After taking down the Syracuse Orange in a huge matchup last week, the No. 2 Pitt Panthers fell to the 14th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish last night by a count of 56-51. Irish guard Ben Hansbrough, younger brother of former National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough, was the driving force in the Notre Dame victory. Hansbrough caught fire in the second half on his way to 19 points, four rebounds and seven assists. “This was the first time we committed to an all-out ‘burn,’ and we beat Pitt doing it two times last year,” Hansbrough told the media after the game. “This is probably the best win I’ve had … maybe ever.”
This is the second big win for the Irish on the season, as the team beat UConn earlier this season. “We knew if we didn’t concentrate at the end of the clock, we would lose here by 15 like everybody else does,” Irish coach Mike Brey said of the matchup with Pitt. “They’re really good. They’re hard to guard. They’re really hard to keep off the boards. This was the absolute road challenge for us.” The Irish could vault into the Top 10 with this victory. Considering they’ve slain two giants this season, this is certainly a group to keep an eye on.
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