In their last meeting the entire ND front court came up small. For Pitt, Taft matched them. It was a humiliating performance, culminating in his being sat for the last 10+ minutes of a game that went down to the wire. Taft has talent, but has been inconsistent at best this season. Now, everyone hopes that he really starts to put it together and that the BC game was the start.

After examining that loss, the third in a row for Pitt and, not so coincidentally, the third consecutive game in which he did not play up to his capabilities, Taft had an epiphany.

“I told myself after that game that if I don’t play good, it’s going to be real hard for us to win,” said Taft, a 6-foot-10, 250-pounder who remains a likely first-round NBA pick if he chooses to turn pro after this season.

“This is the perfect time to do it. It’s March. March Madness is here. I told myself that I have to step it up as best I can. This is the time players can show how good they really are. Hopefully, I can do that.”
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“A lot of people will be in trouble if he plays like that,” point guard Carl Krauser said. “He’s getting real good on defense. He’s looking for his shot more. Once we get all things clicking, we’ll be unstoppable.”

Taft, who was voted to the Big East’s preseason first team, won’t be recognized in the same way Tuesday when the all-conference teams are unveiled. He might be lucky to make third team.

He might make 3rd team because the All-BE teams tend to be groups of 6. In another article on Taft, they play up the man-child angle.

Chris Taft was giddy the other day in proclaiming he’ll celebrate his 20th birthday during the Big East Conference Tournament next week in New York.
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Less than two years removed from high school, Taft is still very much a youngster. The Coney Island native is addicted to video games and to Sugar Smacks cereal, which he eats before every game.

He is, essentially, a child trapped in an NBA player’s body — all 6-foot-10, 260 pounds of him. And, therein lies the rub with Taft, who has not lived up to expectations in the regular season, which concludes today.

He will not be a first-team All-Big East selection when the team is announced next week, despite being selected as such in the preseason.

Why? Because he’s been inconsistent. Taft is enduring growing pains, much like any other teenager. But he’s doing so in the public eye, amid high expectations.

For the record, I know several 30-something guys who fit the video game/sugar cereal mold. Granted, I have a very immature group of friends, but there is a reason why Entertainment Weekly does video game reviews — immature men is a strong demographic (sorry, getting a little off topic).

ND wants to win the BE Tourney, so they need the bye.

A victory over No. 24 Pittsburgh (19-7, 9-6), Jordan Cornette said, could help bring the Irish toward the one thing he and fellow senior Chris Thomas haven’t come close to attaining during their Notre Dame careers –a league tournament title.

“Pittsburgh is a huge steppingstone in terms of the damage we could do in the Big East tournament,” Cornette said. “If we get Pittsburgh, it puts us in even better position to make a deep run in that tournament and make a play at the conference championship.”

Notre Dame lost at Pittsburgh 68-66 on Feb. 12 when Panthers point guard Carl Krauser hit the winning shot, a runner in the lane, with 11 seconds left.

The Irish expect a similar battle this time around.

“We know everything about the team,” Cornette said.

“We might as well play for them, we know so much about them. So we know what we’re going to see and we just have to be able to do the things we need to do to win.”

There is a ND banquet tonight, honoring 100 years of Irish b-ball. I think we can all agree that we’d like to see the entire team looking less than thrilled at the ceremonies.

Krauser admits that the Pitt guards have to do better on the perimeter this game.

Panthers point guard Carl Krauser said the best way to muzzle Notre Dame’s perimeter game is to make the guards work for every shot. “Our guards have to make them put it on the floor and catch and shoot – we have to make them feel uncomfortable,” Krauser said.

There’s been no reported change on the status of Chris Quinn’s sprained ankle. He is still listed as doubtful. Personally, I’m betting he gives it a go. They might try to run some screens or just try and get him left alone in a corner for some open looks. I’m not sure how well he can stop and pop.