MEN'S BASKETBALL
BY JORDAN WELLS
F
acing a tougher than expected
schedule to start the 2015‑16 cam‑
paign, Notre Dame still navigated
to a 7‑2 overall start in head coach
Mike Brey's 16th season.
There were bumps and bruises along
the way, which is to be expected for a
lineup that lost former star players Jer‑
ian Grant and Pat Connaughton to the
NBA. But there were plenty of bright
spots as well.
Here's a look at what's worked so far
for the Irish this season and what still
needs to improve if they want to reach
last season's heights.
OFFENSE STILL KING
Brey's program caught the eye of the
college basketball world last season en
route to the ACC championship and
the Elite Eight with his free‑flowing,
high‑scoring offense. His teams have
regularly scored at a high rate during his
tenure with the Irish — but last season,
their style of play was featured promi‑
nently in the national spotlight.
"The one thing I don't want to lose
this year is people said, 'Man, you guys
were fun to watch,'" Brey said this pre‑
season. "You looked like you were hav‑
ing fun.'"
So far so good. According to Kenpom.
com, the Irish ranked second in the
country in offensive efficiency through
GROWING PAINS
Mike Brey's team is still finding itself,
but the Irish have had bursts
of greatness so far this season
The Irish offense has remained efficient with junior
point guard Demetrius Jackson, who was averaging
a team-high 17.8 points and 5.0 assists per game
through Dec. 13, at the controls.
PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND
