Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/941859
88 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED MEN'S BASKETBALL BY LOU SOMOGYI A s the self-proclaimed "loosest coach in America" ever since Notre Dame's remarkable march to the ACC champion- ship and then to the Elite Eight in 2015, Mike Brey has leaned on poise and even humor during the more dif- ficult moments. Seldom in his 18 seasons with the Fighting Irish has it been as challeng- ing as this winter with a seven-game losing streak from Jan. 10 through Feb. 3 — tying his record for the lon- gest such skein that occurred in 2009 (six of them versus ranked foes). So in the closing minutes of an 88- 66 loss at No. 4 Duke Jan. 29 when the Blue Devils student body mocked the Irish with chants of "NIT! NIT!" Brey was not taken aback about go- ing to the consolation postseason tournament instead of an eighth trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last nine years. "My mindset is, 'Thanks for the compliment. I'll take that right now. Where do I sign?'" Brey said with bemusement. The skid reached seven a few days later in a 76-58 loss at North Carolina State Feb. 3, maybe the most unin- spired effort of the season. Exactly a month earlier on Jan. 3 minus its two best players — se- niors Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell — the Irish crushed the Wolfpack 88-58 to give Brey his 394th victory at Notre Dame, the most ever by a men's basketball coach at the school. Three days later, junior guard Rex Pflueger 's rebound basket with 2.6 seconds left at Syracuse lifted the Irish to a 51-49 win, snapping a six- game losing streak at the Carrier Dome and giving Notre Dame a 3-0 start in the ACC for a second straight season. From an on-court celebration with his record-setting 394th win Jan. 3 to a dubious record-tying seventh- consecutive setback Feb. 3, Brey and Co., ran the full gamut, falling to 15- 11 overall and 5-8 in the ACC follow- ing an 83-66 defeat at North Carolina Feb. 12. • On Jan. 2, it was announced that senior All-American forward Bonzie Colson, the ACC Preseason Player of the Year, would be sidelined at least eight weeks after suffering a frac- tured left foot. "I feel for him. I feel for college basketball," Brey said a day later. "Bonzie Colson is the most popu- lar player in college basketball and maybe the best. "College basketball lost a great story, and I'm hurting for him." • A day later during the victory versus NC State, Farrell sprained his left ankle with five minutes left in the first half, resulting in him miss- ing the next three contests, playing under par in an overtime loss to Lou- isville and then at Clemson, and then having to try to heal up again while sidelined in setbacks to Virginia Tech and Duke. • During the 82-78 double-over- time defeat versus Louisville Jan. 16, freshman D.J. Harvey played only seven minutes after suffering a bone bruise to his left knee that forced him to sit out the next seven games (with 2017-18 NOTRE DAME MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Oct. 20 Holy Cross College! W, 97-57 Nov. 3 Bethel College! W, 88-59 Nov. 7 Cardinal Stritch! W, 90-46 Nov. 11 at DePaul W, 72-58 Nov. 13 Mount St. Mary's+ W, 88-62 Nov. 16 Chicago State W, 105-66 Nov. 20 vs. Chaminade# W, 83-56 Nov. 21 vs. LSU# W, 92-53 Nov. 22 vs. Wichita State# W, 67-66 Nov. 30 at Michigan State& L, 81-63 Dec. 3 St. Francis Brooklyn W, 71-53 Dec. 5 Ball State L, 80-77 Dec. 9 at Delaware W, 92-68 Dec. 16 vs. Indiana^ L, 80-77 (OT) Dec. 19 Dartmouth W, 97-87 Dec. 21 Southeastern Louisiana W, 86-50 Dec. 30 Georgia Tech* W, 68-59 Jan. 3 NC State* W, 88-58 Jan. 6 at Syracuse* W, 51-49 Jan. 10 at Georgia Tech* L, 60-53 Jan. 13 North Carolina* L, 69-68 Jan. 16 Louisville* L, 82-78 (2OT) Jan. 20 at Clemson* L, 67-58 Jan. 27 Virginia Tech* L, 80-75 Jan. 29 at Duke* L, 88-66 Feb. 3 at NC State* L, 76-58 Feb. 6 Boston College* W, 96-85 Feb. 10 Florida State* W, 84-69 Feb. 12 at North Carolina* L, 83-66 Feb. 17 at Boston College* (ACCN) 4 p.m. Feb. 19 Miami (Fla.)* (ESPN) 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at Wake Forest* (ACCN) 3 p.m. Feb. 28 Pittsburgh* (ESPNU) 7 p.m. March 3 at Virginia* (ACCN) 4 p.m. March 6-10 ACC Tournament$ TBA ! Exhibition; + Maui Jim Maui Invitational regional matchup; # Maui Jim Maui Invitational at Lahaina, Hawai'i; & ACC-Big Ten Challenge; ^ Crossroads Classic at Indianapolis; * ACC game; $ at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y.; ACCN — ACC Network; ACCNE — ACC Network Extra TREADING WATER Amidst injury setbacks, the Irish keep slim hopes alive for an NCAA Tournament bid Sophomore forward John Mooney has become a marksman from three-point range, converting 21 of his last 32 attempts beyond the arc as of Feb. 13. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN