UCLA gets a little win against a Big East team

UCLA went all USC football on Notre Dame and put a 89-63 beat down on the “Fighting” Irish yesterday at UCLA. If you watched the game there was really no “Fight” in the Irish from the start.

The loss was Notre Dame’s seventh straight as it dropped to 12-10 overall and 3-7 in the Big East. The Irish is now somewhere in 25th place in the Big East (honestly, just how many teams can be in one conference?).

Before the game, the local hacks out here were saying how big of a game this was for UCLA against this mighty Big East team. A win would be oh so important to the Bruins and the entire Pac-10 conference in general.

In today’s papers the same hacks are saying how much of a statement UCLA made by defeating the Irish.

Huh!?

This used to be a great rivalry in years past when Notre Dame was good.

But since when did a win by a top 15 team against a conference bottom feeder become such a statement game?

Are the hacks out here so enamored by the mighty Big East that even a slob like Notre Dame sends shivers up their spines?

Utah State’s win against 9-15 Louisiana Tech last night laughs at that game!

One of the Sunday morning talking heads on ESPN got it right when he said that if it weren’t for Notre Dame’s name, they wouldn’t be in anyone’s conversation regarding post-season play or anything else for that matter.

I’m not going to declare UCLA national champs with this win, because this game didn’t mean anything. A win against team like number one Connecticut or Marquette or Louisville or Pittsburgh might.

The Big East is no doubt a great conference. They have the championship banners at places like Connecticut, Georgetown, Villanova (and yes) Syracuse to prove it. It is very likely that one or two teams could end up in the Final Four this year.

But to call this UCLA/Notre Dame game a “statement game” for the Bruins is either an insult to how good UCLA (or anyone who plays Notre Dame) is, or the Big East and Notre Dame are getting just way to much credit.