Notre Dame wrapped up its home schedule with a 93-72 whooping of Villanova, making them a perfect 17-0 in South Bend this season. It was a special night for senior Ben Hansbrough who had brother Tyler (pictured) and the rest of his family on hand for Senior Night. He elevated his game for the occasion, hitting seven three-pointers while Tim Abromaitis made nine and the Irish went 20 of 32 from long range in the rout.
In addition to his 30 points, Hansbrough had 10 assists and five steals. The impressive game prompted heavy praise after the contest.
“We’ve seen a lot of great players this year so far. After that performance, I’d say he’s the best I’ve seen now,” Villanova coach Jay Wright said of Hansbrough. “That kid just dominated the game. He did a great job on Corey Fisher. He defended, he controlled the tempo. He broke the press by himself, he made shots and got everyone else shots.”
It was a month ago when we noted that Hansbrough was beginning to emerge like his brother Tyler did at North Carolina. They were 17-4 at the time after beating Pitt on the road and they’ve won seven of eight since then, improving to 24-5. Meanwhile, Villanova has gone in the opposite direction losing eight games in the past six weeks, all of which have come in Big East play.
Coach Jay Wright has seen his team lose to Kemba Walker of UConn, Marshon Brooks of Providence, and Dwight Hardy of St. John’s. To say that Ben Hansbrough is the best he’s seen this year is pretty high praise for the guard from Poplar Bluff, Missouri. Can’t say it hasn’t been earned.
