Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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52 APRIL 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED MEN'S BASKETBALL BY COREY BODDEN F or the first time since its diffi- cult ACC debut (15-17 record) in 2013-14, Selection Sunday didn't go as planned for Notre Dame when it was revealed the Fighting Irish would not be part of the field of 68. "After a season of gut punches, that was another gut punch," head coach Mike Brey said after learning his team's fate March 11. It didn't get easier when the NCAA Tournament selection committee revealed Notre Dame was the first team out of the field and Davidson's upset win over Rhode Island in the championship game of the Atlan- tic 10 Tournament earlier that day knocked the Irish from the final spot. "We've had all kind of heartbreak- ing things happen, and on the most important day it was a heartbreaking day," Brey said. "… Once I saw Da- vidson win, I was very realistic about what could be coming." The season began with much opti- mism, and the first section of Notre D a m e ' s n o n - conference slate could not have gone much bet- ter. After taking down DePaul on the road to open the season, the Irish cruised with blowout wins over Mount St. Mary's and Chicago State leading into the 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational. The then-No. 6 Wichita State Shockers were considered the favor- ite, but Brey's group was able to steal a dramatic 67-66 victory in the title game, which followed blowout wins over LSU and Chaminade. Notre Dame vaulted all the way to No. 5 in the Associated Press poll heading into a matchup at then-No. 3 Michigan State Nov. 30. The Spartans were too much to handle, however, and blew out the Irish 81-63. It was the start of a rough patch that included a home loss to Ball State (80-77) and another to Indiana in overtime (80-77) at the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. Notre Dame, however, rebounded with victories in its final two non-conference games to enter ACC play at 10-3. NOT A HAPPY NEW YEAR The Irish started league action with a pair of home wins over Georgia Tech (68-59) and North Carolina State (88-58), which helped Brey pass Dig- ger Phelps (393) and become the all- time winningest coach in school his- tory. Notre Dame, though, fell victim to the injury bug in both contests. Star senior forward Bonzie Colson, who was averaging more than 20 points and 10 rebounds per game in non-conference action, suffered a frac- tured foot prior to the contest against the Yellow Jackets and went for 22 points and 17 rebounds despite the injury. Once the ailment was discov- ered, Colson was ruled out for eight weeks and did not play again until the last week of the regular season. The onus then shifted to senior point guard Matt Farrell and sopho- more guard T.J. Gibbs to carry the load without Colson. But in the first half against the Wolfpack, Farrell in- jured his ankle and did not return. It cost him five of the next seven games, and left the Irish without their best two players for five full games and the better part of another. The Irish shocked most everyone by picking up a 51-49 win at Syracuse in the first game without the senior duo, but then the wheels came off and they dropped seven straight contests. To make matters worse, freshman wing D.J. Harvey went down with a knee bruise that ultimately cost him the remainder of the season when a cartilage issue was discovered and it was determined he needed surgery. Brey and company persevered and managed to win four of their next six contests to get to 7-9 in league play. Then a jolt of en- ergy returned. HE'S BACK! C o l s o n r e - habbed and was cleared to return to action just in time for Senior Night versus Pitts- burgh Feb. 28 and a road matchup against No. 1 Vir- ginia March 3. "It was probably one of the toughest things I've ever had to go through, not being able to go out there and compete with my brothers," Colson told Sports Il- lustrated in early March. "You work so hard in the summer and over the offseason to get to where you're at. You don't really think about things like that." Though given limited minutes, Col- son didn't waste the opportunity in his return. Showing no signs of rust, he went for 12 points and nine re- bounds in his first game back in nearly two months in a 73-56 triumph over the Panthers. The senior followed that with 24 points and 15 rebounds while almost leading the way to an upset win at No. 1 Virginia (62-57). A SEASON OF GUT PUNCHES Unable to overcome injuries, the Irish just missed out on the NCAA Tournament The late-season return of senior forward Bonzie Colson — the preseason ACC Player of the Year who missed 15 games due to a broken foot — was not enough to sway the NCAA Tournament selection committee. PHOTO BY COREY BODDEN