The Notre Dame Fighting Irish once again made the championship game of the ACC Tournament, showing how competitive they remain in the toughest conference in college basketball. The Fighting Irish have been knocking on the door of the Final Four in recent seasons but haven’t been able to break the door down. They will keep trying, and while they lose some important pieces from last season’s team, they still have the two players who can carry them a long way. Coach Mike Brey has done the best work of his career in the past four years. If he can continue to find solutions, the Fighting Irish might be able to return to the Final Four for the first time since 1978.
Offseason Changes
Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem are gone. These are not centerpiece players, but they were important players who knew how to play within Brey’s system. Both men hit big three-point shots for the Irish during their careers, and their long arms enabled them to be bothersome defensive players who could switch on the perimeter and get on the shooting hands of opposing offensive players. Notre Dame used to be soft several years ago on defense, but the Irish have been tougher at that end of the floor in recent years, and the length of Vasturia and Beachem was a big reason why. These are not enormous losses for Notre Dame, but they certainly offered their fair share of offensive production and rugged defense, so other players will need to fill in the gaps this season.
Will Succeed If…
A frontcourt player gives Bonzie Colson help. Colson returning enabled Notre Dame to maintain realistic Final Four ambitions this season. That decision was huge for the Irish and what they hope to achieve. Now that Colson is still on the roster, however, Brey needs to identify players who can play low-post defense and rebound so that Colson takes the court each night knowing he doesn’t have to do all the dirty work himself. Colson is a strong defensive player, but he is also a decent three-point shooter and an effective scorer. In order for Colson’s offense to remain at a high level, he has to have defensive help so that he knows he won’t be supremely burdened at both ends of the floor. Getting a physical and dependable partner for Colson in the paint would enable Notre Dame to reach – if not exceed – expectations.
Won’t Succeed If…
The Irish can’t find a steady perimeter shooter. Vasturia and Beachem ran hot and cold, but they provided enough production that opponents had to guard Notre Dame closely on the perimeter, spreading the floor for Colson and others. Notre Dame’s balance and offensive flow depend on having shooters so that point guard Matt Ferrell has room to operate and can distribute the ball with a maximum of effect. Not having a wing shooter will gum up the offense and make it a lot easier for opponents to stop Ferrell’s dribble penetration or Colson’s post-up game.
Roster
Rex Pflueger
Austin Torres
D.J. Harvey
Matt Farrell
Temple Gibbs
Juwan Durham
Elijah Burns
Nikola Djogo
Matt Gregory
Martinas Geben
Liam Nelligan
John Mooney
Bonzie Colson
Schedule & Outlook
Notre Dame doesn’t have an overly daunting non-conference schedule but a road trip to the No. 2 Michigan State Sparants will be tough. That comes on November 30th. Other than that, they don’t have to sweat much other than a neutral-site affair with the Indiana Hoosiers.
Matt Farrell at point guard should stabilize this team’s halfcourt offense in addition to Colson. Those two central players enable Notre Dame’s role players to find a niche and not play beyond their limits. This team should get good shots when it needs to because of Ferrell and Colson. It looks like a Sweet 16 team, but betting on a Final Four is still a reach because of the Irish’s lack of depth and footspeed up and down their roster.
The 2018 March Madness futures are out. There has been plenty of news to keep up with in the offseason but keep an eye on the betting lines as they move around at Diamond Sportsbook! Get the latest college basketball betting lines right here.
