Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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when the Fighting Irish lost him for the year to a knee injury in November, it looked as if head coach Mike Brey would be starting from scratch with an uncharacteristically young lineup. T he Notre Dame men's basketball team wasn't expected to do much last season, even with star fifth- year forward Tim Abromaitis. So BY WES MORGAN Must Haves, Bubbles year starter at point guard, and Jer- ian Grant, a guard who saw action for the first time in his career, plus junior forward Jack Cooley, fifth-year senior swingman Scott Martin and freshman guard/forward Pat Connaughton came together to produce a stunning 22-12 overall record and 13-5 mark — good for third place — in the 18-round cage match that is the Big East Confer- ence. The Irish also advanced to the semifinals of the league tournament and earned a bid to the NCAA Tourna- ment. It required regrouping after a rocky Irish look to match high expectations But sophomores Eric Atkins, a first- And Steals Evansville in South Bend, followed by another home game versus Monmouth two days later. The Irish travel to the brand new Barclays Center in Brook- lyn to take on St. Joseph's and either BYU or Florida State in the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic Nov. 16-17. The Semi- noles weighed in at No. 25 in the pre- season Associated Press poll. Biedscheid and high-flying and big- bodied Zach Auguste, Irish fans aren't looking for merely an invitation to the Big Dance this season — they're hun- gry for a Sweet 16 berth at the very least. The road began Nov. 10 against 2012-13, plus an infusion of youth and athleticism with dynamic freshman forwards in scoring machine Cameron start in nonconference play (8-5), which included blowout losses to No. 21 Mis- souri, No. 19 Gonzaga and No. 18 Indi- ana. Notre Dame went on to win nine consecutive games in conference play, beginning with a home upset over top- ranked Syracuse. With all five starters returning in