REACHING FOR THE STARS.Byline: Rob Moseley The Register-Guard The starting lineups For the line of action figures, see . A starting lineup in sports refers to the set of players actively participating in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes for tonight's quarterfinal quar·ter·fi·nal adj. Of or relating to one of four competitions in a tournament, whose winners go on to play in semifinal competitions. n. 1. quarterfinals A quarterfinal round. 2. A quarterfinal match. NIT A measurement of luminance. One nit is equal to one candela per square meter (1cd/m2). Ten thousand nits are equal to one stilb. See candela. game between Oregon and Notre Dame Notre Dame IPA: [nɔtʁ dam] is French for Our Lady, referring to the Virgin Mary. In the United States of America, Notre Dame will show Irish point guard Chris Thomas Chris Thomas may refer to:
The game within the game that makes this such an attractive matchup, however, involves Thomas and another Duck. With Luke Jackson of Oregon making this a showdown between All-Americans, Brooks knows the pressure won't be on him when the Ducks meet the Irish. "Not with Luke on my team," Brooks said with a laugh. "Not with Luke on my team. The team goes where he goes. So for Notre Dame it'll be a game for their point guard, but for us things pretty much go with Luke and we all follow." As much as any two teams in the country, Oregon and Notre Dame are recognizable for their superstars This article is about the televised sports competition. For other uses, see Superstar. Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic challenges resembling a decathlon. - Thomas for the Irish, Jackson for the Ducks. The two probably won't go head to head many times tonight, but no other player for either team is likely to have a bigger impact on the game than the two All-Americans. So while Brooks is matched up with Thomas, and Notre Dame's Torrian Jones is the small forward across from Jackson, it will be the two superstars dictating the outcome. Both Jackson and Thomas have been in that situation all season, and have become accustomed to dealing with the unique pressures of being a focal point focal point n. See focus. . "Since we're the centerpoint for our teams, it just focuses everybody's eyes on you more," said Thomas, Notre Dame's 6-foot-1, 185-pound honorable mention All-American. "You really attract the most attention, so if you're out there taking the game seriously, playing your heart out, your team is going to respond. "But if you're out there taking things for granted, going through the motions, that has a negative effect, not just on yourself but on your teammates. You have to come out and perform every night." Like Jackson, Thomas Jackson, (Thomas Jonathan) “Stonewall” (1824–63) soldier; born in Clarksburg, Va. After his parents died in poverty, he was raised by an uncle who helped him obtain an appointment to West Point. has done so throughout his career. A junior, Thomas has started all 98 games while at Notre Dame, and he became the Irish's all-time assists leader this season. He is the only player in school history to score 1,700 points and dish out 600 assists, and this year he is averaging 19.7 points and 4.7 assists per game. In Monday's second-round NIT game against Saint Louis Saint Louis (l  `ĭs), city (1990 pop. 396,685), independent and in no county, E Mo., on the Mississippi River below the mouth of the Missouri; inc. as a city 1822. St. , played
in his parents' hometown home·town n. The town or city of one's birth, rearing, or main residence. Noun 1. hometown - the town (or city) where you grew up or where you have your principal residence; "he never went back to his hometown again" of Fort Wayne Fort Wayne, city (1990 pop. 173,072), seat of Allen co., NE Ind., where the St. Joseph and St. Marys rivers join to form the Maumee River; inc. 1840. It is the second largest city in the state, a major railroad and shipping point, a wholesale and distribution hub, , Ind., Thomas scored a career-high 39 points, 27 in the second half of what had been a one-point game at halftime. It called to mind Jackson's effort against Colorado last week, when he scored 31 of Oregon's last 33 points to help the Ducks win their first-round NIT game in overtime. In each case, teammates, opponents and even fans knew which player wanted the chance to dictate the outcome, and both Jackson and Thomas answered the challenge. "You just kind of will yourself to win," Jackson said. "I'm so competitive as a basketball player, I want the ball in my hands at the end of the game. "I don't want to lose, and I feel like I'm the most competitive person on the court." Thomas is even an in-state guy like Jackson, hailing from Indianapolis, less than 150 miles from South Bend South Bend, city (1990 pop. 105,511), seat of St. Joseph co., N Ind., on the great south bend of the St. Joseph River, in a farming and mint-growing region; inc. as a city 1865. . But in each game he faces at least one demand that Jackson does not - balancing his own scoring with the responsibilities of being a point guard. "It's been hard for me," Thomas said. "I've gotten a lot of criticism for scoring a lot through all three of my years here. I'm a shooter, but I love to distribute, and there's been games where I have 30 and 12 (points and assists), or 30 and 10. "It's hard for me, because I'm not supposed to distribute as much as I used to. When I haven't scored, we haven't been successful." Thomas, like his counterpart at Oregon, has stepped up his play in recent weeks. Since the Irish got off to a 10-8 start, Thomas has been the leading scorer in 12 of their past 13 games, and Notre Dame has gone 9-4 during that stretch. That run began with a loss to Pittsburgh on Feb. 7, but the Irish followed that with consecutive wins over Connecticut, Seton Hall and Syracuse. All three made the NCAA Tournament NCAA Tournament can mean: Men's Sports
"I love stepping up to a challenge, I love when the lights are on," Thomas said. "Those opportunities are ones I want to take full advantage of. I'm the type of guy that won't back down from anything. I'll play UConn 10 times in a row just to be in that atmosphere." Substitute Stanford for UConn, and those words could have just as easily been spoken by Jackson. In fact, the two players are well aware of their similar attitudes, having been co-counselors for the same youth team during a summer camp in 2002. Tonight, they finally get a chance to face off on the court. "He's the best player we've played against so far," one said of the other. "We're just going to have to be more aware of him than anyone else this season. It's going to be the toughest test of the year for us defensively." That was Thomas speaking about Jackson. But it could have just as easily been the other way around. CAPTION(S): Notre Dame guard Chris Thomas has averaged more than 19 points and four assists per game this season. Thomas and Oregon's Luke Jackson won't guard each other, but their performances will help decide tonight's game. |
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