Dumes beats Notre Dame’s Harangody ... in video games

KA’ANAPALI, Hawaii – On paper, it might look like a mismatch, but junior guard Devan Dumes was dominating Notre Dame standout Luke Harangody.

Each basket Dumes scored seemed to humble the 6-foot-8, 255-pound All-American more and more. By the time the final horn sounded, the Hoosiers had already begun celebrating. IU pulled off the huge upset with ease, coasting to a 33-20 victory.

The win didn’t come in the first round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational, but instead the Xbox 360 Players’ Party hosted by the Maui Sheraton on Saturday night.


Click here for a photo slideshow from the event in Maui

All eight teams playing in the preseason tournament gathered in the ballroom to play EA Sports’ March Madness ’09 against one another. Two players participated in the tournament from each team, with North Carolina’s Mike Copeland beating out teammate Ty Lawson in the final to win the tourney championship.

Like the tournament that begins Monday, the Hoosiers and the Fighting Irish met in the first round of the video game tourney. IU freshman guard Daniel Moore lost to Notre Dame guard Tory Jackson in the first game before Dumes beat star big man in the second.

The IU players hooted and hollered after each virtual Hoosier basket and congratulated each other when their virtual likeness made a play. When freshman forward Tom Pritchard missed two free throws in the game, senior forward Kyle Taber patted him on the back. When junior center Tijan Jobe scored a basket in the first game, several teammates congratulated him with high-fives.

“Last night, (the players) enjoyed the Xbox event,” IU coach Tom Crean said Sunday. “Devan Dumes beat Luke Harangody in his first-round game. Hopefully that was a sign.”

Crean said last year, EA Sports projected Marquette to lose to Duke in the Maui Invitational finals, which they ended up doing, losing to the Blue Devils 77-73.