ND Men's Basketball 2015-2016 season

[irishfan]

UNC -10

 

[BeauBenken]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2c354QkShZ4" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[dang227]

Who would have thought the only returning Elite 8 team would be ND? What a great finish to the year. Should help recruiting to go to back-to-back Elite 8s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[johnnycando]

Who would have thought the only returning Elite 8 team would be ND? What a great finish to the year. Should help recruiting to go to back-to-back Elite 8s.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If kids "wanna play school."

 

[tadman95]

This is going to be GREAT! Living in the heart of UNC country, almost all of the people I work with are UNC fans. I give them hell. I remind them everyday that basketball is what people play that can't FOOTBALL! 3rd stringers who can't make the grade. Drives them nuts.

All of this past week I've been telling them if I were them, I'd be nervous as hell. If ND wins, and UNC wins, then they play each other. Now UNC is by far the most talented team, and should crush us. I can't lose. If UNC wins, they were suppose too. What can I say. But who knows, ND shoots 70%, UNC sprains an ankle, somebody fouls out, and BOOM!

This would be the worst week of their life. Fight song over the intercom, my flag hanging in the plant. Relentless banter. It will be great! C'mon Irish, let's do this!!!!!!

 

[Sherm Sticky]

I just don't see anyway ND can pull off a win tomorrow night. But that's why they play the games.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

I just don't see anyway ND can pull off a win tomorrow night. But that's why they play the games.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Their inside game is just so, so good. Bonzie and Zach are going to have to be phenomenal, especially on defense.

If UNC shoots like they did against IU, I really don't think we can win. That was absurd shooting. Hopefully the law of large numbers brings their average down, quickly...

 

[jspags10pg]

Do any of you guys saying you don't see how we can win realize that we already beat them this year? I know they recently crushed us but we played about as bad as we possibly could and they shot the lights out. All we have to do is play a good game and this will be a good, close game.

If I were a betting man I'd bet on UNC but sheesh...we're a good team too.

 

[MNIrishman]

Do any of you guys saying you don't see how we can win realize that we already beat them this year? I know they recently crushed us but we played about as bad as we possibly could and they shot the lights out. All we have to do is play a good game and this will be a good, close game.

If I were a betting man I'd bet on UNC but sheesh...we're a good team too.

Dude, we're only in the elite 8 for the second year running, don't you think it's a bit premature to be calling us "good"?

 

[NorthDakota]

Hopefully the past couple years show recruits ND is more than just a football school.

Great to be able to watch them make a couple runs in the tourney

 

[Ignats]

There was a lot of negativity on here about this team. A lot of it was justified, but you have to admire how they came together and reached the Elite 8 just as they did last year.

Many variables are going to go into what kind of team we'll see next year what with Thon Maker and DJ both playing a huge role in that. If neither come back, next year could be a step back even with experienced upperclassmen. But hey, whenever people say that about a Brey team they usually out perform expectations.

 

[NDGOLDEN]

Jackson declaring for draft but won't hire an agent. That's good news somewhat

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

Jackson declaring for draft but won't hire an agent. That's good news somewhat

Temporarily good news, but I'm going to be awfully surprised if he don't doesn't leave.

When does he have to decide by? Can he wait until after April 25th, when Thon visits?

 

[dang227]

Heck of a two year run in the tournament. It was great fun watching this group of guys.

 

[phork]

Watching this game shows me a couple things. #1 need more big men. #2 Brey looks completely lost in some situations.

 

[NDGOLDEN]

Temporarily good news, but I'm going to be awfully surprised if he don't doesn't leave.

When does he have to decide by? Can he wait until after April 25th, when Thon visits?

The combine is May 15th so he has 10 days after that so May 25th. And I think thon wants to make a decision by the end of April so that isn't good news for us but hey us never know. Get him on campus and see what happens

 

[IrishLion]

Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks balled out. Even when ZA was on the court, it was like he and Bonzie were helpless. I understand he was in foul trouble, but he wasn't even making small efforts to defend down low. And he was completely absent on offense, minus his nasty and-1 oop/layup.

BUT that's not so much an idictment of ZA as it is praise for the way UNC's big men are playing. Those guys are unreal at capitalizing on the way their shooters/drivers are playing lately. I look forward to UNC stomping Syracuse and then watching an OU-UNC shootout in the final.

Overall, awesome run. And truthfully, it felt like ND was on borrowed time through the entire tournament anyway, between Vasturia's struggles and relying on Beachem to shoot 80% from the floor. It's a testament to the team as a whole that they found ways to make things happen and make it as the only repeat team in the Elite Eight.

 

[Rack Em]

Watching this game shows me a couple things. #1 need more big men. #2 Brey looks completely lost in some situations.

Hindsight is 20/20, but I'm curious what situations you're talking about.

I agree with #1 completely. Colson is a solid player, but he's not a 5. He's a 4 with his length. And his game needs to develop a lot this offseason.

I like what Brey did with his gameplan. If ND got into a track meet with UNC, it was going to be a blowout. Slowing the tempo was smart even at the end because that was going to be the only way ND could keep the game manageable. He can't scheme and make adjustments that make your guys block out on the defensive end better. Maybe he could have gone to a zone earlier, but ND doesn't have the bigs to do that. Plus that makes it harder to rebound, which was their problem the whole night. IMO, Brey wasn't out coached; he was out recruited 2 years ago.

This is what ND basketball is. At best, an Elite 8 team; at worst, they're a 17-12 team in the ACC. It's like Wisconsin football - good enough to go to the Rose Bowl, but consistent enough to always be above average in their conference. Frankly, I'm happy about that because it represents a big step forward from the 2002-2009 teams Brey coached.

 

[IrishLax]

Brice Johnson and Kennedy Meeks balled out. Even when ZA was on the court, it was like he and Bonzie were helpless. I understand he was in foul trouble, but he wasn't even making small efforts to defend down low. And he was completely absent on offense, minus his nasty and-1 oop/layup.

BUT that's not so much an idictment of ZA as it is praise for the way UNC's big men are playing. Those guys are unreal at capitalizing on the way their shooters/drivers are playing lately. I look forward to UNC stomping Syracuse and then watching an OU-UNC shootout in the final.

Overall, awesome run. And truthfully, it felt like ND was on borrowed time through the entire tournament anyway, between Vasturia's struggles and relying on Beachem to shoot 80% from the floor. It's a testament to the team as a whole that they found ways to make things happen and make it as the only repeat team in the Elite Eight.

The "have VJ Beachem turn into a completely different player" strategy was definitely a bold one. That dunk last night was the perfect capstone on a ridiculous tournament.

 

[gkIrish]

Hindsight is 20/20, but I'm curious what situations you're talking about.

I agree with #1 completely. Colson is a solid player, but he's not a 5. He's a 4 with his length. And his game needs to develop a lot this offseason.

I like what Brey did with his gameplan. If ND got into a track meet with UNC, it was going to be a blowout. Slowing the tempo was smart even at the end because that was going to be the only way ND could keep the game manageable. He can't scheme and make adjustments that make your guys block out on the defensive end better. Maybe he could have gone to a zone earlier, but ND doesn't have the bigs to do that. Plus that makes it harder to rebound, which was their problem the whole night. IMO, Brey wasn't out coached; he was out recruited 2 years ago

I agree it was mostly about being outrecruited but I think he made 2 fatal errors this game that I mentioned in another thread.

1) Burned the last timeout with over 6 minutes left after a made basket. Following the timeout, he kept Auguste on the bench and put Farrell on the court with Bonzie as the 5. UNC proceeded to score most, if not all possessions until they bailed us out with their own timeout.

2) Matt Farrell playing so many minutes this game. He's had a fine tournament overall and did not play poorly in this particular game either but he had absolutely no role in this game. Brey decided to run the burn offense for about 2/3 of the game. Can you explain to me what role Matt Farrell has in the burn offense? He is a passer and a dribbler. The burn offense consists of DJ dribbling the ball near mid court for about 22 seconds then dribbling and going for a layup or kicking it to VJ. Considering our issues were rebounding and defending Brice Johnson/Meeks/Hicks/Pinton, why have Farrell out there for much of the game? It was a really bad decision IMO.

This is what ND basketball is. At best, an Elite 8 team; at worst, they're a 17-12 team in the ACC. It's like Wisconsin football - good enough to go to the Rose Bowl, but consistent enough to always be above average in their conference. Frankly, I'm happy about that because it represents a big step forward from the 2002-2009 teams Brey coached.

Actually they are a 15-17 team at worst. We are only 2 seasons removed from that. The reality is that we didn't beat a single team ranked higher than us in the entire 2 year run. Off the top of my head, we haven't beat a single team ranked higher than us since 2002-2003 (Illinois). So while Brey is here to stay and I definitely won't call for him to be fired, we are probably not getting back to the Elite Eight for a long time barring DJ and Thon being on the team next year.

 

[IrishLion]

The "have VJ Beachem turn into a completely different player" strategy was definitely a bold one. That dunk last night was the perfect capstone on a ridiculous tournament.

I watched the game with a good friend last night who is about as die-hard for UNC as anyone can be for a team.

I tried unsuccessfully for 20 minutes to explain why Beachem coming out of nowhere was so ridiculous. And as soon as I finished my thoughts, he threw down that dunk. It was like a cosmic "F*ck You!" to my continued doubts about ND relying on him haha.

 

[Ndaccountant]

Great tourney run for the team and they got beat by the most talented team in the country. UNC is on another level and is/was a terrible match-up for ND. But I had fun watching them get this far and hope this "ceiling" gets recognized by the administration and invests to break thru it. Yes, Brey could do better recruiting, but the majority of the problems are resource driven.

 

[nsisk157]

DJ have his degree? If not, any added value to stay?

Currently a mid first round pick...Could he improve his stock by coming back?

 

[Rack Em]

2) Matt Farrell playing so many minutes this game. He's had a fine tournament overall and did not play poorly in this particular game either but he had absolutely no role in this game. Brey decided to run the burn offense for about 2/3 of the game. Can you explain to me what role Matt Farrell has in the burn offense? He is a passer and a dribbler. The burn offense consists of DJ dribbling the ball near mid court for about 22 seconds then dribbling and going for a layup or kicking it to VJ. Considering our issues were rebounding and defending Brice Johnson/Meeks/Hicks/Pinton, why have Farrell out there for much of the game? It was a really bad decision IMO.

The only reason I can think of (and I don't understand why it didn't happen this way), was for DJ to get off some screens away from the ball to set up the shot/drive. But DJ was running the point 90% of the game...

Actually they are a 15-17 team at worst. We are only 2 seasons removed from that. The reality is that we didn't beat a single team ranked higher than us in the entire 2 year run. Off the top of my head, we haven't beat a single team ranked higher than us since 2002-2003 (Illinois). So while Brey is here to stay and I definitely won't call for him to be fired, we are probably not getting back to the Elite Eight for a long time barring DJ and Thon being on the team next year.

Are you talking tourney or regular season? I'm assuming the tournament, otherwise you might have memory loss.

 

[arrowryan]

DJ have his degree? If not, any added value to stay?

Currently a mid first round pick...Could he improve his stock by coming back?

IMO no, a mid-first round pick is probably his ceiling. He was pretty much a shit show his freshman year and people will always question his height; so considering those two things, a mid-first round pick will be great for him (and his bank account).

I'd love to see him in Chicago; I think they need to get rid of Rose and his toughness and personality would make him fit right in with the Bulls. Or it'd be cool to see him go to Miami and take over when Wade decides to hang it up.

 

[Rack Em]

So while Brey is here to stay and I definitely won't call for him to be fired, we are probably not getting back to the Elite Eight for a long time barring DJ and Thon being on the team next year.

Last point: The 2010-2011 team was a #2 seed and shat the bed. But Brey has had enough 3 and low 4 talent who fit his scheme to make another Elite 8 run plausible. The only top 25ish recruits Brey has had in the last 8 years have been DJ and Cam Beisheid. So with some continued solid recruiting (top 100 player or 2 every other year), they can make it back. That's probably the ceiling though.

It won't happen again for a couple of years, but another Elite 8 run is not out of the question IMO.

 

[IrishLax]

Actually they are a 15-17 team at worst. We are only 2 seasons removed from that. The reality is that we didn't beat a single team ranked higher than us in the entire 2 year run. Off the top of my head, we haven't beat a single team ranked higher than us since 2002-2003 (Illinois). So while Brey is here to stay and I definitely won't call for him to be fired, we are probably not getting back to the Elite Eight for a long time barring DJ and Thon being on the team next year.

I mean... there are serious mitigating circumstances there. The truth is that outside of the "lose your best player and lottery pick to academics" year, Brey has made the tourney every year of the last 7. Not a lot of people can say that.

As to beating "better" teams well seeding doesn't mean shit. It's an even worse barometer of "talent" or how "good" a team is than polls. SFA was a 14 seed but was rated in or near the KENPOM top 25 the entire year. They finished the year 28, 10 spots ahead of Notre Dame. Wisconsin was also "better" than Notre Dame.

Last year, it's like blaming ND for grabbing a high seed and winning an ACC championship. There was no way for them to even play a higher seeded team before undefeated Kentucky unless Kansas got through. Instead, ND played a 7 seed (LOL) Wichita State that was the #10 team in the country per KENPOM. ND was #9 in KENPOM and drilled a top 10 team in the second half. The irony is that #2 seed Kansas was a worse team than that #7 seed Wichita State... which is probably why they lost to them. Butler was a top 20 team, but yeah obviously they weren't as good as ND who was top 10.

TLDR... any measurement by seed is inherently meritless because the seeding procedure is garbage.

 

[gkIrish]

I mean... there are serious mitigating circumstances there. The truth is that outside of the "lose your best player and lottery pick to academics" year, Brey has made the tourney every year of the last 7. Not a lot of people can say that.

As to beating "better" teams well seeding doesn't mean shit. It's an even worse barometer of "talent" or how "good" a team is than polls. SFA was a 14 seed but was rated in or near the KENPOM top 25 the entire year. They finished the year 28, 10 spots ahead of Notre Dame. Wisconsin was also "better" than Notre Dame.

Last year, it's like blaming ND for grabbing a high seed and winning an ACC championship. There was no way for them to even play a higher seeded team before undefeated Kentucky unless Kansas got through. Instead, ND played a 7 seed (LOL) Wichita State that was the #10 team in the country per KENPOM. ND was #9 in KENPOM and drilled a top 10 team in the second half. The irony is that #2 seed Kansas was a worse team than that #7 seed Wichita State... which is probably why they lost to them. Butler was a top 20 team, but yeah obviously they weren't as good as ND who was top 10.

TLDR... any measurement by seed is inherently meritless because the seeding procedure is garbage.

My point is just that we shouldn't expect to be here every year, or every other year. It was a great 2 year run that I see coming to an end with the departure of DJ. I think the earliest we can expect to see another Elite Eight run is 3 seasons from now.

Our roster is completely devoid of > 6'10'' players. Maybe Gebben is 6'10" but he stinks. We are going to start Farrell or a true freshman at point next year. VJ Beachem could come down to earth again.

Gibbs/Farrell
Vasturia/Pflueger
Beachem/Ryan
Colson/Burns/Mooney
Colson/Burns/Mooney

That's a tournament team (maybe) but likely not much better. Now if the roster looks like this next year we could be talking final four:

DJ/Farrell/Gibbs
Vasturia/Pflueger
Beachem/Ryan
Colson/Burns
Thon Maker/Mooney

 

[phgreek]

Been a long time (circa Tripuka, Woolridge, etc.) since I watched the basketball team on any kind of a regular basis. Watched a bit over the last two seasons.

I like Brey. I like his in game adjustments...he's pretty sharp. Kids play hard for him. Hope he stays around. Seems a little red-assed and feeling a little unappreciated. Hope Jack fixes that as well as he can.

 

[IrishLax]

My point is just that we shouldn't expect to be here every year, or every other year. It was a great 2 year run that I see coming to an end with the departure of DJ. I think the earliest we can expect to see another Elite Eight run is 3 seasons from now.

Our roster is completely devoid of > 6'10'' players. Maybe Gebben is 6'10" but he stinks. We are going to start Farrell or a true freshman at point next year. VJ Beachem could come down to earth again.

Gibbs/Farrell
Vasturia/Pflueger
Beachem/Ryan
Colson/Burns/Mooney
Colson/Burns/Mooney

That's a tournament team (maybe) but likely not much better. Now if the roster looks like this next year we could be talking final four:

DJ/Farrell/Gibbs
Vasturia/Pflueger
Beachem/Ryan
Colson/Burns
Thon Maker/Mooney

Yeah, I agree, we messed up front court recruiting pretty bad. And settling for Farrell seems questionable because he doesn't really seem like a "starter" quality player that should've gotten a scholarship. I look at guys like Farrell the same way I look at Fertitta... good if you want to use them in a specific role and worth the scholarship, bad idea if you want to use them as an "every down" player. The good thing about Brey's system has been the lack of true "rebuilding" years because we've always had a core of veterans on any given team.

But the flaw with that is that when you miss on front court players for 4 straight years there is no easy answer (besides a transfer?), and same can sort of get said for point guard.

I sort of like the idea of running Vasturia and Pflueger as combo guards and no true point (or basically spot play Farrell 20 minutes a game). Then you use Beachem/Ryan as your stretch players and you've got a hard size combo for teams to math up with 1 through 4. I don't know what the heck you do at 5 then.