Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/581008
BY JORDAN WELLS N otre Dame fashioned one of the greatest seasons in pro- gram history last year, win- ning the ACC championship and advancing to the Elite Eight before a heart-breaking 68-66 defeat at the hands of then-No. 1 and undefeated Kentucky. Those making predictions for 2015-16 stop short of forecasting a repeat performance by the Irish after the loss of stars Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton, but still see the poten- tial for Notre Dame to have plenty of success. The combination of the returning veterans — the Irish bring back three starters in junior guards Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia and se- nior forward Zach Auguste, plus two key reserves in junior forward V.J. Beachem and sophomore for- ward Bonzie Colson — and talented newcomers led to preseason national magazines projecting head coach Mike Brey's squad to finish between fifth and ninth in the 15-team ACC. Athlon was the most bullish on the Irish, picking them to finish fifth in the conference behind Duke, North Carolina, Virginia and Louisville. The publication also predicted the Irish to advance to the NCAA Tournament as a No. 7 seed and win a first-round game. "The leadership and production lost with the departure of Grant and Con- naughton won't be known until the Irish get into the heat of conference play," the magazine noted. "But the coming of age of Auguste, Jackson and Vasturia during the stretch run was apparent, and having quality players/ athletes to supplement the Big Three has been addressed on the recruiting front. "After failing to make it as far as the Sweet 16 for 12 seasons, the Fighting Irish look to be a legitimate postseason threat for the second year in a row." Athlon pegged Auguste on the All- ACC first team and put Jackson on the second team, while also including the point guard on their national sec- ond-team All-Junior squad and rank- ing him No. 8 on their national list of "floor leaders." Auguste checked in at No. 4 on the magazine's national list of "post men." Encore Performance Preseason magazines expect the Irish to remain competitive