Three Up, Three Down: Notre Dame Vs. Colgate

Notre Dame was a bit sloppy Monday night, but improved to 10-2 with a 77-62 victory over Colgate (2-10). Here is a look at some of the high and low points of the 15-point Irish victory.

Matt Farrell — The junior point guard continued his strong play this season with a 13-point effort to go along with seven assists and three rebounds. But the best was yet to come Monday night for Farrell. In what looked to be a video stream, Farrell looked up to see a video message from his brother Bo, who had been deployed in Afghanistan. However, it was revealed Bo had been in the Notre Dame locker room and he appeared on the court to surprise Matt and the rest of the Farrell family in an incredible moment. Christmas came a little early for the Farrells.

V.J. Beachem — After scoring a combined 14 points on 6-of-19 from the field, the senior wing broke out of a little slump against Colgate by scoring 20 points. He shot 7 of 13 from the field and 6 of 10 from deep, but also committed four turnovers in the contest. Getting Beachem back into rhythm will be huge for the Irish because league play begins in less than two weeks, starting with a road game against Pittsburgh.

Martinas Geben — Following a tough game against Purdue, the junior big man responded well against Colgate. He scored Notre Dame’s first two baskets on his way to an eight-point and four-rebound performance in 13 minutes of action. Geben finished the game 4 of 6 from the field and was a bit more aggressive on the offensive end, which is the type of play the Irish will need more of heading into conference play.

Turnovers — It was an uncharacteristic night for the Irish on the offensive end. Notre Dame averages just 8.36 turnovers a game, but almost doubled that figure against Colgate with 14. In the second half, the Irish only committed four turnovers after settling down. Notre Dame will need to value to the basketball better in order to reel in marquee wins against some of the top teams in the ACC.

Second-Half — Despite the final 15-point margin, the Irish again lost the second half battle (42-41). The one-point margin is much better compared to the 13-point difference against Villanova (38-25) and the 19-point margin against Purdue (48-29), but the competition widens the gap. Second-half play is a concern for the Irish heading into league play and an adjustment will need to be made by Mike Brey and the staff to help reverse the trend.

Energy — Some may have predicted the performance from Notre Dame tonight given two tough losses to ranked opponents in a row and a 2-9 Colgate squad rolling into South Bend. Nonetheless, the Irish played sloppy and did not seem to have quite the energy on offense as it typically does. Christmas break and other outside factors could have impacted the play Monday night. A much need rest awaits the Irish as they look to get their feet back underneath them with one non-league game left (St. Peter’s) remaining before matching up with Pittsburgh to start league play.

In reality, not much can be taken away from this game. It was a lackluster performance overall by the Irish, who were expected to blow out Colgate. But a dominating victory would have not given the Irish the one lesson it can take away from its win against Colgate — focus. The performance can be a lesson for the Irish to keep 100 percent focus no matter who they line up against. Notre Dame did not look like itself and it was apparent early on. However, the staff and players now have a learning experience it can use to get back on track with the toughest part of the season remaining.

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