Notre Dame Basketball: Should we be concerned about the Irish?
After being atop the ACC standings a couple weeks ago, Notre Dame basketball has lost four straight games and is now in seventh place in the league.
In early December, Notre Dame was facing off against Villanova in an unbeaten showdown at the Prudential Center. The Irish blew a second half lead and lost that game but they surely looked like a strong contender.
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Just a couple weeks ago (mid-January), the Irish continued to prove themselves as an elite contender as they improved to 5-0 in the ACC with a win over Virginia Tech.
But boy has the scripted changed. Today, the Irish lost their fourth straight game (this time to North Carolina in Greensboro) and are now in seventh place in the loaded ACC. This doesn’t mean that the Irish aren’t going to the NCAA Tournament and aren’t a good basketball team, but is it time to be concerned about Mike Brey’s roster?
I think there are definitely problems that need to be addressed, starting with the fact that the Irish aren’t all that good defensively. In their last four games, they are giving up an average of 75 points, and against Duke, in particular, they couldn’t match-up successfully with all their weapons.
Another concern lies with their lack of big men. The Irish have Bonzie Colson, but let’s all remember that he’s a 6’5″ forward who isn’t getting much help from anyone. Sure, the Irish’s excellent spacing helps their offensive attack, but they also tend to get pounded on the glass.
Finally, Notre Dame just doesn’t get consistent production from their star players. V.J. Beachem, Matt Farrell, and Steve Vasturia are all great sidekicks to Bonzie Colson, however, they are never all playing well on the same night. Beachem and Vasturia have been up-and-down to say the least, while Farrell’s play has dropped off as of late, especially during this four-game losing streak.
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On the bright side, Notre Dame doesn’t have any bad losses during this four-game losing streak (Virginia, Georgia Tech, Duke, North Carolina) and they are still ranked 20th in the country. They are 17-7 overall and still possess the offensive fire power, coaching and experience to do damage in the ACC and in March Madness. But the Irish surely aren’t going to win the league and they might not be the team we all thought they would be after their superb start.