2011 Notre Dame Basketball Predictions
Written by James Zerfoss - Google +
2010-11 Results:
Overall: 27-7(Home 17-0 Road 5-4 Neutral 5-3 Post Season 2-2)
Big East: 14-4
Conference Tournament: Lost in the semifinals of the Big East tournament.
Postseason: Lost in the third round of the NCAA tournament.
Mike Brey guided Notre Dame to a surprising second place finish in the Big East last year and another NCAA Tournament berth. Once again he continued to show that he is one of the top coaches in the Big East and will look to prove it again this year.
Notre Dame got off to a slow start in conference play going 3-3 but went 14-4 the rest of the way. They were selected to finish seventh in the preseason coaches’ poll. Coach Mike Brey was named Coach of the Year and Ben Hansbrough was named player of the year. Notre Dame not only has to replace Hansbrough but isn’t getting much respect again by Big East coaches finishing ninth in this years’ preseason poll.
Notre Dame averaged 76 points a game last year ranking 33rd in the country. With the loss of Hansbrough, Notre Dame’s offense may take a dip this year statistically. Most pundits are not expecting Notre Dame to make the NCAA tournament but they will look to prove everyone wrong for a second year in a row. Last year the Irish averaged 36.9 rebounds per game and will look to improve on that figure this year.
Roster
Returning Starters
SG Scott Martin
SF Tim Abromaitis
Other Returning Players
Eric Atkins
Jerian Grant
Tom Knight
Mike Broghammer
Joey Brooks
Pat Connaughton
Jack Cooley
Alex Dragicevich
Newcomers
Pat Connaughton
Garrick Sherman
Head Coach
Mike Brey
Key Losses
Notre Dame will need someone to step up after the losses of Ben Hansbrough and forward Carleton Scott. Hanrangody was named Big East player of the year averaging 18.4 points per game and added 145 assist. The Irish will also need to replace Scott who averaged 11.2 points per game last year which was good for third on the team and was the Irish’s leading rebounder.
Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT |
| Sat, Nov 12 | vs Mississippi Valley State |
| Mon, Nov 14 | vs Detroit |
| Wed, Nov 16 | vs Sam Houston State |
| Fri, Nov 18 | vs Delaware State |
| Mon, Nov 21 | vs #25 Missouri* |
| Sun, Nov 27 | vs Bryant University |
| Wed, Nov 30 | @#23 Gonzaga |
| Sun, Dec 4 | @Maryland |
| Thu, Dec 8 | vs Maine |
| Sat, Dec 10 | vs Dartmouth |
| Sat, Dec 17 | @Indiana |
| Mon, Dec 19 | vs Sacred Heart |
| Tue, Dec 27 | vs #9 Pittsburgh |
| Wed, Jan 4 | @#20 Cincinnati |
| Sat, Jan 7 | @#7 Louisville |
| Tue, Jan 10 | vs South Florida |
| Sat, Jan 14 | vs #4 Connecticut |
| Mon, Jan 16 | @Rutgers |
| Sat, Jan 21 | vs #5 Syracuse |
| Wed, Jan 25 | @Seton Hall |
| Sun, Jan 29 | @#4 Connecticut |
| Sat, Feb 4 | vs #19 Marquette |
| Wed, Feb 8 | @West Virginia |
| Sat, Feb 11 | vs DePaul |
| Wed, Feb 15 | vs Rutgers |
| Sat, Feb 18 | @Villanova |
| Wed, Feb 22 | vs West Virginia |
| Sat, Feb 25 | @St. John’s |
| Mon, Feb 27 | @Georgetown |
| Fri, Mar 2 | vs Providence |
2011-12 Preview
Notre Dame will look to prove people wrong again in 2011-2012. I believe that they will do so. Jerian Grant will be the key to replacing the scoring that Notre Dame lost due to Hansbrough moving on. Abromaitis and Martin will provide stability and leadership while the Irish try to establish who will fill out the lineup.
Right now they are a 45/1 play to win the NCAA tournament. Based on Mike Brey’s past success at Notre Dame it seems that the Irish will once again surprise people and make the NCAA tournament despite being considered a long shot by many experts.
Backcourt
Eric Atkins will be asked to take on a bigger role while replacing Hansbrough in the starting lineup. Last year Atkins flashed some potential and should continue to get better as the season progresses.
Scott Martin will be the Irish’s only returning starter in the backcourt and averaged 9.7 ppg last year. He will need to improve his shooting in order to make up for some of the offense lost with the departure of Hansbrough. At 6’8” Martin is one of the bigger guards in the Big East and can prove difficult for smaller guards to handle.
Jerian Grant is the player that is likely to have the biggest impact on whether Notre Dame gets back to the NCAA tournament again. He missed last season due to injury but has a lot of potential. He is unproven at this point though Brey is counting on him to add the scoring the Irish need.
Joey Brooks and Alex Dragicevich will look to provide an extra spark coming off the bench. Though Dragicevich will need to improve his shooting after shooting under 30 percent last year in limited action.
Frontcourt
Tim Abronmaitis is Notre Dame’s number one scoring threat having scored 15.4 points per game last year. He will provide the Irish with leadership and toughness. With so many unproven commodities in the lineup it is essential for Abronmaitis to stay on the floor and out of foul trouble.
Jack Cooley 3.7 ppg and 3.1 rpg will be called upon to add more in 2011. Juniors Mike Broghammer and Tom Knight will also need to contribute after injury plagued 2010-2011 seasons.
Newcomers Pat Connaughton (St. John’s Prep, MA) and Eric Katenda (Sunrise Christian Academy, KS) will look to earn playing time. Connaughton has a good all-round game and Katenda is an outstanding scorer.
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