Notre Dame Awaits Selection Fate
Following Notre Dame’s remarkable 71-65 victory on Wednesday night versus Virginia Tech after trailing by 21 points — the largest known comeback win for the men’s program at the school — Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey took on a relatively unfamiliar role.
“I’ve never been a big guy to campaign,” said Brey of whether his then 20-13 troops would make the 68-team NCAA Tournament with an at-large bid. “I don’t want to hear about best 68. When I have my guys back, we’re a top 20 team — and I think the committee knows that.”
Following the 88-70 loss to Duke a night later in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals, the tone of the 18th-year Notre Dame head coach changed. With NCAA Tournament hopes on life support, he became accepting of whatever decision is made Sunday evening.
“We have emptied the tank and we’ll see what our fate is down the road,” he said. “Whatever it is we’ll be accepting and proud. We’re actually getting healthier, so I look forward to playing in the postseason because we’re feeling a little better.
“This has been a really mature group. They have taken their punches. We’re prepared to go wherever they send us. When you lose seven in a row and you’re under .5oo, you’re talking about and dreaming about making a run to the bubble, which I’m very proud we did.”
Until the NCAA Tournament teams are revealed Sunday by 6:15 p.m. on TBS, debates will continue on 20-14 Notre Dame’s unique circumstance. Will the two-month absence of All-American forward Bonzie Colson (now healthy again) be taken into consideration — as well as third-team All-ACC point guard Matt Farrell missing about three weeks of action? Or will it be outweighed by several “bad losses” such as Ball State at home, Indiana and at Georgia Tech, the former two even with Colson in the lineup?
The four-year senior class of Colson, Farrell and center Martin Geben, one of the nation’s most improved players, has won a school record-tying seven NCAA Tournament games: three apiece in 2015 and 2016, and one last year.
Previously, only 1975-79 center Bruce Flowers won that many over a four-year career at Notre Dame: one each in 1976 and 1977, three in 1978 (the program's lone Final Four season) and two in 1979. (Center Bill Laimbeer also was in that class, but he was ineligible to play in 1976 and not enrolled in 1977).
With a bid to The Big Dance and another victory there this year, the four-year senior trio could set a new standard. However, Brey also has been laying some groundwork to them about not having a letdown in case the Irish do not get selected.
“You’re also talking very realistically with our seniors that if it’s the NIT we’d be honored and let’s come back to The [Madison Garden] Garden,” Brey said. “None of these guys have played in The Garden. We know exactly where we’re at. I’m just glad we’re going to keep playing with this group and [Colson] gets to play more college games.”
Notre Dame has received an invitation to the NCAA Tournament nine of the past 11 seasons. Since 1953, when the Irish first accepted NCAA bids, that is the best stretch over an 11-year period in school history. The two exceptions were a 21-15 finish in 2009 in which the Irish advanced to the semifinals of the NIT, and 2014, Brey’s lone season under .500 (15-17).
The school record for consecutive NCAA Tournament bids is eight in a row (1974-81) under former head coach Digger Phelps — but there was no bid the two years prior (1971-73) or the three seasons thereafter (1982-84).
Notre Dame has advanced to the NIT championship game four times — 1973 and 1984 under Phelps, 1992 under John MacLeod and 2000 with Matt Doherty — but never won it.
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