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SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame is eager to show the college basketball world what its got.After back-to-back NCAA Tournament regional final appearances, the only school to accomplish that feat the past two years, expectations outside the locker room were lower this season after the Fighting Irish lost last seasons two leading scorers, Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste. The Irish were picked in the preseason to finish seventh in the Atlantic Coast Conference.The Irish players have been talking all along about the possibility of being even better than last season. So far, theyve looked looking pretty good as they moved into the Top 25 for the first time this season on Monday at No. 23.Weve got a little more here than everybody thought, coach Mike Brey said.The Irish are 8-0, matching their best start in 17 seasons under Brey and are averaging 89.1 points a game, also the best under Brey through eight games, and 10th in the nation overall.The Irish are playing a more wide open style, depending less on ball screens to get open shots.Now were just swinging it and cutting and things like that. I think were getting out in transition more, too. Thats one thing thats been great for us, said forward V.J. Beacham said.The Irish also are playing better defense, too, something the Irish havent been known for under Brey. Notre Dame is holding opponents to 62.6 points a game, 39th in the nation, and to 36.7 percent shooting, 17th in the country. Senior guard Steve Vasturia said he believes it could be the best team defensively hes been on.Lets see if we can continue to get better, Vasturia said.The Irish also are leading the nation in free-throw shooting at 85.8 percent.If we miss, Ill bet the crowd will just walk out of the building, Brey joked.Both Beacham and Bonzie Colson, who has had five straight double-doubles, are leading the Irish in scoring, averaging 17.1 points each. Vasturia is averaging 15.9 points and the Irish have nine players contributing regularly, which is more than Brey usually uses. Brey said he likes the intensity of Rex Plfueger, Notre Dames best defender, and T.J. Gibbs.They give you a great energy boost and defensive boost when theyre in there, Brey said.Critics will say the Irish havent played anyone yet, with Colorado (6-2) and Northwestern (6-2) the only teams theyve faced with winning records. That is about to change. The Irish host upstart IPFW (7-2) on Tuesday two weeks after the Mastodons upset Indiana, then play No. 1. Villanova at Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday and No. 18 Purdue a week later in Indianapolis.Its a great stretch for us to make a run, Beacham said.The Irish are the last unbeaten team left in the ACC and a win Tuesday night would make it the fourth-best start in school history, ranking behind 1945-46 (13-0), 1973-74 (12-0) and 1933-34 (11-0).Brey is enjoying watching the Irish.Theyre really special the way they like playing together, sharing the ball. Youve got skilled shooters with skilled passers, its just fun to watch, he said.---More AP college basketball: www.collegebasketball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25. Nike Vapormax Flyknit 3 Φθηνα .com) - Yankee Stadium is the home of the Bronx Bombers, but on Sunday afternoon it will open its gates to host the latest addition of the Hudson River Rivalry. Nike Air Vapormax Flyknit Greece . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. http://www.vapormaxgreece.com/ . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Nike air vapormax plus skroutz .2 billion agreement with Rogers Communications for the leagues broadcast and multimedia rights. nike vapormax greece . With the first unit struggling of late and Amir Johnson - one of the teams iron men - hobbling on an injured right ankle, Patterson knew he could get the nod in a challenging matchup against one of the leagues up and coming players at his position. Warren Gatland fears the British and Irish Lions would lose their mystique if global administrators cut the length of future tours in half.Head coach Gatland warned rugbys governing bodies not to shorten future Lions tours, amid the battle to ease the global fixture pile-up.World Rugby and top unions are still fighting to plot a future course, with no international calendar in place post the 2019 World Cup.Next summers Lions tour opens just one week after the Guinness PRO12 and Aviva Premiership finals -- Gatland has long since accepted the 2017 schedule, but insists future trips need extra preparation time.I dont have an input but it will be interesting to see how the next deal is structured, said Gatland, worried about the idea of cutting future Lions tours from 10 to five matches.Potentially they talked about reducing the number of matches -- I dont know. I would hate to see the Lions going [on tour] for five matches; 10 matches is about right.You would lose the mystique of what the Lions is all about. Even for the people who are planning to go on the tour but are only going for the last three weeks. You can get excited watching the first games on TV and seeing the crowds.The Lions is unique in terms of a team touring the southern hemisphere because they never get to experience what we get to experience in the Six Nations and potentially going forward -- on some of the Lions occasions 40 per cent of the crowd being away fans.I have been watching the All Black games and 95 per cent of the crowd are All Black supporters.They have started looking forward to going to a ground where all of a sudden there is red everywhere, 40 per cent of away supporters and that just creates a completely different atmossphere in a ground.dddddddddddd.We are lucky enough to experience that on a number of occasions in the Six Nations. That is special about the Lions. I would like to think between the four home unions and the clubs we could protect it.Gatland led the Lions to a series victory over Australia in 2013, then promptly called for extra preparation time in his post-tour report.Lions coaches have been calling for more tour preparation time since at least the early nineties, and Gatland believes rugbys power-brokers must be able to make that happen.I have known all along for the last six months that this is the schedule -- it is what it is and I am not complaining, said Gatland of the Lions quick departure after the end of English and Celtic club commitments.But I am talking here about the future. I wrote a report [after 2013] and the last thing I said was I am wasting my time. I could have written the report in three words: preparation, preparation, preparation.I think every Lions report has said exactly the same thing. I understand the pressures that the Lions and the board are under and there is a lot of external stuff from the clubs, the unions and the different competitions about release of players and how long they are going to be off.That is all part of the next negotiations. Clubs do get compensated for the players coming away. Hopefully when the next deal is done the stake holders will sit around the table and thrash out what will be the best thing. Having been involved in this, I would hate to see the Lions die as an entity and not have the opportunity to prepare properly. ' ' '