ND Men's Basketball 2014-15 Season

[irishfan]

In addition to #13 in the AP, we are #12 in Coaches Poll, and #57 in RPI.

For anyone who cares about RPI, we jumped from #57 to #42 after last night's win.

 

[gkIrish]

Notre Dame Fighting Irish use offense to beat North Carolina Tar Heels - ESPN

 

[Buster Bluth]

Top tier basketball recruits don't go to play school.

True but when Northwestern gets commitments from guys like Victor Law ('14 #89 overall) and guys like Nolan Narain ('16 #79 overall) live mere miles from campus, it gets frustrating that Notre Dame isn't even in the conversation.

It just boggles my mind how Brey can't find kids in the basketball powerhouse of Chicago who want to go to school while playing basketball. I'll never expect a 5 kid to pick Notre Dame, but the program can make consistent Sweet Sixteen runs if they get those athletes that the Xaviers of the world get.

 

[RDU Irish]

Great game, thought for sure we were going to hand it to them at the end. Fully agree the ref calls were one sided. Grant's fifth "foul" was about the worst I have ever seen. Time out at the end was awful as well.

As my first full view of our team this year, I had a number of take aways.

Is that the same Demetrius Jackson as last year? Kid looked like a pure baller, last year looked lost.

We are more athletic, top to bottom than I can ever remember.

Ball handling, can't remember the last time more than two guys could be trusted holding the ball under pressure or able to get any penetration off the dribble.

Rebounding, about as crappy as you can expect from a Brey coached team.

Three pointers - no surprise it is a staple of our offense but I didn't see them forced as bad as years past. Mostly good looks and not keying on one player.

Love the overall balance on offense and use of the bench for more than just warm bodies. Defense at the end saved the day when our offense got ice cold. I for one think defense is largely effort, which is largely motivated by being fresh enough to try hard. Fighting for minutes is another great motivator for defensive effort.



As for recruiting, what are we complaining about? This team is talented! Not the usual pack of under sized shooting guards with one decent PG and PF that our entire offense revolves around but can't play defense.

 

[arrowryan]

True but when Northwestern gets commitments from guys like Victor Law ('14 #89 overall) and guys like Nolan Narain ('16 #79 overall) live mere miles from campus, it gets frustrating that Notre Dame isn't even in the conversation.

It just boggles my mind how Brey can't find kids in the basketball powerhouse of Chicago who want to go to school while playing basketball. I'll never expect a 5 kid to pick Notre Dame, but the program can make consistent Sweet Sixteen runs if they get those athletes that the Xaviers of the world get.

It blows my mind that Brey can't get a kid from La Lumiere in La Porte, Indiana (25 minutes from South Bend).

For the 2015 class, Brey missed out on La Lumiers players Jalen Coleman (Illinois) and Joseph Toye (Vanderbilt).

For the 2016 class, La Lumier has 2 players according to 247: Isaac Humphries (#5 center, #28 overall) and Nolan Narain (#18 PF, #79 overall). Humphries is a 7 footer but Brey won't go after him cause he likes getting dominated on the boards.

It's frustrating cause Notre Dame has the best college basketball team in the state, Indiana is a talent rich state for basketball, and Brey has to go 25 minutes West to find all the talent he would ever need.

I shouldn't be complaining though. Mike Brey has Austin Torres competing with ACC level talent; I laughed when I say Torres was going to ND to play ball thinking he would never play. I'm glad he proved me wrong

 

[RDU Irish]

Brey would be flummoxed with someone that tall on the team. Unless he stays out of the paint and shoots threes.

 

[irishfan]

I'm just excited that we have 3 guys (Grant, DJ, Connauhgton) who can get to the rim whenever they want to. I feel like from 2005-2010, we would always struggle against any team playing tight man-to-man, cause we didn't have anyone on the team who could make something out of nothing offensively.

Real excited about Auguste and Vasturia as well. I think we have a more talented starting 5 than in 2010-2011. My concern, like always, is with our lack of depth. VJ is a great 6th man, but the other 3 guys off our bench (Burgett, Torres, Geben) combined to play 11 minutes last night.

 

[RDU Irish]

I'm just excited that we have 3 guys (Grant, DJ, Connauhgton) who can get to the rim whenever they want to. I feel like from 2005-2010, we would always struggle against any team playing tight man-to-man, cause we didn't have anyone on the team who could make something out of nothing offensively.

That feeling was based on the fact we didn't have anyone who could make something out of nothing, especially in tight man-to-man coverage.

I would like to seem more fluid offensive plays creating better opportunities but I will start with satisfaction of having more, better ball handlers with raw scoring ability (i.e. able to go to the hoop if the jumper is contested).

 

[gkIrish]

True but when Northwestern gets commitments from guys like Victor Law ('14 #89 overall) and guys like Nolan Narain ('16 #79 overall) live mere miles from campus, it gets frustrating that Notre Dame isn't even in the conversation.

It just boggles my mind how Brey can't find kids in the basketball powerhouse of Chicago who want to go to school while playing basketball. I'll never expect a 5 kid to pick Notre Dame, but the program can make consistent Sweet Sixteen runs if they get those athletes that the Xaviers of the world get.

Brey is developing a reputation of being a lazy recruiter. I saw a tweet a few weeks ago about how Brey was visiting some kid in our backyard for the first time while Creen had seen this kid at least 6 different times. Don't remember the details. I've just generally heard that Brey gets outworked all the time. Must be an ND coaching thing...

Goes back to my theory that Brey simply does not believe he will ever be fired (and he's probably right) so he acts like it.

 

[RDU Irish]

I'm just excited that we have 3 guys (Grant, DJ, Connauhgton) who can get to the rim whenever they want to. I feel like from 2005-2010, we would always struggle against any team playing tight man-to-man, cause we didn't have anyone on the team who could make something out of nothing offensively.

Real excited about Auguste and Vasturia as well. I think we have a more talented starting 5 than in 2010-2011. My concern, like always, is with our lack of depth. VJ is a great 6th man, but the other 3 guys off our bench (Burgett, Torres, Geben) combined to play 11 minutes last night.

Traditionally, Brey would only play 6. 7th player wouldn't see time unless two people fouled out. Going 9 deep in a close game is very encouraging to me, even if the minute total is pathetic.


I think if we can continue to recruit better, we can go deeper down the bench. Years past we needed 2 or 3 years just to get some guys physically mature enough to compete. Geben is a freshman averaging 10 minutes a game, Torres the same as a sophomore. Sophomore VJ is working double the minutes of last year, frustrating he is 6-8 and doesn't do much other than destroy three pointers (he keeps making 52% from there I start to be OK with it). We normally don't get that much production from underclassmen, it will pay off.

 

[RDU Irish]

Brey is developing a reputation of being a lazy recruiter. I saw a tweet a few weeks ago about how Brey was visiting some kid in our backyard for the first time while Creen had seen this kid at least 6 different times. Don't remember the details. I've just generally heard that Brey gets outworked all the time. Must be an ND coaching thing...

Goes back to my theory that Brey simply does not believe he will ever be fired (and he's probably right) so he acts like it.

That doesn't surprise me one bit. Same sense of urgency (lack thereof) is the general irritation I have with his style of coaching.

 

[BobbyMac]

It blows my mind that Brey can't get a kid from La Lumiere in La Porte, Indiana (25 minutes from South Bend).

For the 2015 class, Brey missed out on La Lumiers players Jalen Coleman (Illinois) and Joseph Toye (Vanderbilt).

For the 2016 class, La Lumier has 2 players according to 247: Isaac Humphries (#5 center, #28 overall) and Nolan Narain (#18 PF, #79 overall). Humphries is a 7 footer but Brey won't go after him cause he likes getting dominated on the boards.

It's frustrating cause Notre Dame has the best college basketball team in the state, Indiana is a talent rich state for basketball, and Brey has to go 25 minutes West to find all the talent he would ever need.

I shouldn't be complaining though. Mike Brey has Austin Torres competing with ACC level talent; I laughed when I say Torres was going to ND to play ball thinking he would never play. I'm glad he proved me wrong

Hopefully Brey's staff can have a better relationship with Shane Heirman than it did with Alan Huss who left for an assistant's position at New Mexico. If Brey was smart, he'd offer the head coach there an assistant's position every 3 years and keep rotating them them through to other programs.

Everybody I know said it was a lock that Jalen Coleman was going to ND so something is really off in the ND / LaLu relationship.

It's funny seing LaLu on tv all the time, I used to ride my bike over to their open gyms as an 8th and 9th grader and was better than anybody on their team. They'd beat my high school by 50 now.

.

 

[arrowryan]

Hopefully Brey's staff can have a better relationship with Shane Heirman than it did with Alan Huss who left for an assistant's position at New Mexico. If Brey was smart, he'd offer the head coach there an assistant's position every 3 years and keep rotating them them through to other programs.

Everybody I know said it was a lock that Jalen Coleman was going to ND so something is really off in the ND / LaLu relationship.

It's funny seing LaLu on tv all the time, I used to ride my bike over to their open gyms as an 8th and 9th grader and was better than anybody on their team. They'd beat my high school by 50 now.

.

It just blows my mind. This is like if Bishop Gorman was a few miles from South Bend and Coach Kelly not recruiting the school at all

 

[Buster Bluth]

Brey is developing a reputation of being a lazy recruiter. I saw a tweet a few weeks ago about how Brey was visiting some kid in our backyard for the first time while Creen had seen this kid at least 6 different times. Don't remember the details. I've just generally heard that Brey gets outworked all the time. Must be an ND coaching thing...

Goes back to my theory that Brey simply does not believe he will ever be fired (and he's probably right) so he acts like it.

So, basically, how do we get Alford on the basketball staff?

 

[Irish#1]

It blows my mind that Brey can't get a kid from La Lumiere in La Porte, Indiana (25 minutes from South Bend).

For the 2015 class, Brey missed out on La Lumiers players Jalen Coleman (Illinois) and Joseph Toye (Vanderbilt).

For the 2016 class, La Lumier has 2 players according to 247: Isaac Humphries (#5 center, #28 overall) and Nolan Narain (#18 PF, #79 overall). Humphries is a 7 footer but Brey won't go after him cause he likes getting dominated on the boards.

It's frustrating cause Notre Dame has the best college basketball team in the state, Indiana is a talent rich state for basketball, and Brey has to go 25 minutes West to find all the talent he would ever need.

I shouldn't be complaining though. Mike Brey has Austin Torres competing with ACC level talent; I laughed when I say Torres was going to ND to play ball thinking he would never play. I'm glad he proved me wrong

I could understand it if Knight and Keady were still coaching, but Crean and Painter have struggled some to get the Indiana kids.

 

[AgentJ]

According to wikipedia, #4.

Actually #2 after a road win @ #2 Pitt iirc

 

[yankeeND]

Great game and even better win against the Tar Heels! My only gripe is that these guys have got to start making their free throws down the stretch. Have beaten Michigan St., Purdue, and UNC this far. Not too shabby at all!

 

[irishfan]

Titus’s Top 12 NCAA Power Rankings: Damn, That Gonzaga Bench Is Deep! «

Grantland's Mark Titus has us #11

11. Notre Dame

It’s official — Notre Dame has my new favorite offense in America. Sorry, Gonzaga, but after watching Notre Dame toy with North Carolina for 40 minutes, I can’t help but jump on the Irish bandwagon. Before Monday night, I had worried that the Irish hadn’t yet played a true road game, and I suspected their offense might look less impressive in another school’s arena. Could the Irish go into a packed house and light it up against a good defense? Apparently, the answer is yes.

Before we go any further, though, it’s important that we stop to watch the Jerian Grant dunk on Georgia Tech.

Back to business: Hitting 3s is obviously a huge component of Notre Dame’s offense. But because the Irish have the best offensive backcourt in America, they aren’t entirely one-dimensional. Whereas a lot of great shooting teams just keep bombing from deep, Notre Dame uses perimeter shooting to set up other aspects of its offense. Once the Irish hit four or five 3s, opposing defenses become consumed with trying to stop their shooting. When that happens, the defense gets stretched out, driving lanes open up, and Grant, Demetrius Jackson, and Pat Connaughton get to the basket or play a two-man game with Zach Auguste. Hitting 10 3s like the Irish did against the Tar Heels certainly helps, but it’s not like they need to jack 30 3s a game to have a chance.

That said, the Irish defense makes me worry about the sustainability of Notre Dame’s success. History says teams that rely on 3s and don’t defend particularly well are playing with fire. It feels like just a matter of time until Notre Dame has an off night against a strong team and gets completely destroyed.

In related news, Virginia plays in South Bend on Saturday.

 

[RDU Irish]

"That said, the Irish defense makes me worry about the sustainability of Notre Dame’s success. History says teams that rely on 3s and don’t defend particularly well are playing with fire. It feels like just a matter of time until Notre Dame has an off night against a strong team and gets completely destroyed."

I think this comment has applied to ND basketball for the entirety of my life.

 

[NDGOLDEN]

Actually #2 after a road win @ #2 Pitt iirc

We only got to rank 4 that year not any higher

 

[irishfan]

"That said, the Irish defense makes me worry about the sustainability of Notre Dame’s success. History says teams that rely on 3s and don’t defend particularly well are playing with fire. It feels like just a matter of time until Notre Dame has an off night against a strong team and gets completely destroyed."

I think this comment has applied to ND basketball for the entirety of my life.

Ya, seriously. Well, hopefully we can avoid having an off-shooting night in Round 1 of the Tourney for once.

 

[anarin]

They sort of remind me of the wvu team that went to the sweet sixteen when they had pittsnogle.

 

[GoldenDomer]

Good chance for a little scouting tonight, UVA vs. NC State on ESPN @ 7. See what we're up against on Saturday.

 

[NDGOLDEN]

Good chance for a little scouting tonight, UVA vs. NC State on ESPN @ 7. See what we're up against on Saturday.

im doing the same thing while im at work watching the game

 

[NDGOLDEN]

Anderson is gonna be someone to worry about for sure

 

[irishfan]

Some fun stats for us, now that we're pretty much exactly halfway through the regular season:

Points: 3rd (85.0 per game)
Points against: 97th (62.4)
Scoring margin: 3rd (22.6)

FG shooting: 1st (54.8%)
2-pt shooting: 1st (63.6%)
3-pt shooting: 7th (40.6%)
FT shooting: 58th (72.6%)
FG defense: 69th (39.4%)
3-pt defense: 140th (32.4%)

Assists: 35th (15.7 per game)
Turnovers: 25th (9.44 per game)
Assist/Turnover ratio: 2nd (1.66)

Rebounds: 185th (34.9 per game)
Defensive Rebounds: 52nd (26.5 per game)
Offensive Rebounds: 326th (8.4 per game)
Rebound margin: 104th (+3.2 per game)

The easiest things for us to improve on are FT shooting and defending the 3s. Everything else we struggle with is kind of a product of the 4-guard look. Our rebounding numbers would be way worse if not for Pat C, he is a machine.

 

[irishfan]

Power Rankings: Kentucky, Duke, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona in top five - College Basketball - SI.com

Luke Winn at SI has us #9, and has Grant as 1st team All-American

 

[NDGOLDEN]

Power Rankings: Kentucky, Duke, Virginia, Wisconsin, Arizona in top five - College Basketball - SI.com

Luke Winn at SI has us #9, and has Grant as 1st team All-American

Nice I like it

 

[gkIrish]

Huge game at 6:00 (ESPN2). I feel like a win tonight would vault us into the top 5-7. ND is usually great against top 5 teams at home so I expect a close game.

 

[GoldenDomer]

Huge game at 6:00 (ESPN2). I feel like a win tonight would vault us into the top 5-7. ND is usually great against top 5 teams at home so I expect a close game.

HUGE is an understatement. Will be flipping channels between the football game and ND game.