Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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BLUEGOLDONLINE.COM NOV. 14, 2026 47 BY TYLER JAMES AND JACK SOBLE N otre Dame men's basketball came up short in late-game situations far too frequently last season. That's why it be- came such a focal point for head coach Micah Shrewsberry in the offseason. The increased work on late-game sit- uations paid off immediately in Notre Dame's 2026-27 season opener in Rome, Italy. The Irish, who trailed by 10 with 10:24 remaining, took their first lead of the second half with 1:08 to play and held on for a 74-72 victory over Villanova in the Eternal City Tip-Off Nov. 1. Now Shrewsberry will be tasked with building on that season-opening mo- mentum. Here are three takeaways from the season-opening victory. 1. BRAEDEN SMITH PROVIDES STEADY HAND Starting point guard Braeden Smith had a hand in so much of Notre Dame's successful finish on the offensive end. The Gonzaga graduate transfer either scored or assisted on 15 of Notre Dame's final 19 points, with 7 points at the free- throw line and 3 assists. Smith didn't panic when he had the ball in his hands late in the shot clock, and he wisely drew fouls to rescue the offense and keep the Irish close with less than five minutes remaining. He grabbed a defensive rebound and dished to sophomore forward Brady Koehler for a transition dunk to pull Notre Dame within one point with 1:44 to play. Then Smith followed up a steal on one end with an assist to an open Lo- gan Duncomb, Notre Dame's starting center, for the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:08 remaining. Smith made a pair of free throws with 24 seconds remain- ing to give the Irish a 72-68 lead before Koehler followed suit with another pair with four seconds remaining. Notre Dame almost certainly would not have won that game without Smith taking control and providing the veteran leadership this team needs. He finished tied for the team high in scoring with 16 points and added 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists with just 1 turnover. Even in a game when his jumper wasn't fall- ing (0 of 6 from inside the arc), Smith made a massive impact. 2. NOTRE DAME'S DEFENSIVE INTENSITY MADE A DIFFERENCE While Notre Dame struggled to find an offensive rhythm in the first half, its defensive focus kept the Irish in the game. The Irish trailed just 35-31 at halftime despite shooting 34.4 percent from the field to Villanova's 46.2 per- cent. That's because Villanova commit- ted 15 turnovers, 10 of which came on steals by the Irish. Smith (2 steals), Koehler (2 steals) and senior guard Logan Imes (2 steals) helped set the defensive tone in the first half. The Irish closed with 2 steals (cred- ited to senior guard Braeden Shrews- berry and Smith) and 1 block (Koehler) in the final 3:18 of the game. Notre Dame converted Villanova's 20 total turnovers into 20 crucial points. The Irish finished with more steals (14) than turnovers committed (11). That's a winning recipe for the Irish moving forward. 3. BRADY KOEHLER TAKES FIRST STEP TOWARD STARDOM If anyone has a lasting NBA career ahead of them on this Notre Dame roster, it's Koehler. The 6-foot-10, 220-pound forward is teeming with potential, and his decision to return to the program was arguably the most im- portant moment of the offseason for Notre Dame. Koehler showed why he matters so much to this team. When Koehler picked up his second foul with 7:18 re- maining in the first half, his absence was noticeable. That's probably why Micah Shrewsberry opted to keep Koehler in the game after he picked up his third foul just 15 seconds into the second half. Koehler, who still managed to record 6 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals in nine minutes in the first half, picked up the scoring in the second half. He added 10 of his 16 points after halftime to tie Smith for the team high. Even in foul trouble, Koehler added 2 blocks in the second half. Koehler will have better days from behind the arc (1 of 4 on three-point- ers), but he still stuffed the box score with 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals in addition to his scoring. ✦ Irish Baptize Villanova, Start Season 2-0 MEN'S B A S K E T B A L L Brady Koehler opened his sophomore season with 16 points and 8 rebounds in Notre Dame's 74-72 win against Villanova in Rome Nov. 1, then added 17 points in an 83-56 victory over Mercyhurst Nov. 5. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS No Jet Lag Letdown In Home Opener Micah Shrewsberry has lauded his team's maturity in seemingly every press conference since he began coaching Notre Dame. The Irish showed why in an 83-56 victory over Mercyhurst, three days after returning from Rome. "We've said all along, we want to be a no-excuses group," Shrewsberry said. "So, I was giving them no outs for, like, 'Hey, we traveled. We did this. We did that. We're back early. We're in class.' Doesn't care. No outs. And they don't ask for it." It's very early, and skepticism from the past three years is still warranted, but Notre Dame should feel good about its starting lineup. Ethan Roberts (18 points), Braeden Shrewsberry (17) and Koehler (17) went 12 of 18 combined from three-point range. Smith dished 10 assists, 8 of which came on threes. "They made shots tonight," Smith said. "They made my job easy."