Nov. 16, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Tim Abromaitis (right) watches during a timeout in the first half against the Sam Houston St. Bearkats at the Purcell Pavilion. Abromaitis is serving a four game suspension for violating NCAA rules by playing in two exhibition games as a sophomore. Notre Dame won 74-41. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Abromaitis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on November 25 of last season and never returned to the team. He played in just 2 games in the 2011-12 season, averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds per game.

The star Irish player was red-shirted his sophomore year.

Tim was expected to be a vital part of this Notre Dame team, but his early departure caused him to be a leader on the bench. He was still at most games and was a great role model for the underclassmen on this team.

Scott Martin has also applied for a 6th year but he hasn’t received any decision from the NCAA. After transferring from Purdue his freshman year, Martin sat out his sophomore year. Then, early in his junior year, Scott tore his ACL in his left knee during in a preseason workout, which caused him to miss his entire junior season. These reasons make people believe Martin has a better chance of coming back for a 6th year.

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Now, back to what really matters. I guess it makes sense that I was sick when Notre Dame lost in a controversial way to the Xavier Musketeers, 67-63. Notre Dame leaves the tournament early after having one of their better seasons in program history (considering their circumstances). I can’t say I was too surprsied, after seeing all the upsets just few hours before.

Xavier’s guards really carried their team through this one. Tu Holloway was a huge part of that success. His clutch shooting really hurt the Irish as he finished with 25 points. The Musketeers will play Lehigh in the next round (which makes this loss even worse).

Mar 16, 2012; Greensboro, NC, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guards Jerian Grant (22) and Eric Atkins (0) and Xavier Musketeers forward Jeff Robinson (21)react late in the game. The Musketeers defeated the Irish 67-63 in the second round of the 2012 NCAA men

I will not go into detail about the bad call, because I don’t like to make excuses. However, I will say this, just let the kids play.

“It’s too bad that happens, but there was a lot of plays,” Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said of the lane-violation call. “We missed some free throws. There were a lot of plays that culminated in not being able to escape with a win.” -ESPN.com

As frustrating as it can be, I must say I’m still proud to be an Irish fan. The fight and grit is what I love to see. I know ND is a football school, but I think that is changing into a 2-sport school, after yet another 20-win season by the Irish.

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Roster: Who do they have?

Mar 11, 2012; Atlantic City, NJ, USA; Xavier Musketeers guard Mark Lyons (10) drives to the basket during the second half against the St. Bonaventure Bonnies in the finals of the 2012 Atlantic 10 Tournament at Boardwalk Hall. St. Bonaventure Bonnies defeat the Xavier Musketeers 67-56. Mandatory Credit: Jim O

The standout player to me is Tu Holloway. He is a very talented guard that has consistently led his team in points throughout the season. This senior was 4th in CBS’s top 100 players for the 2011-2012 preseason list. I fully expect him to be the go-to-guy in any clutch scenario.

Schedule: What does it mean?

Key wins-   @Vanderbilt, vs. Georgia, vs. Cincinnati,

Key losses- @La Salle, vs Oral Roberts, @Hawaii

They had a decent schedule for being in the Atlantic 10. It is clearly noticeable that they are game-tested. Luckily, so is Notre Dame.

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