Notre Dame Non-Conference Recap

Notre Dame concluded the non-conference portion of its regular season schedule with a 63-55 victory over a pesky Saint Peter’s team.

The win moved the 24th-ranked Irish to 11-2 entering Saturday’s Atlantic Coast Conference opener at Pittsburgh (11-2).

In the Nov. 21 edition of Blue & Gold Illustrated, we divided the Notre Dame schedule into three categories: clear-cut gimmies (Must Haves), toss-ups (Bubble Games) and matchups that require an Irish upset (Steals).

The Irish went 9-0 in “Must Have” games, beating Bryant, Seattle, Loyola Maryland, Chicago State, Iowa, North Carolina A&T, Fort Wayne, Colgate and Saint Peter’s.

They fared equally as well in games we determined to be “Bubble Games,” beating Colorado and Northwestern in the Legends Classic in Brooklyn, N.Y.

Where the Irish failed to make up any ground or give themselves a resume victory was in the “Steals” category, falling to both Villanova and Purdue, games in which Notre Dame had double-digit leads.

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey was asked to grade his team entering ACC play.

“I give us a B+,” Brey said. “I think we’d be in an A-range if we got Purdue or Villanova. I think we have done very well. If you would have told me 11-2 after the guys we lost and after my first practice in the summer, I would have signed up for that.”

The junior forward has been the most consistent player for Notre Dame during its strong start, making up for the rebounding lost by Zach Auguste while providing a strong scoring punch. Colson leads the team in scoring at 16.8 points per game and has risen to the occasion in the team’s biggest games, scoring 23 against Purdue and 24 against Iowa.

He has seven double-doubles this season, averaging 10.2 rebounds a game. Keeping the energetic Colson healthy for the entire season will be a major key in Notre Dame’s hopes of returning to the NCAA Tournament.

The Irish junior point guard has used the momentum from last year’s strong NCAA tourney and sparked the team numerous times this year. He was arguably the team’s best player against Colorado (20 points, six assists), Northwestern (18 points), Villanova (18 points) and Purdue (22 points and 10 assists) and has run the offense with great efficiency.

In the first 13 games, Farrell is averaging 13.2 points per game and has six-plus assists in nine games. He’s taken a leadership role in the locker room and is now considered part of the team’s “Big Four” alongside Colson, senior guard Steve Vasturia and senior wing V.J. Beachem.

Notre Dame’s sixth man has provided a major boost off the bench defensively in every game this season. He was a major reason why the Irish nearly pulled the upset over Villanova, holding senior guard Kris Jenkins to a season-low seven points. Against Iowa, Pflueger was part of a defensive effort against senior guard Peter Jok that limited the star scorer to 15 points (Jok is averaging 21.9 a game).

While the Irish have played above-average basketball in the eyes of Brey, the team is far from complete. Here are several things Notre Dame can improve on as it enters ACC play.

• Rebounding. Notre Dame’s lineup, particularly when it goes small with Pflueger in and junior forward Martinas Geben on the bench, is susceptible to being out-rebounded.

Entering Saturday’s game at Pittsburgh, Notre Dame is ranked 127th in the country and 11th in the ACC in rebounding margin at just +2.9.

“Can we defensive rebound enough and can we get enough stops to get out in transition to take pressure off our half-court offense?” Brey said. “When we can get an outlet to Matt Farrell – some of our best offensive basketball has been when we can get a rebound and outlet to Farrell and we starting rolling and attacking. You have to get stops consistently to do that.”

• 3-point field goal defense. Notre Dame is allowing opponents to shoot 33 percent on 3-pointers, which ranks 120th in the country and 13th in the ACC.

And things will get more difficult in the ACC.

“Here’s the other thing, you go from playing 11-2 basketball to probably not playing 11-2 basketball,” Brey said. “Everybody has to be ready for that. Fans, players, here’s where we are. We have to scratch and claw. Our fan base has seen it’s about surviving.”

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