Notre Dame Bench Providing Spark Early In Season
When Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey goes to his bench — typically about six minutes into a game — his options are potentially the best he’s had in 17 seasons in South Bend.
Freshman point guard T.J. Gibbs, sophomore wing Rex Pflueger and senior forward Austin Torres have provided the Irish a lift off the bench during their 8-0 start, particularly on the defensive end.
“When you take a T.J., Torres and Pflueger, they give you such a lift defensively,” Brey said. “They fly around. They kind of wear a team down, and wear maybe other good players down.”
Through eight games, Pflueger is averaging 19.3 minutes per game, the most of any Irish bench player. Gibbs (14.6), sophomore wing Matt Ryan (13.8) and Torres (11) also average double-digit minutes.
And while Notre Dame’s bench doesn’t have a big-time scorer outside Ryan — who is averaging 8.3 points per game and had 17 against North Carolina A&T on Sunday — Brey relies on them for energy.
“You come off with Rex and T.J. and the edge that they’re playing with right now,” Brey said. “Torres gives you that too. Even Matt Ryan. We know he can shoot it, but he sticks his nose in there and rebounds and flies around a little bit. Rex, T.J. and Torres, they give you a great energy boost and defensive boost when they’re in there.”
Pflueger is perhaps Notre Dame’s best defender, routinely locking down the opposition’s best scorer. He did just that against Iowa’s Peter Jok, holding the Hawkeyes senior to just 4-of-20 shooting.
“Some of the individual defensive plays Rex made tonight, I don’t know if other people in the country can do that,” Brey said of the 6-foot-6, 202-pound Pflueger. “He just stays in front of guys, then he blocks your shot. He’s just a pain to deal with.”
Notre Dame is ranked 39th in Division I in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 62.6 points per game.
Pflueger had a career-high three blocks against North Carolina A&T. He also added 10 points, five rebounds and five assists. Gibbs, whose minutes have been sporadic at times this season, added 12 points and seven assists.
"They come in the game and bring a lot of energy," senior guard Steve Vasturia said of Gibbs and Pflueger. "They can guard guys 94 feet. They bring a lot of energy. They can score the ball and they're a great boost off the bench."
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