftime - trailing 41-40 - despite having three starters (Ben Hansbrough, Harangody, Ty Nash) all saddled with two fouls. It reached a point where freshman Jack Cooley even saw 30 seconds of action to close the first half, one that featured 16 points from Harangody. Tim Abromaitis added nine. Hansbrough fouled out early in the second half after picking up three fouls in the first 7:12. As close as the Irish were at the break, they could have been in better shape had it not been for an old nemesis - the foul line. Notre Dame got the bonus quickly - in less than nine minutes - but missed seven free throws. That would have given the visitors much-needed confidence and the lead after the first 20 minutes. The first half featured five lead changes and one tie. Notre Dame led by as many as four and trailed three times by as many as eight. Villanova looked to wear down Notre Dame with its depth. Ten different Wildcats played before the first Irish sub - Jonathan Peoples - checked in. The Irish went two deeper than usual on its bench, but that was because of foul trouble. Prior to Wednesday, Notre Dame had lost its last 10 games when playing on the road against a league opponent ranked in the top 10. The last Irish win over a top-10 league opponent away from home was during Brey’s first season - 2000-01 - a 78-71 victory over No. 10 Georgetown. Notre Dame has not beaten a team ranked as high as No. 3 on an opponent’s homecourt since upsetting defending national champion Connecticut, which was ranked No. 2, during the 1999-2000 season. With Kentucky losing Tuesday to South Carolina and No. 2 Kansas already haven spent time earlier this season at the spot, No. 3 Villanova is making its push to be the nation’s top-ranked team when the new polls are released Monday. The Wildcats have been inside the nation’s top eight all season. Notre Dame was scheduled to return to campus early Thursday morning before wrapping up its two-game league road swing Saturday about an hour up the New Jersey Turnpike at Rutgers, which is winless in conference play.