Notre Dame OK with not getting top seed

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame figured it had made a strong case for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament despite a crushing overtime loss to Louisville in the Big East semifinals.

The 83-77 defeat Friday night -- when the Irish squandered a 16-point lead -- was still eating at coach Mike Brey after his team was given a No. 2 seed in the Southwest Regional Sunday.

Now Brey and the Irish (26-6), who had impressive road wins at Connecticut and Pitt, will get ready for an opener Friday against Mid-American Conference Tournament champion Akron. And even if they didn't get a top seed, the Irish will be playing close to home, about 95 miles across the Indiana Toll Road at the United Center in Chicago.

"I think we had a lot of argument for a [top seed], quite frankly, when you look at our resume," Brey said. "We're fine. We're thrilled. We're a two. We earned that . . . We've been on a pretty good run. Just erase the numbers now and look at the matchups . . . You take the seeds away from the teams' names now, and you've got to go try to win a tournament in Chicago."

Akron (23-12), seeded 15th, nipped Kent State, 66-65, in overtime to win the MAC title. 7-footer Zeke Marshall blocked nine shots in the final and had 88 for the season. The Zips are also proficient three-point shooters, making 36 percent for the season. Notre Dame hit 39 percent of its three-point attempts, so it could come down to which team can best defend the long-range shot.

During its strong regular season, the Irish downed Big East tourney champion UConn twice and knocked off Pitt on the Panthers' home floor. Pitt, the Big East regular-season winner before losing to UConn in the tournament quarterfinals, were picked as the top seed in the Southeast.

Notre Dame star Ben Hansbrough, who struggled in the loss to Louisville, was asked his thoughts when he saw that the Irish got a No. 2 seed instead of a No. 1.

"We can't change it," Hansbrough said. "I think seeds do matter, but I don't think they matter greatly. If you are wanting to make a deep run, you are going to have to beat some really good teams regardless of what your seed is."

Behind Hansbrough, the Big East player of the year, and Brey, voted the league's top coach, the Irish used a share-the-ball mentality. They have versatility, with all five veteran starters -- Hansbrough, Tim Abromaitis, Carleton Scott, Scott Martin and Tyrone Nash -- able to pass, score, shoot, rebound and handle the ball.

Notre Dame's regular-season losses were to Kentucky in Louisville and in road games at Syracuse, Marquette, St. John's and West Virginia. The Irish were 17-0 at the Purcell Pavilion and were the only Big East team to go undefeated at home.

Brey said he emphasized to his team, especially after rough stretches, that they had to keep playing the same unselfish style.

"No group in the country, certainly in the top seeds, relies on the sum of its parts more than us," Brey said. "We need all our parts kind of doing their thing or we can be kind of average."

Not that the Irish needed motivation, but they certainly have not forgotten last season's one-point loss to Old Dominion in their NCAA Tournament opener.

"One of the things that drove our group all summer was they didn't win a first-round NCAA Tournament game," Brey said.