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.