Mike Royko never said, “Some things you wonder, some things you think, and some things you just know.” But he probably would have picked the Irish to make the Sweet 16. He was smart like that.
Just to give you a little perspective on what you’re seeing right now, Notre Dame started allowing its men’s basketball team to participate in the NCAA tournament since 1953. In those 62 seasons, this will be the eighth — eighth — time the team has won more than one meaningful game (i.e. ignoring consolation games). Johnny Jordan did it in 1953, 1954, and 1958. Digger Phelps did it in 1978, 1979, and 1987. Mike Brey did it in 2003 and has now done it again in 2015.
Now more historical marks loom as the Irish head to Cleveland. If the team wins on Thursday to make the Elite Eight, it will be only the second time in those 62 years ND would have won three meaningful tournament games. If the team then wins on Saturday, they will have four meaningful NCAA wins for the first time ever, not to mention gain the program’s second Final Four and tie the all-time record for season wins. Rarefied air indeed.
Mike Brey’s successful teams have had one thing in common — strong on-court leadership. This year’s example might have been his strongest. Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant were not going to let their team lose, and they’ve been that way all year. But in addition to the leadership, you have youth willing to be led, and that’s almost as important.
The other thing this team has: speed. The quickness to get to the spot faster than the other man is the ultimate weapon in basketball, and ND has it up and down the roster. Sometimes you need talent to help you overcome bad games, and this is no small part of ND’s success this year.
Mike Brey is the kind of coach you desperately want to succeed. Kevin White bloviated about Sunday-through-Thursday when talking about Willingham, but when it comes to Brey, that kind of stuff is true in spades. So games like this one make me very happy not only for the program, but especially for him.
And if all that wasn’t enough, his mother died suddenly the morning of the game. So he’s trying to get a Sweet 16 monkey off his back while grieving, and still pulled it off.
Good for him.
tjak says:
Very proud of this team and of Mike Brey. May God bless his Mom.
ElkhartIrish says:
God bless Coach Brey and God bless this team. Let us pray for the soul of his mother. May her soul and all the souls of the faithful departed rest in peace.
ndbandalum says:
Amen!
Dick says:
Super victory for the Irish. Coach Brey showed his mastery of the timeouts in the last minutes of the game. Mr. Coffey,
you are spot on with the on-court leadership. It was so apparent. Happy for our young player that redeemed himself
in overtime for the double-dribble. GO IRISH!!
Mugs (1982) says:
Very happy for Mike Brey. With the exception of their performance in the NCAA Tournament over the years, his teams have always played beyond expectations. He has been a first-class representative of the university as well. To be honest, it’s easy to root for someone like Mike Brey. Clearly this team is different than the others he has had in the past. For this reason, expectations going into this year’s tournament were perhaps higher than ever. This team, however, has answered the call all season long. It has been a real joy to watch them perform at a high level for such an extended period of time!
2015 says:
Way to go Brey ! Have to give props. Normally a one and done in the tourney, but this team is much different. Very strong will to win.
rays15 says:
This team has shown a real knack for keeping their cool with the game on the line and that has enabled them to win way more than their share of close games. They sometimes have trouble defending the post and defensive rebounding, if they can hold their own they can beat anyone. Also need Pat Connaughton to shake a bit of a shooting slump, maybe that 3 in OT will do it.
One nit to pick — the tournament field was smaller prior to the mid-80s. There was a time when winning two games would get you to the Final Four. So it is not a completely valid comparison, in my view.
Mike Coffey says:
That may have been true at one time, but by the time ND started participating, one win got you to the Sweet 16, and it pretty much was that way until the early 1980’s.
rays15 says:
Mike, I that was my point. Until the mid-80s, it was harder to win 2 games in the tournament because there were fewer teams and so every game was against a high quality team — top 24 or top 32 at worst. When Johnny Dee was coach and in Digger’s early years, the tournament was only 24 teams. If you were a No.1 or No. 2 seed in a region, your first game was in the Sweet 16. And two wins put you in the Final Four.
Mike Coffey says:
Go back in the media guide and take a look at some of the teams played in those first games. Also look at some of the teams they lost to.
other_guy says:
Good for Mike Brey! Having taken so much crap over the years makes these moments so much more satisfying.
. . . while other schools have players, Brey has a t-e-a-m!
rays15 says:
I will leave it alone after this as I am sure your readers can make up their own minds. You set up the comparison to teams who won two games, so the relevant comparison would be to look at the teams previous ND teams beat in winning two tournament games. If the comparison is to ND teams that got upset in the tourney, it’s been an unfortunate record in the Brey era as much as any other time. The tournament is a little bit of a crap shoot because there are so many good college players and on a given day someone gets hot, matchups favor one team etc. Anyway let’s agree that we hope this run continues!
PC says:
Congrats to Mike Brey and team! A sweet 16 berth is a nice accomplishment and helps solidfy a wonderful 2014-15 season. I would like to be a bit greedy however and get a shot at Kentucky. I have no delusion though that Wichita St will be anything less then a mountain of a team to climb. Great coach, good players at every position, top PG and experience in the tourney. This will be the first time the Irish need to shoot the lights out and probably score 80 to win. I’ll say the ride continues for one more game-ND 81-78
Terry says:
Historical comparisons of NCAA tournament results are problematic, at best, particularly if you go back far enough. The NCAA didn’t begin seeding tournament teams until 1979, so before that, your draw was pretty much a crapshoot. And there’s also the argument that the NIT was the more prestigious tournament until about the late 1950’s/early 1960’s.
rays15 says:
Terry, I could be wrong, but I think that prior to the 64-team tournament, there really was an attempt to put teams pretty much in regions that made geographical sense. Didn’t always happen, as you might have more strong teams in one area of the country than in another, but it seems like the Irish were inevitably in the Mideast or Midwest regions, and played teams like Cincinnati, Michigan, Michigan State, Toledo, Miami of Ohio etc. Of course, travel is easier now, but I still liked it when the regions made sense and it was easier for fans to get to games. Didn’t the Irish have to play an opening round game in the northwest, thousands of miles from campus, a few years back?
Also, I’m not disagreeing with your recollection of when seedings began, but then how did the NCAA determine first-round byes when it was a 24-team tournament? Was it by major conference championship?
Terry says:
The geographical alignment for regionals ended pretty much around the same time seeding began. You’re right that ND often ended up in pretty strong regionals, given the number of strong teams in relatively close proximity to Notre Dame.
Within the past 10 years, ND’s pod sites have been as follows:
2015: Pittsburgh
2013: Dayton
2012: Greensboro
2011: Chicago
2010: New Orleans
2008: Denver
2007: Spokane
So I think it’s 2007 you’re thinking about. Fwiw, ND was the highest seed in the pod only twice (this year and 2011) of the years referenced above. In years where we’re not the highest seed in the pod, all bets are off in terms of staying close to campus.
Chris Everrett says:
This has been the most enjoyable ND team to watch since Rich Branning and Kelly Tripuka. Not just because of the wins but because of the style they play. What an awesome passing team, both Jerian and DJ can create so much not just for themselves but for the other guys on the court. Simply dynamic. Wich State is going to be toughest test all year due to style they play, but I can’t wait and happy we get at least one more game to watch this once in a generation ND hoop team play together. Thanks Irish!
Mugs (1982) says:
The one person who has failed to get the attention he deserves in all of this is Demetrius Jackson. This kid has raised his level of play several times over when compared to last year. You can see now why he was a Parade All-American and top recruit for the Irish. I must admit that I was a little disappointed with his play as a freshman. Now he plays with confidence, swagger, and intelligence. He is so gifted physically, that it is almost impossible to stop one of his drives to the rim without fouling him or giving up an easy two. Demetrius will be the focal point of next year’s team. It is reassuring that he and some of the other underclassmen have stepped up this year. Rather than a once-in-a-generation team, this squad has hopefully set the tone for many recruiting years to come!
rays15 says:
Mugs, totally agree about Jackson.
2015 says:
Going to game on Thursday. Should be fun. Shock the shockers ! Go Irish !