Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Overall record: 24-12, 11-7 in the ACC
Head coach: Mike Brey
Tenure at Notre Dame: 17th season
Career coaching record: 455-288
Home court: Purcell Pavilion
Starters: G Matt Farrell, G Steve Vasturia, G V.J. Beachem, F Bonzie Colson, F Martinas Geben
Bench: G T.J. Gibbs, G Rex Pflueger, F Matt Ryan
Overview: Despite being traditionally viewed as a football school, Notre Dame has had some of the strongest teams on the hardwood in recent years and has advanced to the Elite Eight in consecutive seasons. The Fighting Irish lost two key players—guard Demetrius Jackson and center Zach Auguste—but return standout guards V.J. Beachem and Steve Vasturia.
Although guard Matt Farrell appears set to take over as the starting point guard, four-star recruit T.J. Gibbs has the skillset to eventually become the Fighting Irish's floor general. After having high-powered offenses led by Jerian Grant in 2015 and Jackson last year, Notre Dame will need to find a go-to scorer early this season to compensate for their deficiencies on the other end of the floor.
The Fighting Irish will miss Auguste's defense and forward Bonzie Colson—who stands only 6-foot-5—may struggle to match up with bigger players down low. Hailing from Vilnius, Lithuania, junior Martinas Geben will need to clean up the boards and anchor the team down low as one of its only true big men.
Under head coach Mike Brey—a former Duke assistant coach under Mike Krzyzewski—Notre Dame has won four of its last five matchups against the Blue Devils. Although they may not be as talented as in years past, the Fighting Irish will likely compete for positioning in the middle of the ACC.
One thing that needs to go right: Former role players Farrell and Steve Vasturia step into their expanded roles and replace the lost production of Jackson and Auguste on both ends of the floor.
One thing that could go wrong: Notre Dame's subpar defense forces them to win high-scoring games all season and the Fighting Irish fail to muster enough points to string together long winning streaks.
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