No. 17 Irish handle No. 9 Georgetown

SOUTH BEND, Ind (AP) - Notre Dame wasn't comfortable playing Georgetown and it turned out to be a good thing.

Fighting Irish coach Mike Brey thought his players were just a little too at ease going into Madison Square Garden last Saturday against and lost to a St. John's team expected to finish near the bottom of the Big East.

So he thought the fear of losing a second straight conference game against the ninth-ranked Hoyas, who had beaten Notre Dame five straight times, was just what his team needed.

"You've got to be ready every night," Brey said.

The 17th-ranked Irish were ready last night...