Even Mik Vaughn at 12 and 9 per game would not

be enough to offset good teams with power players in the low post. DePaul was pounded on the boards while being eliminated by Missouri State in the first round of the NCAAs and Marquette lost a tough one in the second round at TAMU.

My projected level for Mik Vaughn's production would be great if there were another inside player to assist in a significant way. I don't see an Erica Davenport on ND's roster to help her or a 6'2 Marte Grays who was DePaul's leading scorer. We don't have additional forwards with their level of athleticism. This is the crux of my argument that ND is going to look like a DePaul or Marquette in the coming season.

The 2018 and 2019 off-seasons saw the loss of five forwards: Nelson, Westbeld, Turner, Shepard, and Patterson as well as the addition of two: Cosgrove and Brunelle. Three forwards is not enough to compete for a spot in the Elite Eight. With such low numbers at forward, ND cannot overcome even a case of the flu or a sprained ankle or two. Maybe there is a 2019 international power forward west of the Pacific or east of the Atlantic!