Why does ND always choke in the Tournament?

[Buster Bluth]

As someone that has had ND season tix for almost ten years laugh, I can do nothing but laugh at you fools who want to fire Brey. He's an incredible coach. INCREDIBLE. He does more with less than any other coach in college basketball.... and now he's landing better recruits. Next year will be huge for ND. A Senior backcourt - probably will be top 5 in the country - of Atkins and Grant.... who by the way are 2nd round NBA talents.... with a maturing Biedscheid and Auguste. I believe Sherm and Knight both have another year if Brey wants them back too. Connaughton showed huge flashes of what he can do during the BE tournament. The only loss is Cooley, and though it is a big one, add in DJax and it's nullified. This team is going to be top 10-15 all year next year.

Jackson
Atkins
Grant
Connaughton
Katenda?
Biedschied
Knight
Sherman
Auguste

All in the rotation? It will be the deepest and most gifted ND team that I have ever seen.

Keep in mind that Grant has 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 left in eligibility, too.

 

[AgentJ]

15-25 at best, lets be real. A team doesn't go from a 21-30 to a 10-15 in one year after losing it's best player and leader. And DJax is a huge recruit for us but he wont be a major impact until his second year. And im pretty sure Katenda is blind in one eye.

Notre Dame was ranked as high as second a few years ago and nearly grabbed the #1 seed with a slightly less athletic team, IMO. Abro-Hansbrough-Nash-Scott-Atkins-Martin and Atkins-Cooley off of the bench.

Nice post. Maybe a little too exuberant on the draft predictions, but overall I think you are on point regarding the soon-to-manifest increase of talent. There are a few legit critiques that can be levied at Brey's coaching at times, but when it comes down to it, ND is fortunate to have his leadership.

DraftExpress has Grant as the 21st pick in the second round in 2014. With a solid year, I think Atkins could slip in.

Keep in mind that Grant has 2013-2014 and 2014-2015 left in eligibility, too.

Correct, but with his passing ability, athleticism, ability to draw contact and finish, and his unlimited range, with any sort of consistency he shows next year I think he'll leave. Eric is his best friend and will be gone, so I'm led to believe he will be gone. Who knows, though.

 

[gkautz10]

Not wanting to fire Brey at all, I agree he is probably the best coach we would get. HE produces good teams that are not elite nor have the ability to be elite. My argument against some of the arguments on here is why do we as ND fans expect the football coach to get the best talent in the country, but not the basketball coach. Now before you say the football team has history, many people on this board have said that is not relevant to recruits today because of the age. I think that the basketball team knows the can succeed in the BE and are confident regardless of who they are playing, as long as it is a BE team. These other teams make them, to me, unsure and somewhat scared. That is Brey's fault! There are teams that go deeper in the tournament with less skill/athelticism than what ND has aka Butler and most other small mid major conference schools. Eventually, we need to realize that the lack of tournament success is not because we have any less athletes, there is something else going on.
To hit on what some of you have said about the talent pool in South Bend increasing in the coming years, I think that is because of the move to the ACC. That is now the premier conference and we will be recruiting the same players Duke and NC are recruiting. Yes we will swing and miss on most, but we will certainly land some. Also we have an advantage in the upper east because most of the old BE schools will not be going to the ACC so some of those recruits will be intriguied with ND and the ACC so we are the only fit for them. Just my thought on that.
As far as this year, Iowa State is very athletic and a bunch of JUCO transfers. Enough said on that. They probably win by 10.

 

[scUM Hater]

I believe Brey does a fantastic job. I found this article and just wanted to share it:

NCAA Tournament: Mike Brey's Biggest Disappointments

 

[ACamp1900]

It's his program, no doubt, and i am much more of a supporter than not, but at some point he does need to start making tourney runs here and there... it's all that is really missing... not even saying Final Fours... just make the sweet 16 every few years.

 

[TheChosen1]

Irish Illustrated‏@NDatRivals

For the criticism Brey takes for NCAA tourney failings, John Thompson III has been knocked out four straight years by a double-digit seed

 

[irishff1014]

Irish Illustrated‏@NDatRivals

Takes the sting out of it a little bit

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Not really... That's putting a dress on a pig. These kids are unprepared and overwhelmed which falls on the head of the head coach.

At what point does the guard play improve??? Atkins and Grant have proven they can't handle big boy basketball.......

Insanity is doing the same sh!t over and over and expecting different results. Brey is in over his head....and so is his back court.

 

[Irish8248]

Time to admit the BE is overrated?

 

[HereComeTheIrish]

Time to admit the BE is overrated?

More than the Big 10??? I think not.

 

[IrishMoore1]

Time to admit the BE is overrated?

It's time to admit that Brey is not the right coach for this team. It's time to move in a different direction.

 

[Irishnuke]

Don't know how you can call this anything but a choke job. At least show up to play.

 

[scUM Hater]

One answer to the thread question:

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Irish Illustrated‏@NDatRivals

Thompson has also been to a Final Four. Brey is an awful coach. ND needs to move on. ND is in Indiana and near Chicago. That alone should make them a powerhouse in recruiting.

 

[Irish Fam]

Brey is a great regular season coach.

Unfortunately, he is a pretty awful tournament coach.

 

[Irish YJ]

Bring back Digger?

 

[STLDomer]

Brey isn't going to be fired anytime soon nor should he be.

I don't believe there is a coach out there better than Brey who would leave their current job for ND

 

[scUM Hater]

Time to admit the BE is overrated?

Totally agree. 8 teams in, most of any conference. Only 3 teams left.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Brey isn't going to be fired anytime soon nor should he be.

I don't believe there is a coach out there better than Brey who would leave their current job for ND

You don't think, if Brey was fired after last year, that John Groce would have considered ND? He's a way better coach than Brey.

 

[Irish Fam]

Any chance Brad Stevens would leave Butler?

 

[irishff1014]

Any chance Brad Stevens would leave Butler?

I highly doubt it!

 

[Irishnuke]

Any chance Brad Stevens would leave Butler?

If ND throws enough money at him, yes.

 

[IrishLax]

#3 New Mexico lost by 6 to Harvard.
#2 Georgetown lost by 10 to Devry... I mean University of Phoenix... I mean Florida Gulf Coast....
#5 Oklahoma State lost by 13 to Oregon.
#1 Gonzaga was a shot or two away from losing to Southern University.
#1 Kansas almost lost to WKU.
#5 almost Big Ten champ Wisconsin lost by 11 to Ole Miss.
#4 Kansas State lost to La Salle.
Pittsburgh lost by 18 to Wichita State.
#6 UCLA lost by 20 to Minnesota.
#3 Marquette needed an utter miracle to beat Davidson by 1 at the buzzer.

So there are 10 teams that had showing comparable or worse to ND... to phrase it another way, about 1/3 of the matchups featured as bad of a result as ND experienced.

ND lost because, like everyone said leading up into the game, this was a horrible matchup for us. Every single year we seem to lose because we either: 1) draw an athletic team or 2) shoot cold. What was embarrassing was the fashion of losing. The team played with zero poise whatsoever. So that's quite disappointing.

But let's please all chill with the over-exaggeration. We lost to a team we were actually underdogs to in Vegas... big friggin' deal...

 

[IrishMoore1]

#3 New Mexico lost by 6 to Harvard.
#2 Georgetown lost by 10 to Devry... I mean University of Phoenix... I mean Florida Gulf Coast....
#5 Oklahoma State lost by 13 to Oregon.
#1 Gonzaga was a shot or two away from losing to Southern University.
#1 Kansas almost lost to WKU.
#5 almost Big Ten champ Wisconsin lost by 11 to Ole Miss.
#4 Kansas State lost to La Salle.
Pittsburgh lost by 18 to Wichita State.
#6 UCLA lost by 20 to Minnesota.
#3 Marquette needed an utter miracle to beat Davidson by 1 at the buzzer.

So there are 10 teams that had showing comparable or worse to ND... to phrase it another way, about 1/3 of the matchups featured as bad of a result as ND experienced.

ND lost because, like everyone said leading up into the game, this was a horrible matchup for us. Every single year we seem to lose because we either: 1) draw an athletic team or 2) shoot cold. What was embarrassing was the fashion of losing. The team played with zero poise whatsoever. So that's quite disappointing.

But let's please all chill with the over-exaggeration. We lost to a team we were actually underdogs to in Vegas... big friggin' deal...

You fail to frame those games and teams in proper context. Yes those teams were upset, but they actually win every once in a while. You know, actually go past the 2nd round. That is not the same case for ND. As you say, ND consistently loses because of "horrible matchups" and shooting cold... every year... for the past 13 years. Don't you think there is something wrong with that?

 

[Irish YJ]

Any chance Brad Stevens would leave Butler?

Perhaps with mega $. I think moving to the new conference will keep Butler attractive for a while.

 

[Irish YJ]

PARODY

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

If ND throws enough money at him, yes.

No way. He turned down Oregon after the first Final Four run when they were ready to make him be the highest paid coach in the country. He won't leave for a job that isn't elite.

 

[NoJusticeNoPeace]

Any chance Brad Stevens would leave Butler?

Same chance Coach K leaves Duke.

 

[irishff1014]

#3 New Mexico lost by 6 to Harvard.
#2 Georgetown lost by 10 to Devry... I mean University of Phoenix... I mean Florida Gulf Coast....
#5 Oklahoma State lost by 13 to Oregon.
#1 Gonzaga was a shthern University.ot or two away from losing to Sou
#1 Kansas almost lost to WKU.
#5 almost Big Ten champ Wisconsin lost by 11 to Ole Miss.
#4 Kansas State lost to La Salle.
Pittsburgh lost by 18 to Wichita State.
#6 UCLA lost by 20 to Minnesota.
#3 Marquette needed an utter miracle to beat Davidson by 1 at the buzzer.

So there are 10 teams that had showing comparable or worse to ND... to phrase it another way, about 1/3 of the matchups featured as bad of a result as ND experienced.

ND lost because, like everyone said leading up into the game, this was a horrible matchup for us. Every single year we seem to lose because we either: 1) draw an athletic team or 2) shoot cold. What was embarrassing was the fashion of losing. The team played with zero poise whatsoever. So that's quite disappointing.

But let's please all chill with the over-exaggeration. We lost to a team we were actually underdogs to in Vegas... big friggin' deal...

It really doesn't matter because they got a Win and are playing in the next round.

Pitt &Wichita St as a 8 & 9 seed really isn't an upset IMO.

The rest yes they were upsets.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Not really... That's putting a dress on a pig. These kids are unprepared and overwhelmed which falls on the head of the head coach.

At what point does the guard play improve??? Atkins and Grant have proven they can't handle big boy basketball.......

Insanity is doing the same sh!t over and over and expecting different results. Brey is in over his head....and so is his back court.

I dont agree with this at all. Notre Dame played in a defense-driven league in which Notre Dame passing made them a contender annually. They just ran into a team that was a horrible match.up for them. It happens.