The Fighting Irish came in to the 2014-2015 season with tempered expectations to anyone outside of the program. There were a few mentions of the return of exiled Jerian Grant, but the Irish were picked to finish 7th in the ACC and the goal seemed to be simply to make it back to the NCAA Tournament in March. The usual easy early schedule gave us no real indication of what this team could do, aside from score incredibly efficiently against inferior opponents.
The first real glimpse of what was to come from this squad that we saw was the December 3rd win over Tom Izzo’s Michigan State squad. Sure, MSU is down this year, but immediately prior to their date with the Irish, the Spartans had played both highly-ranked Duke and highly-ranked Kansas to relatively close losses. The Irish got them at home in the ACC/B1G challenge, and it took overtime to beat the Spartans. In retrospect, this would not turn out to be a top-tier win, but at the time, the nation took notice and the Irish cracked the top-25 the following week.
About a week later, the Irish opened ACC play. After a less-than-stellar opening campaign in the ACC, conference play brought apprehension, especially when it came to an ACC squad that boasted a few seven footers. As it turned out, Zach Auguste’s flurry of “dunks-du-lac” translated into a pleasant surprise of a win. While I wasn’t sure whether to count the 20-point win over the Seminoles (at home) a commonplace, I tuned in to the Crossroads Classics with cautious optimism.
On December 20th, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the Purdue Boilermakers by 31 points. Demetrius Jackson threw down what was, in my opinion, the dunk of the year. It made CNN’s front page, if you missed it. That was when I started to believe in the Fighting Irish as a legitimate basketball team, even if Purdue didn’t look like a top-four B1G team. As it turns out, they’ll probably be dancing next week.
What followed was a win at North Carolina, a close loss at Purcell Pavilion to top-two ranked Virginia, the emergence of Bonzie Colson, and a frantic comeback at NC State. At this point, the Irish stood at 19-2 with a 7-1 mark in conference, a top-10 ranking, and a home date with fourth-ranked Duke loomed. What happened? The season turned.
Jerian Grant’s ACC POY campaign was legitimized with an outstanding showing. The Dukies went down in South Bend. Jerian Grant had been so good all year, and a few highlight plays – a dunk against Georgia Tech, and two crazy made shots against Duke – meant the nation was taking notice of the most efficient offense and its best player. The Irish would even out a bit down the stretch, which included a 30-point drubbing against a pissed off Duke team at Cameron, but the win against Duke at home seemed to solidify the Irish as a contender.
After losing a few should-have-one games and needing a bit more vindication, the Irish took a 24-5 record to Louisville on a Wednesday night in March, when teams were making their push for seeding across the nation. An emphatic double-digit win that night and another over a middling Clemson team a few nights later had the Irish ranked 11th in the nation to close the regular season.
The results: 2 All-ACC players in Grant and Connaughton, as well as an incredibly deserving All-American in Grant, according to USA Today. The Tobacco Road media refused to give Jerian Grant his due in the ACC Player of the Year vote, but true Irish fans know his true value to this team. The same can be said for guys like VJ Beachem, Steve Vasturia and Demetrius Jackson, who I feel could be considered snubs in the “most improved” and “six man” categories, give or take.
The real focus, as anyone in the program will tell you however, is on post-season play.
Tourney Look Ahead
The Irish will take on Miami tonight in their second-ever ACC tournament game. It’s also the second-ever ACC tournament game for key players like Steve Vasturia, VJ Beachem, Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste, as well as the first ever ACC tournament for key role player and fan favorite Bonzie Colson. Despite a stellar season, the Irish face doubts in the ACC and NCAA tournament. This inexperience is why, but it’s not the whole picture. The Irish also face the stigma of not performing in tournaments and not making any noise nationally since the sweet 16 run of 2003.
The Miami game could be a toss-up, but I’m willing to give the Irish the benefit of the doubt here. This is a team the Irish beat at their best back in January, and they’ve done nothing but disappoint since. The Hurricanes sit squarely on the bubble, providing possible motivation, but I believe the combo of Grant and Connaughton, who we’ll need to hit some buckets, can be relied on to lead the Irish to a semifinal date against the Duke Blue Devils.
If such heights are to be reached, emotion will come in to play. Granted, this is my humble opinion, but going up against a team with which the Irish split in the regular season, in Greensboro, will be won by the team that wants it more. The Irish have the talent and athleticism to beat the Dukies; this much has already been proven this year. However, the confidence gained by Duke when they put up 90 on the Irish in February will have to be erased early on. If the Irish can hit their shots and weather the storm, there’s no reason for any less than optimism in this one.
The ACC final, though only a few days away, seems further. If, and I say “if” emphatically, the Irish prevail in the semi’s, they’ll likely face a foe they’ve already played even or beaten. The key will be to come out motivated for a second night in a row, which will be easy, all things considered. Like any Irish team before them, they’ll just need to make their shots. The ACC title is within grasp for this team, if the right team shows up. Getting guys like Vasturia, Beachem, Jackson and Auguste up for this game is on Grant and Connaughton.
The NCAA Tourney
With a three-seed all but locked in, I expect the Irish to end up out west behind one-seed Villanova and two-seed Arizona. This does not bode well, as these are two teams that Mike Brey hasn’t seen in a while. Villanova’s last date with the Irish was in 2013, and Arizona was the team that dispatched the Irish from the sweet 16 when Jason Gardner proved too much for the likes of Chris Thomas and Torin Francis in 2003.
Looking forward to the sweet 16 is ambitious, as the Irish look to be in position to play a MAC team (probably Central Michigan) and a possibly an 11-seed Texas or 6-seed Butler in the first weekend. Texas’ athleticism represents the very bugaboo that has haunted the Irish in the tournament ever since that sweet 16 trip, and Butler is an in-state team that I’m sure would view a tournament matchup against Notre Dame primed and ready to perform.
The optimistic side of me sees a trip to the finals of the ACC Tournament and a Sweet Sixteen Matchup versus either Arizona in the west or Wisconsin in the Midwest on the horizon for one of Mike Brey’s most talented teams. The realist side of me sees an exit at the hands of the ultra-talented Blue Devils in the semis of the conference tournament and a disappointing second-round exit at the hands of Butler or Texas in the NCAAs. At this point, prognosticating proves relatively useless until the games are played. Here’s to hoping we’re pleasantly surprised and superman Jerian Grant can deliver the run the Irish are hungry for.
