The voices have returned. So far they are asking questions instead of commanding me to do their bidding.

What is the appropriate response when an opponent runs to a 15 point lead?

In Purcell Pavillion, it’s DanceCam.

Is there a number of opponent losses that makes rushing the court inappropriate?

I’m sure there is, and that number appears to be greater than 4.

The Irish beat North Carolina despite shooting 3-16 from three point range. Is that significant?

Well, it’s nice to win when not shooting well; but 16 attempts is the significant part because it’s only only 24% of Notre Dame’s 66 shots, and shots attacking the basket that drew fouls aren’t included in the 66. For the season, 34.3% of Notre Dame’s shots have come from three point distance; but that drops to 31.9% in conference games, a percentage we haven’t seen since the Irish offense ran through Jack Cooley in the post. The three point percentage is lower still over the last three games, just 27.1 % vs Miami, UNC, and Clemson.

“We want to drive more,” Mike Brey said after the North Carolina game. “We’re trying to take advantage of this new rule. We are driving the ball more. We are pounding with Bonzie (Colson) and Z (Zach Auguste) at times. I want our shooters to be ready to rise up and take ‘em, but I’ve backed off of thinking ‘Can we not make double digits anymore?’ We’re getting to the foul line, and we’re playing better.”

Who impressed you most in the last two Irish victories?

There are players with better stats, not that theirs are poor; but on Saturday and Monday, Steve Vasturia and Demetrius Jackson showed strength and determination that cannot be lost on their teammates. Vasturia and Jackson played 39 and 40 minutes respectively against North Carolina, and they followed with a pair of 40-minute games on Monday. Fatigue might affect a player’s concentration and make him careless with the ball, but it did no such thing to these two. Handling the ball the entire 80 minutes, the two guards had a miniscule 3 turnovers.

Is there a moment you particularly enjoyed during the two victories?

There are several, but one brought some fond memories from the 1990s.

With 5:30 left in the North Carolina game, Jackson waved off a screen and went one-on-one with the Tar Heels’ guard Joel Berry. Jackson backed Berry to 12 feet from the basket and made a turnaround fadeaway jumper.

That was Michael Jordan’s unstoppable shot in the latter half of his career. It’s an incredibly hard shot to make at even a passable percentage, but a player who can master it cannot be stopped.

What do you miss most about the old Big East?

I miss how challenging it was to beat the top teams in the conference.

It seems like the Irish recover from losses pretty well. When is the last time they lost two games in a row?

Notre Dame ended the forgettable 2013-14 season with three losses and has not lost consecutive games since then.

How are some of the lower conference schools from ND’s November/December schedule doing?

As of the weekend:

• Monmouth is 19-5, 11-2 in the MAAC (1st place). RPI 31.
• Stony Brook is 19-4, 10-0 in the America East Conference (1st place). RPI 60
• Milwaukee is 12-9, 6-5 in the Horizon League (4th place). RPI 167
• Youngstown State is 9-16, 4-8 in the Horizon League (8th place). RPI 228
• Loyola is 11-13, 4-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference (8th place). RPI 231
• St Francis is 12-11, 8-5 in the Northeast Conference (3rd place). RPI 248
• Liberty is 11-15, 8-5 in the Big South Conference (5th place). RPI 266
• UMass-Lowell is 8-15, 4-6 in the America East Conference (5th place). RPI 269

How about the major conference teams?

• Iowa is 19-4, 10-1 in the Big Ten (1st place). RPI 8
• Indiana is 19-5, 9-2 in the Big Ten (3rd place). RPI 55
• Alabama is 13-9, 4-6 in the SEC (10th place). RPI 57
• Illinois is 11-13, 3-8 in the Big Ten (12th place). RPI 139

Speaking of Big Ten programs, what is the deal with Ohio State?

Through Sunday, OSU’s record is 16-10, 6-5 in the Big Ten. Such mediocrity does not align with Thad Matta’s recruiting prowess. His last four classes have included two 5-star recruits, seven 4-star recruits, and three 3-star recruits.

I don’t have an answer. I once thought Matta was one of the best coaches in college basketball, but his recent teams are among the most disappointing in the country.

Does college basketball have a greater underachiever than Ohio State?

Why yes. Yes it does. UCLA’s classes have more talent than one would expect from a 13-10/4-6 ninth place team. Since Steve Alford took over in Westwood, the program has attracted two 5-star recruits, five 4-star recruits, four 3-star recruits, and the unranked coach’s some Bryce Alford. Is Head Coach Steve Alford just too nice to motivate that kind of talent?

Mike Brey has done a fine job getting the 2015-16 Irish to improve over the course of the season. Is he a coach of the year candidate, or do you have someone else in mind?

I love what Brey has done so far, but I can’t think of a coach who is more deserving of national honors than South Carolina’s Frank Martin. The Gamecocks are 21-3 overall and tied with Kentucky for first place in the SEC with an 8-3 conference record. South Carolina was 45-54/15-39 while Martin rebuilt the program his first three seasons on the job. His hard work is being rewarded with a fine season. Yes, the non-conference schedule was weak; but as we saw with Notre Dame last season, some teams need that to get the confidence to realize their potential.

It’s about time another SEC program emerged to compete with Kentucky.

What do you think about Rick Pitino’s solution for recruiting violations? “The system is broken,” Pitino said on ESPN’s Outside the Lines. “There’s no question about it. Now, if this team were responsible for this, then they don’t deserve to play in the tournament. But if you’re on Wall Street and your corporation does something wrong, the SEC comes in and fines you. My opinion is the school should be fined $10 million. They shouldn’t be allowed to collect any money from the tournament. The coach should have to take a hit in his salary, 20% or 50% or whatever. The kids should not be penalized…”

I think he’s right about one thing. Coaches who violate the rules should be fined a substantial percentage of their salaries. I will add that the fine should take the form of a suspension without pay. Then maybe head coaches who feign ignorance would make it a point to know exactly what’s happening in their programs.

Louisville’s upcoming game in South Bend conjures memories of the five overtime game in 2013. Cameron Biedscheid made one of the big shots of that game, a three point basket that sent the game to the third overtime period. How is Biedscheid doing now that he has settled into a stable situation at Jacksonville State?

He isn’t doing. Biedscheid, a highly ranked recruit who made an early commitment to Notre Dame and stuck with it, left the program after three semesters. He enrolled at Missouri, left, and committed to Iona after leaving Notre Dame before he finally landed at Jacksonville State. Alas, that basketball relationship didn’t survive to late December. Biedscheid played three games in December, started once, averaged 10 points playing 25 minutes per game, made 36% of his shots, and left the program after the Gamecocks’ December 13th loss to Alabama State. Neither Biedscheid nor Jacksonville State head coach James Green has publicly commented about their separation.

Can you help me get excited about Saturday’s Notre Dame – Louisville game?

Yes I can.

Coach K must die.

Wait… That wasn’t a question.