Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 DECEMBER 2016 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED MEN'S BASKETBALL BY MATT JONES N otre Dame passed its first two tests of the season, defeating Power Five opponents Colo- rado and Northwestern to win the Legends Classic at the Bar- clays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. The wins on back-to-back days Nov. 21-22 gave the Irish an oppor- tunity to now do something head coach Mike Brey has never done in South Bend. Should Notre Dame get past Iowa in the Big Ten-ACC Chal- lenge Nov. 29 at the Joyce Center, the Irish will likely start 9-0 for the first time in Brey's 17 seasons. The Irish host North Carolina A&T Dec. 4 and Fort Wayne Dec. 6 be- fore a tough non-conference matchup with defending national champion Villanova Dec. 10 in Newark, N.J. Though the Legends Classic fea- tured just one ranked team — No. 22 Texas, which lost to Northwestern in the semifinals — the wins over the Buf- faloes and Wildcats give Notre Dame two solid non-conference victories. "You look at a tournament like this and you go, we got two wins that will be résumé wins," Brey said after the last-minute win over Northwestern Nov. 22. "A Big Ten win and Pac-12 win on a neutral court. They'll be ré- sumé wins. You have to think a little bit like that, but you're also thinking about trying to develop your team." The Legends Classic title is Notre Dame's first in-season tournament championship since winning the Old Spice Classic in 2010. Notre Dame's 5-0 start was the best opening to a season since beginning the 2010 campaign 8-0. FAST START Notre Dame bolsters résumé by winning the Legends Classic Junior point guard Matt Farrell averaged 19.0 points and 6.0 assists per game to help the Irish knock off Colorado and Northwestern Nov. 21-22. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND Three-Point Play As of Nov. 23, eight games remained for Notre Dame before its Atlantic Coast Conference opener against Pittsburgh Dec. 31. Picked to finish seventh in the 14-team league, the Irish are trying to get back to the NCAA Tourna- ment's Elite Eight for a third straight season. Here are three things head coach Mike Brey's squad has done well this season and can build on moving forward: 1. Assist-to-turnover ratio: Through five games, Notre Dame was ranked sec- ond nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.50 per game. The Irish had 85 as- sists and just 34 turnovers, trailing only Houston among the 347 Division I teams. That gaudy number is a product of two factors: one, Notre Dame's two point guards — junior Matt Farrell and freshman T.J. Gibbs — have been extremely efficient to open the season; and two, the Irish are being patient on the offensive end. "We shot it great because we passed it even better than we shot it," Brey said after Notre Dame's win over Seattle Nov. 16. 2. Defense appears ACC-ready: Notre Dame hasn't played an opponent the caliber it will face most nights in the ACC, but Brey's team has already shown some defensive tenacity through the first five games. The Irish were ranked 49th nationally in opponent field goal percentage through five games, limiting the opposition to just 37.5 percent from the floor. That starts with the work done by seniors V.J. Beachem and Steve Vasturia, as well as junior Bonzie Colson. Not only are they Notre Dame's top three players offensively, but all three are able to guard at a high level. Then, when Brey goes to his bench, there's no step down. "When you come in with a Gibbs or a [Rex] Pflueger and a [Austin] Torres, they're terrors defensively [off the bench]," Brey said. "They're flying all over the place. They're getting their hands on balls. Torres takes a charge 30 seconds in. "Those are the guys when you substituted, your defense takes a step up." 3. Free throw percentage: A stat that can't be overlooked is Notre Dame's ability to hit free throws, something that will be vital as the Irish enter close ACC contests. Notre Dame was ranked third in the country in free throw percentage through five games, making 89 of their 106 attempts (84.0 percent). The Irish ranked 34th in that last year (74.2 percent), and 27th in 2014-15 (74.2 percent). The number will likely drop a bit as Notre Dame enters hostile road environments, but it's a good sign for Brey's squad that they've been able to convert free opportunities into points. — Matt Jones