Notre Dame's men's basketball season went so well, it ended up with the conference player and coach of the year and the cover of Sports Illustrated's current issue.

OK, it was one line on the SI cover - “A Beast Named 'Gody” - with Brett Favre's teary face splashed over the rest of it.

Nevertheless, the impact of sophomore center Luke Harangody and the team he brought with him made 2007-08 one of the best years in coach Mike Brey's eight seasons with the Irish.

The Irish went 24-7, and finished second in the Big East. Their only lingering disappointment was their first-game loss to Marquette in the Big East Tournament. Then again, what else is new? Notre Dame annually disappears from the Big East tourney faster than a free buffet at a sportswriters' convention.

No matter. The season was better than solid, and confidence remains for the postseason.

Success swirls around Harangody inside, Kyle McAlarney outside and Brey on the bench.

Harangody showed the kind of inside presence that should interest NBA scouts. He averaged a double-double: 20.6 points and 10.2 rebounds per game. He forced teams into altering their defenses. He made opposing guards flinch when they drove the lane.

With his little shot-put semi-hook move in the post, he resembled a latter-day Bill Walton.

“He's a beast down there,” McAlarney said.

McAlarney has his own assets. After missing the last half of last season because of a suspension after a marijuana arrest, McAlarney returned this year more determined than ever. It showed as he made first-team All-Big East, averaging 15.2 points and 3.5 assists per game.

He teamed with speedster Tory Jackson to make for one of the best backcourts in the Big East. While Harangody and McAlarney are the leading scorers, there's a notable lack of selfishness on the team. Rob Kurz, the lone senior, was as solid as they come: 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds. As the season proved more and more successful, the Irish players continued to raise their level of play.

They won six of their last seven regular-season games to finish 14-4 in conference play, a three-win improvement over a year ago.

“This group is focused on the task at hand,” Brey said, “and at getting better.”

Notre Dame was overlooked in the polls much of the season before rising to No. 14 before the Big East Tournament.

“We don't talk about accolades and rankings or anything like that,” Jackson said. “All we talk about is who we've got coming up and how to make ourselves better and working on our weaknesses.”

One of the key coaching moves this season came during the early part of the Big East schedule when Brey decided to switch the roles of juniors Zach Hillesland and Ryan Ayers. Hillesland became the starter and Ayers the sixth man. Both thrived in that environment.

Brey was voted Big East Coach of the Year for the second straight season, a repeat previously accomplished by only two coaches: St. John's Lou Carnesecca (1985, 1986) and Seton Hall's P.J. Carlesimo (1988, 1989).

The Irish (48-15 the last two seasons) will look better if they can last longer in the postseason.