Mike Brey and Notre Dame Basketball lost three of the top four scorers off of last years team. Can the Irish stay near the top or will they slip to the bottom half of the conference?
Notre Dame had high hopes last year but it was derailed when star player Bonzie Colson went down to injury early in the season. Their early season win in Hawaii was a look at what could have been. Colson did come back and the Irish made a late push but came up on the outside looking in for the NCAA Tournament. Colson graduated along with fellow seniors Matt Farrell and Martinas Geben and the Irish now have three huge holes to fill.
Mike Brey has done a great job at making the Irish a big-time player in the ACC, but with so much gone from lasts year team it could be a struggle for the Irish. They have lost a lot of scoring and must now lean on guys like TJ Gibbs and Rex Plueger to pick up the slack.
Brey does have a deeper team this year, but it is very young. How quickly the younger guys gel with the returning players will tell a lot about how the Irish can do this year.
The non-conference schedule should allow the Irish to find their footing before digging into the conference slate. The ACC is always going to be tough and the Irish will have to grow up quick.
Here’s a full breakdown of the projected starters, key reserves and non-conference schedule, along with where they stand nationally and in the conference as we preview their season.