Category: Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’15-16 Irish Hold Off ’18-19 Irish

Was it possible for the lowest seed in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament to work its magic again in the second round?

Was it possible for the lowest seed in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament to work its magic again in the second round? It nearly happened, but the fates said enough was enough. The 2015-16 Irish held on for just long enough to defeat the 2018-19 Irish, 85-78.

John Mooney closed a back-and-forth first half with a buzzer beater to give the ’18-19 Irish a two-point halftime lead. In the second half, they held a five-point lead and briefly turned a four-point deficit into a one-point lead with five minutes to go. But the ’15-16 Irish followed that with a 9-0 run to go up by eight. Over the final minute-and-a-half, unlikely hero Austin Burgett hit a dagger 3-pointer, then made all eight of his free throws to seal the win, scoring 11 of his 14 points during that stretch.

Steve Vasturia led all scorers with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Zach Auguste scored 16 points, and V.J. Beachem had a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Demetrius Jackson coupled 10 points with six assists, and Bonzie Colson grabbed a game-high 14 boards.

Despite shooting 5 of 18 from the field, T.J. Gibbs led the ’18-19 Irish with 16 points. D.J. Harvey scored 15, and Mooney added another double-double to his resume with 12 points and rebounds apiece. Prentiss Hubb scored 11, and Nate Laszewski came off the bench with 10.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’05-06 Irish Take Out ’16-17 Irish

The slipper still fits for the 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament.

The slipper still fits for the 13th-seeded 2005-06 Irish in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament. This time, they recorded a 95-85 win over the 2016-17 Irish, who had the highest seed of any team in the field with a first-round bye at fifth. As the clock kept winding down, it appeared this game would go the other way. Then, the unexpected happened.

After the teams went back and forth in the first half, the ’16-17 Irish went up 10 five minutes into the second. With seven minutes to go, the lead was at six. The ’05-06 Irish came back to hold a slim lead for most of the next few minutes, during which the ’16-17 Irish tied it back up and even briefly retook the lead. But Chris Quinn hit a dagger 3-pointer with 54 seconds left to put the ’05-06 Irish up six, and the ’16-17 Irish sealed their fate when they couldn’t score again.

Colin Falls led all scorers with 22 points and created a lethal duo with Quinn, who had a double-double of 20 points and 10 assists. Falls and Quinn made all 10 of their collective free throws, and they were a combined 8 of 14 from 3-point range. Russell Carter scored 14 points, and Torin Francis nearly achieved a double-double with 12 points and nine rebounds. Luke Zeller scored 11 off the bench.

Steve Vasturia led the ’16-17 Irish with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Bonzie Colson had a double-double of 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Matt Farrell came close to one of his own with nine points and 10 assists. V.J. Beachem scored 16, and Rex Pflueger had 11.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’09-10 Irish Superior to ’11-12 Irish

It took until the second round of the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, but we finally have a win for a higher seed.

It took until the second round of the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, but we finally have a win for a higher seed. Boy, did the victors here come out with a vengeance for all the higher seeds that didn’t get out of the first round. In the only second-round matchup that was predetermined, the 2009-10 Irish led the 2011-12 Irish wire-to-wire en route to an 85-59 win.

The ’09-10 Irish jumped out to an eight-point lead just over four minutes into the game and continued to build from there. After the lead was pushed to 11 with less than six-and-a-half minutes in the first half, it never fell below double digits again. No points were scored in the game’s final minute-and-a-half, but at that point, it had been garbage time for a while.

Four ’09-10 Irish starters scored in double figures, but Luke Harangody came off the bench and led everybody with 18 points. Ben Hansbrough and Tim Abromaitis came together and scored 17 points apiece while also make seven of their team’s 12 3-pointers. Tory Jackson scored, and Tyrone Nash had 10 while coming within one rebound of a double-double.

Jerian Grant led the ’11-12 Irish with 16 points. Jack Cooley scored 13 and was two rebounds away from achieving a double-double.

Shooting percentage made the difference here as the ’09-10 Irish held a 48.3-36.4 advantage from the floor.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 6 Seed – 2012-13 Irish

For the program’s Big East swan song, the 2012-13 Irish got off to one of the best starts in program history at 14-1.

For the program’s Big East swan song, the 2012-13 Irish got off to one of the best starts in program history at 14-1. Perhaps Mike Brey was more motivated after receiving a 10-year contract extension. Whatever the reason for the hot start, it gave the Irish the luxury of probably only needing to finish .500 in conference play to make the NCAA tournament.

After winning their first two Big East games, the Irish went 9-7 the rest of the schedule before earning a first-round bye in the conference tournament and making the semifinals. That was enough to sway the selection committee, which gave the Irish an at-large berth. However, their March Madness run was cut short as they were one-and-done after falling to lower-seeded Iowa State.

Jerian Grant was the Irish’s top scorer at 13.3 points a game, and he tied with Eric Atkins for the team lead in assists at 5.5. Jack Cooley averaged a double-double of 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. Scott Martin, who became the first Notre Dame student-athlete to earn a sixth year of eligibility, was bothered enough by his knee that his final game came in late January, and his career ended for good after he elected to have surgery the following month.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 7 Seed – 2015-16 Irish

It seems odd that a team that made the Elite Eight would be seeded so low in our Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament.

It seems odd that a team that made the Elite Eight would be seeded so low in our Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, but that goes to show this team wasn’t expected to repeat what it did the year before. Yet somehow, it happened. The 2015-16 Irish finished the season 24-12. You never would have thought this team got on a roll when it counted the most.

The Irish never had a winning streak longer than four games, which resulted in an 11-7 ACC record. The highlight of the regular season was an 80-76 win over No. 2 North Carolina in South Bend, so at 16-7, all they had to do after that was tread water, and they’d make the NCAA tournament. They did just that, even securing a second-round bye in the conference tourney. What followed was a March Madness no one could have expected.

As a No. 6 seed, the Irish got to play 11th-seeded Michigan in the first round and needed a second-half comeback to earn a seven-point win. Against 14th-seeded Stephen F. Austin, they nearly fell a team threatening to make a deep Cinderella run but for Rex Pflueger’s thrilling last-second tip-in that gave them a one-point victory. They defeated Wisconsin by five in the Sweet Sixteen before the Tar Heels got their revenge from earlier in the season by dealing the Irish a 14-point loss. Having gotten that far, there was nothing to be ashamed of.

All five of Notre Dame’s regular starters finished with scoring averages in double digits, paced by 15.8 points a game from Demetrius Jackson, who also led the Irish with 4.7 assists a game. Zach Auguste averaged a double-double with 14.0 points and 10.7 rebounds a game. Rounding out the high scorers were V.J. Beachem (12.0), Steve Vasturia (11.4) and Bonzie Colson (11.1).

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 5 Seed – 2016-17 Irish

The most recent Notre Dame team to make the NCAA tournament played during the 2016-17 season.

The most recent Notre Dame team to make the NCAA tournament played during the 2016-17 season. It was clear this team was special when it got off to a 9-0 start, which including winning the Legends Classic. The Irish split the final four nonconference games to finish that part of the schedule 11-2.

The goodness continued when the Irish won six of their first seven ACC games. After that, they followed a four-game skid with a six-game winning streak. Ultimately, they finished in a three-way tie for second in the conference at 12-6, got to the title game in the conference tournament and defeated Princeton in the first round of the Big Dance before falling to West Virginia in the second. A 26-10 season was one to be proud.

Notre Dame’s top four scorers all reached double figures, and all of them started every game. Bonzie Colson averaged a double-double of 17.8 points and 10.1 rebounds a game and also led the team in blocks (1.4). Matt Farrell had 14.1 points and a team-high 5.4 assists a game. Steve Vasturia attributed part of his 13.1 points a game to a whopping 91-percent shooting from the free-throw line, and V.J. Beachem provided additional scoring at 14.5 points a game.

Though the Irish ranked near the bottom overall in free-throw attempts (611), their .800 shooting percentage from the charity stripe was the best in the country, so opponents were wise to avoid fouling them whenever possible.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 9 Seed – 2011-12 Irish

Sometimes, it’s a matter of when you win, not what you win.

Sometimes, it’s a matter of when you win, not what you win. For most teams, an 8-5 showing in nonconference play would be deflating. But the 2011-12 Irish got back on track and went 13-5 in Big East play, which included a win over top-ranked Syracuse, and finished one game behind Marquette for the regular-season title. Blessed with the luxury of being in a power conference, that earned Notre Dame an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. However, the stay was a short one thanks to a first-round upset loss to Xavier.

The disappointing start to the season was coupled with bad luck on the health front. Eric Katenda, who was expected to contribute as a freshman, injured his eye in a pick-up game over the summer and ended up with permanent damage to his optic nerve. In late November, Tim Abromaitis’ senior season and Irish career ended prematurely when he tore his ACL. This should have been a trying season in South Bend.

A 3-3 start against Big East opponents meant an 11-8 overall record. At that point, it might have been best to start thinking about the NIT instead of the Big Dance. Then, the win over Syracuse happened, and it propelled the Irish to a nine-game winning streak and ultimately, a second-round bye in the conference tournament. There was no way they wouldn’t go dancing after that.

The Irish received balanced scoring from Jack Cooley, Jerian Grant and Eric Atkins, all of whom averaged over 12 points a game. Cooley was named to the all-conference second team and honored as the Big East Most Improved Player. Grant became a member of the conference’s all-rookie team. To top off the honors, Mike Brey won the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award and was named the District V Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: No. 8 Seed – 2009-10 Irish

We finally have our first team in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament which qualified for March Madness: the 2009-10 Irish.

It took long enough, but we finally have our first team in the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament which qualified for March Madness: the 2009-10 Irish. Even though Notre Dame was upset by Old Dominion in the first round of the NCAA tournament, this still was a decent team that flew under the radar. That’s the best to describe a group that finished 23-12.

The ’09-10 Irish are the last to go undefeated at the Purcell Pavilion, which meant they took care of business when they absolutely should have. They never had a losing streak longer than three, and they were one of eight Big East teams to win at least 10 conference games. No, they weren’t able to take down the top dogs in the conference like Syracuse, West Virginia or Villanova, but they did what they needed to obtain an at-large NCAA bid, and making the Big East semifinals surely helped. This definitely was a comeback year for them after missing out on the Big Dance the year before.

Luke Harangody came close to averaging a double-double with 21.8 points and 9.1 rebounds a game. Tim Abromaitis obtained a 16.1 scoring average while shooting 42.9 percent from 3-point range, and Ben Hansbrough posted 12.0 points a game. He also averaged 4.4 assists, not far behind the 5.3 assists from Tory Jackson. With those two setting the pace, the Irish ranked sixth in the country in assists (585).

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’13-14 Irish Blow it Open vs. ’17-18 Irish

The 2013-14 Irish made it a clean sweep for lower seeds in the first round, beating the 2017-18 Irish, 78-66.

In the first game of our Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament in which no player was on both teams, the 2013-14 Irish made it a clean sweep for lower seeds in the first round, beating the 2017-18 Irish, 78-66. This was the first game in the tournament that was void of any drama. As a result, we’ll get our second game in this tournament featuring teams from back-to-back years when the victors in this game play the 2012-13 Irish in the second round.

The only lead for the ’17-18 Irish came when the score was 4-2. After it was tied at 6, the ’13-14 Irish scored 12 unanswered points and never relinquished the lead. The ’17-18 Irish never got closer than six the rest of the first half, and the deficit was double digits for most of the second.

Garrick Sherman dominated this game with 17 points and 16 rebounds, adding to the six double-doubles he achieved during the ’13-14 season. Pat Connaughton came within a couple of boards of joining him with 13 and eight. Zach Auguste scored 10 points, and Eric Atkins was balanced across the stats sheet with seven points, seven rebounds and a game-high eight assists.

Bonzie Colson was similarly dominant for the ’17-18 Irish as he achieved a double-double of 17 points and 13 rebounds. T.J. Gibbs scored 13 points to go with six assists, and Rex Pflueger scored 12. However, the bench let the team down as it was outscored, 26-9.

Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament: ’18-19 Irish Better Than ’19-20 Irish

Only two games into the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, and the lower seeds already are 2-0.

Only two games into the Notre Dame 15 Years Tournament, and the lower seeds already are 2-0. In this case, the 2018-19 Irish, the lowest seed in the field showed that perhaps, they could have had a better season than the most recent iteration of the Irish. They won the first-round matchup in which players basically played against each other, 80-71.

Despite the closeness of this game, the ’18-19 Irish never trailed in the first half and had a four-point lead at the break. Early in the second half, the ’19-20 John Mooney hit a shot to give his team a one-point lead, but the younger Mooney answered back with his own bucket 12 seconds later, and the ’18-19 Irish led the rest of the way. They went on a 13-4 run to break it open and ultimately grew their lead to 13. Though the ’19-20 Irish cut the deficit to five with just over a minute left, they made too many mistakes to give themselves a shot at late heroics.

Five players scored in double figures for the ’18-19 Irish, led by Mooney’s 20 points and 13 rebounds. Dane Goodwin paced the second unit with 13 points. D.J. Harvey and T.J. Gibbs put up 12 points apiece, and Prentiss Hubb had 10 while shooting all but one of his field-goal attempts from 3-point range.

The ’19-20 Irish were paced by Mooney, who had 22 points and 16 rebounds. Hubb wasn’t far behind with 17 points. This Irish team had fewer free-throw attempts (11) than free throws made by its opponent (16), and the number of free throws this Irish team made (seven) was the difference in the game.