Notre Dame Basketball went to seven NCAA Tournaments in the first eight years of this past decade, including back-to-back Elite Eights in 2015 and 2016. These last four seasons have shown a marked decline from that string of success, with an overall record of 66-61, a conference record of 28-46, and zero NCAA Tournament appearances.
Despite the trends, there are legitimate reasons for hope in South Bend. Mike Brey returns nearly 80% of the team’s total minutes from last season. Of the six players who started a notable number of games last season, Juwan Durham (10.7 PPG, 5.5 RPG) is the only one not returning as he begins his professional career in Lithuania.
Over the last four seasons, Notre Dame has had an average yearly finish of 49th nationally in adjusted offensive efficiency (AdjO) per KenPom. Defensively (AdjD), that average national rank drops to 120th. This trend was exaggerated last season as they finished 21st in AdjO and 203rd in AdjD.
Brey has frequently mentioned taking a more defensive-minded approach heading into the 2021-22 season, something made significantly easier given their returning experience and continuity. Considering how much talent and production is coming back on the roster, there will need to be an improvement there for the Irish to make the postseason
Will there be any changes to the rotation for Notre Dame Basketball this upcoming season? Check out the projected depth chart for this ACC program.