Wichtig » ead the Southwest Division.Last Friday, the Texas Range

NEW YORK -- Notre Dame coach Mike Brey walked off the court at Barclays Center and said with a big smile on his face, God, I love Brooklyn.As well he should after the Fighting Irish completed their second successful stretch in the borough, beating Northwestern 70-66 on Tuesday night in the championship game of the Legends Classic.In March, Notre Dame beat Michigan and Stephen F. Austin here to advance in the NCAA Tournament, where the Fighting Irish went on to the Elite Eight.We got karma, Brey said. I said to (ESPNs) Doris Burke when I went for the interview, Brooklyn magic still. That had a crazy finish like the Stephen F. Austin game. We were down to Michigan. I love the fact that were coming back for the ACC Tournament. Im sure going to try and stir up the ghosts again in March. Were comfortable here and I dont want to overanalyze it.The Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament will be held in Barclays Center for the first time this season.Matt Farrells three-point play with 14 seconds remaining gave Notre Dame the lead, and his two free throws 11 seconds later sealed the victory.Northwestern had a 66-65 lead with 39 seconds to play after a drive by Bryant McIntosh. Notre Dames Steve Vasturia missed a jumper, but Northwestern threw the ball away on an inbounds pass, setting the stage for Farrell.He drove the lane and was knocked to the floor as the ball went in. He sat on the court, looked at the photographers and stuck his tongue out before being mobbed by teammates.The Wildcats still had a chance, but McIntosh missed a drive with 4 seconds left and it was Farrell who grabbed the rebound and was fouled.I wasnt really sure where they were throwing the ball because me and Steve were both right around there. V.J. (Beachem) was going to take it. He just kind of threw it to me at the top of the key, Farrell said. I dont know who was on me, but I had a mismatch. There was a big on me. So I just wanted to get in the lane and try to make a play. Ultimately, I end up making a good play. It was just kind of surreal in the moment, just trying to make a play and I end up falling.He was asked about what happened next as he sat on the court.Just having fun, the New Jersey native said. Just being back home and being in this building. Its a lot of fun playing with these guys.Farrell, the tournament MVP, and Vasturia both had 18 points for the Fighting Irish (5-0). Bonzie Colson added 13 points and 11 rebounds.This has been blossoming since March, watching him through the summer, Brey said of Farrell. I dont think the staff or his teammates are shocked. Theres an edge about him, a fearlessness about him and Im just so thrilled that hes come out of here a really confident guy and really knows hes got the keys to the car.Scottie Lindsey had 18 points for the Wildcats (3-2), and Vic Law added 14 points with seven rebounds. McIntosh finished with seven points on 3-for-18 shooting.Nathan Taphorn, who threw the ball away before Farrells three-point play, had 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from 3-point range.Notre Dame, which beat Colorado 89-83 in the semifinals, led by 12 early in the second half. Northwestern, which beat No. 22 Texas 77-58 in the semifinals, chipped away and was finally able to make some headway when the Fighting Irish went more than 4 minutes without scoring. During the drought, Taphorn hit two 3s and Law added another to make it 55-54 with 11:04 to play.They know how to win. Theyre a tough team. Theyre well-coached, Northwestern coach Chris Collins said. I have great respect for who they are and the plays they made down the stretch. We had our chances. All that being said, we had a one-point lead and the ball with 20 seconds to go. We werent able to close the deal.And that was because of the long inbounds pass that went out of bounds.Taphorns a kid that I trust as an inbounder, Collins said. Hes kind of our specialist. Hes done that his whole career.Northwestern finished 11 of 18 from 3-point range, while the Fighting Irish were 8 of 18. The Wildcats had a 37-27 rebounding advantage.BIG PICTURENotre Dame: The Fighting Irish have plenty of experience back from last seasons team that reached the Elite Eight and they will need that as they approach the Atlantic Coast Conference season. They were picked seventh in the preseason ACC poll.Northwestern: The Wildcats have had two tough losses this season but hope to make a run at their first NCAA Tournament bid.POLITICAL FANSSeated behind the Notre Dame bench were Rep. Peter King of Long Island and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.OLD PALSWhen Brey was an assistant to Mike Krzyzewski at Duke he handled the recruiting of Collins and was successful. While at Duke, Collins played in three NCAA Tournaments and one Final Four.UP NEXTNotre Dame: The Fighting Irish return home for games against Chicago State on Saturday and Iowa next Tuesday in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge,Northwestern: The Wildcats play Bryant at home on Friday and then Wake Forest in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge on Monday.Adidas Superstar Skor Herr . 10 Texas A&Ms offence dominated as usual against SMU. NMD Skor Rea . The 26-year-old Ireland striker, who has four goals this season, has signed a three-and-a-half year contract with his new club. http://www.nmdsverige.com/ . That left plenty of energy for pitching books and swatting away free agency questions. Anthony had 24 points and nine rebounds, and the Knicks avenged an embarrassing home loss with a rout of their own, beating the Boston Celtics 114-88 on Wednesday night for their third straight victory. Adidas NMD R1 Rea . Westbrook has missed 27 games since having a procedure on Dec. 27 to deal with swelling in his injured right knee — the third operation on the knee in nine months. Adidas Falcon Herr . Each of Houstons starters scored in double figures as the Rockets improved to 2-0 against the Spurs this season, with both victories coming on the road. They also moved within 3 1/2 games of San Antonio (22-7) for the lead the Southwest Division.Last Friday, the Texas Rangers squeaked by the Twins 3-2 in 10 innings. A first-place team (in the AL West) beating a last-place team (in the AL Central) is not particularly interesting. The interesting part is the how the Rangers won. The game was knotted at 2-2 in the top of the 10th when Ian Desmond led off with a solo homer just to the right of dead center field. That proved to be the difference and was just the latest example of Desmond coming up big when the Rangers have been in a difficult spot.One plate appearance doesnt define a seeason.dddddddddddd For any player, a season consists of many hundreds of plate appearances, and you must be careful not to exaggerate when telling a story. Ian Desmond isnt the current American League MVP because he hit one home run. He certainly is not because he hit one home run against the Minnesota Twins.Yet, for me, Desmond is the current AL MVP because of plate appearances like his homer against the Twins. ' ' '