Ben Hansbrough

NEW YORK, N.Y. --- After a fantastic season, in which they surpassed everyone’s expectations except maybe their own, Notre Dame sweeps the Big East awards!  Senior Ben Hansbrough is the BIG EAST player of the year.  Mike Brey  is the BIG EAST coach of the year.  And senior Tim Abromaitis is the BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the Year. This is the third time in five years Brey has been selected the league’s top coach by his peers. Brey is the fifth BIG EAST coach to win the award on three or more occasions.

Moot point. Friday's distraction turned into Saturday's afterthought. Junior reserve forward Carleton Scott's indefinite leave of absence from the Notre Dame men's basketball team was a hot topic right up until the Irish hit their first nine shots against West Virginia. After that, Notre Dame's 70-68 upset over the eighth-ranked Mountaineers captured the attention. "I told our guys Friday, with Carleton's situation, there's some great stories in sport, not just basketball, where a little bit of crisis, the day before a big game, the troops really rally," Irish coach Mike Brey said.

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.

SOUTH BEND — D.J. Kennedy hit two free throws with 12.5 seconds remaining and a pair of Tory Jackson potential game-winning jumpers fell short as St. John’s beat Notre Dame, 69-68, Sunday night at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish fall to 17-9 overall, 6-7 in the Big East. St. John’s, which had been 0-5 on the road in league play, improves to 14-10, 4-8. Notre Dame played without All-American Luke Harangody, sidelined with a bone bruise in his right knee suffered during the second half of Thursday’s loss at Seton Hall.

SOUTH BEND - One team played like it was willing to fight and scratch and battle to get to 10 wins in league play. The other played Wednesday like it was already there. Tim Abromaitis scored a team-high 17 points to lead four players in double figures as Notre Dame made it look easy against No. 12 Pittsburgh, 68-53, at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish never trailed, led by as many as 24 points and allowed a season low for points in a Big East game. Winners for the first time since Feb. 7 after losing its last three Big East games by a combined six points, Notre Dame improved to 18-10 overall, 7-8 in the league.

NEW ORLEANS - Seated and sobbing among sweat-soaked uniforms and used athletic tape scattered across the locker room floor, Notre Dame senior guard Tory Jackson reluctantly faced the future. It is a future that no longer includes running the Irish men’s basketball team after No. 6 seed Notre Dame was eliminated Thursday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament following a 51-50 loss to No. 11 seed Old Dominion in the South Regional at New Orleans Arena. “I can barely talk man,” Jackson said.

TAMPA, Fla. -- Few inside the four walls of a relieved Notre Dame locker room could immediately remember a scenario like the one that unfolded Tuesday against South Florida. The Irish broke open a close contest and sprinted to a big second-half lead. They absorbed a big run from the home team but found a way to win a tough league game far from home. All-American senior power forward Luke Harangody hit one free throw with 1.9 seconds remaining as Notre Dame (13-3 overall; 2-1 Big East) escaped with a 74-73 victory at the Sun Dome.

SOUTH BEND - Listening to his mix of rap music Saturday during the ride to Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame junior power forward Tyrone Nash offered a little pep talk to, well, Tyrone Nash. No factor in the previous two Irish losses, Nash wanted this day against DePaul to be different. With his father in the stands and his coaches and teammates expecting more, Nash delivered. Nash registered his first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He was one of four Irish to score double figures on a day Notre Dame never trailed before an 87-77 victory.

PISCATAWAY, N.J. - They showered and dressed and departed quickly from the small cinder-block locker room Saturday night deep in the bowels of another road arena, yet members of the Notre Dame men’s basketball team did not ignore the obvious. Teams that fancy themselves NCAA Tournament-worthy at season’s end win games against opponents that come into contests winless in league play. The Irish, however, left wounded and wondering after Rutgers was the team that finished on the right end of the scoreboard.