Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2018 89 MEN'S BASKETBALL a Feb. 17 targeted return at Boston College). Harvey had just began finding a rhythm, including 17 points in the win versus NC State, and nine re- bounds with stout defense in the vic- tory at Syracuse. For good measure, sophomore for- ward John Mooney injured his ankle at NC State, putting him on the bench in the second half of that defeat. The loss of Colson and Farrell and their combined 37 points per game, plus Harvey, rendered the offense into unchartered struggles in the Brey era. The Irish shot less than 40 percent from the field during the seven consecutive losses. CHANGED ROLES/DOMINO EFFECT The losing streak was snapped with back-to-back home wins versus Boston College (96-85) — despite an opponent-record 46 points by Jerome Robinson at the Joyce Center — and Florida State (84-69). Versus Boston College the Irish were 16-of-29 shoot- ing from three-point range and had 21 assists to only five turnovers. Against FSU, guards Farrell and Pflueger pumped in career-high point totals with 28 and 19, respec- tively. "This week we've looked like our program on the offensive end of the floor," Brey said after the two con- quests. "We made assassin-like shots — which is who this program has been — and we didn't see it much there in January." With three of Notre Dame's top four scoring options sidelined much of this winter, expanded roles have been thrust on people not yet suited for them. Sophomore T.J. Gibbs (16.0 points per game) is at his best when he and Farrell can play off each other in the backcourt, but in the senior guard's absence Gibbs forced too many shots as the primary option. Pflueger (8.8 points per game) is not a natural shooter (36.7 field goal percentage), but still a better scor- ing and overall option than what the Irish have had on the bench in sophomore Nikola Djogo (29.2 field goal percentage), who is in a devel- opmental phase, junior forward Eli- jah Burns, primarily a role figure, and fifth-year senior Austin Torres, who provides rebounding and inte- rior toughness but is not a threat on offense (including 3 of 13 from the foul line). When Pflueger can be more of a facilitator and not a main scoring op- tion, he is far more effective. "He's rotated into, 'I'm going to find T.J. and Matt, and the big guys for dump-offs — and then when I need to make a big one, I make a big one,'" Brey said after the win versus Boston College. "He's not hunting his shot as much early, and he's just being a playmaker. That's what we talked about with him." Notre Dame has remained an out- standing passing team — but the good passes this year that went to the open man were not necessarily to the people you wanted shooting. "Everybody was probably trying to do a little too much — but what were the options?" Brey rhetorically asked. In the Feb. 12 loss at No. 14 North Carolina, the guard trio of Farrell, Gibbs and Pflueger went a combined 5 of 34 (14.7 percent) from the field — yet the gritty Irish trailed only 67-63 with 5:47 left before the Tar Heels had a 13-0 spurt to ice the game. A GLIMMER OF HOPE With Farrell and Mooney back to full health in mid-February and Har- vey projected to return potentially for the Feb. 17 game at Boston Col- lege, plus the impressive back-to- back home wins versus the Eagles and Seminoles, Brey is holding out hope for an NCAA Tournament bid. Last year Wake Forest made it with a 9-9 regular-season record in the ACC plus one win in the ACC Tournament. That would require a 4-1 finish this regular season — which is not out of the question with road games at Boston College and Wake Forest, who have a combined 7-18 league record, and Miami and Pitt (0-13 in the league) at home, where the Irish generally thrive. Winning at No. 1 Virginia in the regular-season finale March 3 would be a much taller order. Even at 8-10, plus a win or two in the ACC Tournament, Brey is still looking to dance in March. "You win two in a row in this league, you all of a sudden move to the middle of the pack," he said. "You look at the standings and the middle of the pack of our league — there's still shouting distance to the [NCAA] Tournament. "You still think, 'Wow, maybe there is a pathway.' It would be huge for us." ✦ Three-Point Play 1.Geben's Growth — Overshadowed some during Notre Dame's 5-8 start in league play was senior center Martinas Geben's significant upgrade as a player. In the first 13 league games, he averaged 12.2 points and 9.2 rebounds per outing, while shooting 56.4 percent from the field. Two years ago he looked like a hopeless project, but his development is a huge testament to his work ethic and the four-year program under Mike Brey in which players have consistently progressed well. 2. Moon(ey) Rise — The Irish injury maladies have enabled 6-9 sophomore John Mooney to assert himself as an archetype "stretch four" in Brey's offense. Excluding the Feb. 3 game at NC State in which he was injured, Mooney in his seven full games since freshman D.J. Harvey's knee injury averaged 12.0 points per game and converted a remarkable 21 of 32 from three-point range (65.6 percent), including 6 of 6 at North Carolina Feb. 12 for a career-high 18 points. 3. Colson Comeback? — By March, senior All-Amer- ican Bonzie Colson might be cleared for action, but conditioning and rhythm would remain question marks, which is why Brey remains cautious. "He really wants to come back and play," Brey said of Colson. "I'm going to be the guy probably that's going to have to be the voice of reason on being conservative." Senior center Martinas Geben has devel- oped into one of the ACC's most improved players. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN