Notre Dame Fighting Irish
ACC (20-14, 8-10)
Notre Dame is a different team with Bonzie Colson. He missed all of January and most of February and the Irish lost nine games during that stretch. In the 19 games he played, Colson averaged 20.2 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. He is obviously a massive force on both ends of the floor.
Big Wins: 11/22 vs Wichita State (67-66), 1/6 at Syracuse (51-49), 2/10 Florida State (84-69)
Bad Losses: 12/5 Ball State (77-80), 12/16 vs Indiana (77-80), 1/10 at Georgia Tech (53-60)
Coach: Mike Brey
Why They Can Surprise:
Matt Farrell has had a superb senior season, averaging 16.8 points and 5.5 assists. He is a prolific outside shooter and is a huge reason why the Irish commit just 10.1 turnovers per game. TJ Gibbs provides Coach Mike Brey with a talented secondary ball handler. However, he has also emerged as a major scoring threat. Gibbs is a prolific outside shooter, but will also attack the basket effectively. With Colson, Farrell and Gibbs, Notre Dame has three dynamic scorers who also bring a lot of other skills to the table.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Fighting Irish defense has improved with Colson roaming the paint, but the team still allows the opposition to shoot nearly 36 percent from beyond the arc. When the opposition is connecting on their three-pointers, Notre Dame can allow quite a few points. Of course they can score quite a few too and if this group is winning the turnover and the rebounding battles. When healthy, the Irish are a very tough team to beat.
Probable Starters:
Rex Pflueger, Junior, Guard, 8.3 ppg, 3.1 apg, 4.2 rpg
Matt Farrell, Senior, Guard, 16.8 ppg, 5.5 apg
TJ Gibbs, Jr., Sophomore, Guard, 15.2 ppg, 3.1 apg
Martinas Geben, Senior, Forward, 10.9 ppg, 8.1 rpg
Bonzie Colson, Senior, Forward, 20.2 ppg, 10.1 rpg, 2.3 bpg
Key Role Players:
Nikola Djogo, Sophomore, Guard, 2.5 ppg
John Mooney, Sophomore, Forward, 5.7 ppg, 3.9 rpg
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 75.6 (126th in nation, 8th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 68.3 (73, 6)
Field-Goal Percentage: 45.1 (157, 11)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.8 (107, 9)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 8.7 (88, 3)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.5 (66, 5)
Free-Throw Percentage: 75.4 (46, 2)
Rebound Margin: 2.3 (99, 5)
Assists Per Game: 14.3 (123, 6)
Turnovers Per Game: 10.1 (10, 2)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
2017 NCAA Round of 64 win over Princeton
2017 NCAA Round of 32 loss to West Virginia
2016 NCAA Round of 64 win over Michigan
2016 NCAA Round of 32 win over Stephen F. Austin
2016 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Wisconsin
2016 NCAA Regional Final loss to North Carolina
2015 NCAA Round of 64 win over Northeastern
2015 NCAA Round of 32 win over Butler
2015 NCAA Regional Semifinal win over Wichita State
2015 NCAA Regional Final loss to Kentucky
2013 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Iowa State
2012 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Xavier
2011 NCAA Round of 64 win over Akron
2011 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Florida State
2010 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Old Dominion
2009 NIT First Round win over UAB
2009 NIT Second Round win over New Mexico
2009 NIT Quarterfinal win over Kentucky
2009 NIT Semifinal loss to Penn State
2008 NCAA Round of 64 win over George Mason
2008 NCAA Round of 32 loss to Washington State
2007 NCAA Round of 64 loss to Winthrop
*all team stats through 3/4
