Record 25-9
The Fighting Irish are third in the nations in turnovers, second in assists to turnovers ratio and first in free throws percentage. The numbers paint the picture of a solid and well organized team that rarely loses against lesser teams (in hindsight, the Georgia Tech game was a blooper) and that can play against the top teams. The first season without Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste was a net positive so far: a spot in the top 25 AP ranking, a chance to win the ACC regular season and a loss in the ACC tournament final. Coach Mike Brey did an amazing job with a team that had a single bad stretch in late January with 5 losses in 6 games despite a deficit of talent when compared to other teams.
Key Players
Matt Farrell went from coming off the bench to being the starting PG, from averaging 2.6 points and 1.6 assists to 14.3 points and 5.4 assists. However, the team leader and most interesting player for overseas teams is Bonzie Colson: at 6-5, he played the best basketball of his life, averaged 18.6 points and 10.6 rebounds as part of Notre Dame frontcourt and became one of the best forward in the nation.
Prediction
The Fighting Irish have 4 reliable players at roster and plenty of holdovers and that will probably doom their chances. Then again, they’ve been a huge surprise the whole season and it would be silly not to think they have a chance.
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