The headline on the wire story posted on CBS Sportsline pretty much sums up the story of Holy Cross' first round NIT win over Notre Dame last night: Holy Cross shows a lot more fight than Notre Dame in NIT opener. Despite the fact a lot of subway alums felt ND was robbed when it did not get an NCAA bid, the Sportsline story says:

Holy Cross looked a lot more deserving of such a berth, outhustling and outplaying the Fighting Irish . . .

According to the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette:

The undersized overachievers from Worcester, Mass., delivered the final blow to the Notre Dame season, putting an unceremonious end to the careers of Irish seniors Chris Thomas and Jordan Cornette.

Most of the stories from the Midwest about the game seem to focus on how bad Notre Dame was, with scant mention of how well Holy Cross played to post this upset (if you can really call it that given the fact that HC's RPI was actually higher (66) than ND's (73). Knight Ridder writer Reggie Hayes did find room to give the Crusaders props in his story:

Holy Cross (25-6) shook off the disappointment of missing an NCAA Tournament invitation by playing both more aggressively and more carefully than the Irish. The evidence: 20 offensive rebounds but only nine turnovers. Notre Dame turned the ball over 19 times.

Notre Dame, noted for its perimeter play, could not control Holy Cross guards Kevin Hamilton (26 points) and Torey Thomas (16). Hamilton and Thomas seemed a step quick on both ends of the court.

Avani Patel of the Chicago Tribune also noted:

Holy Cross outrebounded Notre Dame 40-36, and scored 34 points in the paint, while allowing the Irish only 12.

Box score | Quotes | Gary Post-Tribune story
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# posted by Hoop Time : 9:18 AM