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New Year’s Resolutions: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Mike Brey

Over the course of the holiday week, we at College Basketball Talk will be detailing what we believe will be the New Year’s Resolutions of some of the nation’s most talented, most disappointing, and thoroughly enigmatic teams. What can we say, we’re in a giving mood.

Who else made Resolutions? Click here to find out.

WHAT DOES NOTRE DAME PROMISE TO DO MORE OF?: Expand their rotation.


  • Why it will happen: Mike Brey doesn’t really have a choice but to expand his rotation and give more minutes to Zach Auguste, Tom Knight, and Austin Burgett. With news breaking after Notre Dame’s game against Ohio State at Madison Square Garden that star guard Jerian Grant would no longer be with the program due to an academic issue, Brey has been put in a tough position. The Irish’s bench only accounts for 21.1% of the overall minutes to begin with, and taking Grant’s 35.6 mpg out of the picture makes matters worse. Brey no longer has the option to play with a small line-up like he favored. Auguste or Knight now will most likely move into the starting five.
  • Why it won’t happen: Unless Mike Brey tries to play basically his starting five with just one off the bench, this will happen. I still think Notre Dame has a chance to be decent in the ACC, but they are in a world of trouble as things currently stand. There were already flaws with this team; compound that with taking Grant out of the equation, and things look bleak. The onus falls on Zach Auguste and Tom Knight to really log quality minutes in the front-court -- they have both been hot and cold this season.

WHAT DOES NOTRE DAME SWEAR THEY WILL DO LESS OF?: Settling for outside shots.


  • Why it will happen: With Grant no longer playing, Notre Dame will revert back to playing a more traditional three guard, two forward line-up, rather than going small with four guards and a forward. As such, expect Notre Dame to go inside more often and continue featuring Garrick Sherman, along with Auguste / Knight. For a team that shoots collectively 76% from the line, they should be attempting more than 21.5 FT per game. Eric Atkins and Pat Connaughton have both taken more three-pointers than free throws. While they are both proficient from the perimeter, they cannot continue to settle for that shot.
  • Why it won’t happen: The last time Notre Dame got to the line at a high rate was during the 2010-11 season. That year, they boasted a front-court consisting of the dual-threat Tim Abromaitis, Tyrone Nash, and Scott Martin -- Nash shot free throws at one of the highest rates in the country. The problem: Notre Dame simply doesn’t boast forwards of this caliber on this year’s team. It’s unrealistic to expect Atkins and Connaughton to all of a sudden become different players. Grant has shot the most free throws -- far and away -- this season. In his absence, it’s hard to see who will get to the charity stripe regularly.

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