Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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14 NOV. 19, 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME CHARTING THE IRISH THE IRISH MEN'S BASKETBALL TEAM AND ADJUSTED EFFICIENCY MARGIN A few weeks ago, we examined the challenging schedule the Notre Dame men's basketball team faces in 2018-19 through the lens of the preseason polls. An even deeper dive into the numbers illustrates just how tough it is expected to be. According to Ken Pomeroy and his KenPom.com site, which uses ad- vanced metrics to assess the value of each program, eight ACC programs rank inside the top 25 of his adjusted efficiency margin statistic. "AdjEM" is the difference between a particular team's offensive and defensive ef- ficiency. The number represents "the number of points the team would be expected to outscore the average Di- vision I team over 100 possessions." Last season, Notre Dame ranked 35th in the country with a +15.79 mark. The Fighting Irish have av- eraged a 40.6 finish in this metric, which includes a No. 96 showing during the 2013-14 season when the Irish finished 15-17 overall and 6-12 in the ACC. This year, they begin 59th in the land — behind 12 of their opponents. THE IRISH AND THEIR OPPONENTS IN THE KENPOM.COM RANKINGS Team National Rank (Adjusted Efficiency) Duke 2 (+25.44) North Carolina 3 (+25.37) Virginia 4 (+24.82) Syracuse 8 (+23.33) Clemson 14 (+20.28) Florida State 15 (+20.15) Purdue 18 (+19.48) Miami 21 (+18.28) Virginia Tech 22 (+18.16) NC State 36 (+15.02) UCLA 47 (+12.80) Oklahoma 52 (+12.09) Notre Dame 59 (+11.42) Irish student-athletes excelling on the field and in the classroom Abbie Dolan — Swimming And Diving The junior from Sunfish Lake, Minn., was named the Atlantic Coast Conference Swimmer of the Week Nov. 5 after leading the Irish to wins over Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh Nov. 2‑3. Dolan finished first in seven events, including all three of her individual races (100 freestyle, 200 butterfly and 200 freestyle). She also led off the 400 freestyle relay, anchored the 200 and 400 medley relays, and swam in the 200 freestyle relay. Cale Morris — Hockey The junior goaltender from Larkspur, Colo., helped No. 6 Notre Dame earn a weekend split versus No. 7 Ohio State with a 1.01 goals against av‑ erage and a .968 save per‑ centage in the weekend se‑ ries. In game two, he saved 38 of the 39 shots that came his way and the Irish won 2‑1. Morris was 3‑3‑1 with a 2.28 goals against average and a .924 save percentage in his first seven starts. Arike Ogunbowale — Basketball The senior from Milwau‑ kee was named a preseason All‑American by the Associ‑ ated Press Nov. 1. She was one of five players to receive the honor. Joining her on the list were Oregon's Sabrina Ionescu, Louisville's Asia Durr, Connecticut's Katie Lou Samuelson and Baylor's Kalani Brown. Ogunbowale ranked 18th in the nation and set a new single‑season school record with her 20.8 scoring average in 2017‑18. Joe Wegwerth — Hockey The senior from Brewster, N.Y., netted the decisive goal for No. 6 Notre Dame in a 2‑1 victory over No. 7 Ohio State Nov. 3. With 13:48 to go in regulation, he blocked an Ohio State at‑ tempt to clear the puck and put a wrist shot in the top half of the Buckeyes' goal. Through eight games, Wegwerth was tied for the team lead in goals (five) and was third in points (nine). TOP OF THE CLASS ✦ GIMME FIVE One of the hallmarks of head coach Mike Brey's basketball teams at Notre Dame has been consistently ranking among the nation's top five in assists and/or assist‑to‑turnover ratio with their excellent passing and ball movement. However, assists are not possible without made baskets. Since Brey took over at Notre Dame in 2000‑01, the Fighting Irish are the nation's third‑best three‑point shooting team in the country when combining production and efficiency. Daniel Wilco from NCAA.com created a three‑point index comparing a team's three‑ point shooting percentage and the volume of treys converted. Here was his cumulative release, dating back to 2000: School 3s Made Pct. 3FG index 1. Duke 5,235 .378 .9318 2. Belmont 5,449 .366 .9004 3. Notre Dame 4,839 .379 .8706 4. Creighton 4,859 .377 .8596 5. Davidson 5,091 .365 .8264 Among the top 60 he released, 2018‑19 Irish opponents included No. 27 Louisville (.6547), No. 46 Oklahoma (.6061), No. 52 UCLA (.5948), No. 53 Illinois (.5939), No. 56 Miami (.5891) and No. 58 North Carolina (.5839). Getting To Know … SENIOR RUNNING BACK DEXTER WILLIAMS Hometown: "Orlando, Fla." High School: "West Orange." Major: "Africana studies." Favorite Food: "Macaroni and cheese." Favorite Place To Eat In South Bend: "JJ's and Lin‑ den Grill." Favorite Movie: "'Friday.'" Favorite Music: "Rap." Favorite Musician: "Kodak Black." Favorite TV Show: "'Dexter's Laboratory' or 'Spongebob.'" Favorite Part About Playing For Notre Dame: "There's a lot I could say, but the best part about playing for Notre Dame is running out of that tunnel, taking the field with your brothers, coming out to the smoke with the anthem playing and being able to dominate in that stadium. It's a feeling I feel like I wouldn't get anywhere else." Who's The Best Player You've Ever Lined Up Across From? "I would definitely say [for‑ mer Notre Dame linebacker] Jaylon Smith my freshman year. He made me a better player and helped me learn a lot my freshman year." MOVING? Let us know! Call 1-800-421-7751