2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament: Notre Dame vs Old Dominion

The first game to tip off in the 2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament turned out to be the first upset of the tourney as well. Old Dominion senior forward Gerald Lee nailed a jumper to break a 46-46 tie, and Keyon Carter hit two key freebies with nine seconds remaining in the game, as the Monarchs held off their Big East foes to notch the first power conference scalp of the 2010 Big Dance. Notre Dame's star senior forward Luke Harangody, who struggled mightily all game, made a lay-up as time expired for the final margin.

The Big Picture: In a slow-paced defensive scrap, the Monarchs overcame a 28-22 halftime deficit by doing what they've done all season: getting stops at the business end of the court. Playing a 2-3 zone for most of the second half, Old Dominion held Notre Dame without a field goal for a 6-minute stretch, beginning at the 7:48 mark and lasting until Scott Carleton nailed a triple for the Irish with 1:49 remaining. Although Carelton's three tied the game at 46, momentum had clearly swung to the Monarchs during the Fighting Irish drought. If not for same shaky free throw shooting in the final minute, Old Dominion would have won going away. When you hold a team to 31 % shooting from the field in the second half like Old Dominion did today, you're almost always going to win.

The Good: Blaine Taylor's squad may hang its collective hat on the defensive end of the court, but the Monarchs are a remarkably balanced and deep team. Junior forward Frank Hassell paced Old Dominion with 15 points, but his frontcourt mates Keyon Carter and Gerald Lee also chipped in, scoring 11 and 9 points, respectively. Six of the 11 Monarchs players that received playing time on Thursday afternoon managed to score. Unlike many teams that are similarly well-balanced, there is no doubt who the Monarchs' go-to guy is, and that's Gerald Lee. That Old Dominion could win when Lee was only the third-leading scorer on the Monarchs speaks volumes about just how deep Blaine Taylor's team is.

The Bad: Basketball is a team game so we don't like singling out an individual player, but Luke Harangody just didn't have it today. Bothered by Old Dominion's interior size and strength, Notre Dame's senior big man was ineffective all game, failing to get on the scoreboard until 12 seconds remained in the game. Although Harangody hit two layups in the final 12 seconds, the Fighting Irish needed more from him than 4 points on 2-of-9 shooting.

The Ugly: Has there ever been a college basketball postseason where so many teams stubbornly chucked away from three despite the fact that the shots clearly weren't falling? The Fighting Irish were a miserable 6-of-26 behind the arc this afternoon. In the decisive second half, Notre Dame was even worse, making only 2-of-13 threes. Contrast that with an Old Dominion team that took half as many triples this afternoon (and made half as many, but its restraint was key).

NCAA Tournament First Round Recap - Notre Dame vs Old Dominion

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