There may be no hotter team in the Big East Conference than the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (15-8, 7-3).
They’ve won their last four games and three of those wins came against Top 25 teams. The Fighting Irish even knocked off then No. 1 Syracuse. A very impressive run for a team that is right on the edge of the Top 25. They’re also filled with confidence and realize they could have a special season.
A win in Morgantown may very well propel ND to the Top 25, but in order for that to happen they will have to knock off the Mountaineers. Notre Dame will have to deal with seniors Kevin Jones and Truck Bryant who have carried WVU this season and have had fantastic years as well.
Brey knows the Mountaineers were struggling, but feels they are getting back on track.
“You’re dealing with a heck of a team who just came off a hard fought league win up at Providence,” said Brey during his Monday morning teleconference. “You have two guys who are averaging 40 points basically between Jones and Bryant. That’s amazingly impressive and the big fella in the middle is tough to handle. I’m still getting familiar with their other guys.”
West Virginia is already more than halfway through the Big East season and Jones still appears to be the leading candidate for Big East Player of the Year. The New York native still leads the conference in points per game (20.8) and rebounds per game (11.2). Brey said his team will be keying in on Jones Wednesday night and the 6-foot-8 forward has his vote for Big East Player of the Year.
“Yes,” Brey strongly stated. “I’m very impressed with him. As much as the numbers, I love how he leads and sets the tone. I watch him interact with his teammates and he is such a man.”
“I’m glad he’s a senior we’ve got to get him out of this league,” joked Brey.
The long time Notre Dame head coach also had high praise for Bryant, who is coming off a 32-point performance against the Friars. Brey says it would be a lot easier to prepare for West Virginia without those two seniors.
“He and Jones you feel like they’ve been around forever and I have a lot of respect for those guys,” said Brey. “I love the seniors in our league who rotate through the league and have great senior years.”
“The Big East has had guys who’ve had great senior years,” continue Brey on the season Jones and Bryant are having. “Its had a bunch of them. What’s really neat about this league, and I don’t know what it means for the NBA I could care less, but we’ve had guys who’ve had great senior years and he’s another one in a long line of them.”