Bubble Bursts

Barring an unprecedented run next week in an arena they always seem to have a difficult time in, Notre Dame will not be making a third straight trip to the NCAA basketball tournament.

The odds certainly weren't in the Irish's favor as the calendar flipped to March, with them scrambling desperately to recover ground after a seven game losing streak across January and February. But the dream is now officially over for Mike Brey's team after a close battle tonight with #16 Villanova turned into a blowout over the final 8 minutes, with a final of 77-60 that felt like a much closer game for a long time - except when it counted the most. We can play the blame game at a later date; at this moment, what seemed to be so promising back in Maui has fizzled and died on the vine before getting the chance to flow deep into March as we all hoped it would. Post mortem to follow.