by David Cassilo / @dcassilo
College basketball fans became accustomed to watching Tyler Hansbrough take over games, but Monday night it was Ben Hansbrough’s time to be in the spotlight. The younger brother sparked Notre Dame’s 56-51 upset over Pittsburgh.
Winning at the Petersen Events Center is a tough task for any road team, and Hansbrough needed to completely take over for the Fighting Irish to pull it off. Over the final 9:25, Hansbrough outscored Pittsburgh 13-to-12. He did it in a variety of ways, using his mid-range jumper while also blowing by defenders to get to the hole. He simply could not be stopped.
Playing this well against the No. 2 team in the country had Hansbrough, who finished with 19 points, breaking out the superlatives.
From The Chicago Sun-Times:
‘‘This is probably the best win I’ve had — maybe ever,’’ Hansbrough said.
Luckily for Pittsburgh, it can probably hide behind the success of the city’s football team until it gets back on track. Nevertheless, just when it seemed like the Panthers were taking a hold of the conference, the Big East once again looks like a mess at the top.
