The Notre Dame Fighting Irish lost stars Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton to the NBA from last year's Elite Eight team, but they still notched 20 wins and boasted one of the nation's top offenses. All five Notre Dame starters average in double figures, but the Fighting Irish sometimes lack the requisite fight at the defensive end. Can Mike Brey's high-octane, but sometimes defenseless, squad simply outscore teams in this year's NCAA tournament?
ESPN Insider has your answers, as Joe Lunardi has enlisted a team of Bracketologists to compile advanced metrics, key scouting intel and best- and worst-case tournament scenarios for all 68 teams to help you make smart picks in your bracket.
TOURNEY PROFILE
Best wins: Iowa, at Duke, North Carolina, Louisville
Worst losses: Monmouth, at Georgia Tech, at Florida State
Regular season conference finish: t-5th, Atlantic Coast Conference
Polls and metrics: The Fighting Irish played a challenging schedule and sit at 37 in the RPI and 33 in BPI.
All-time tourney record: 34-38, one Final Four
Coach's tourney record: Mike Brey (9-12, one Elite Eight)
Bracketology chart | BPI information
PERSONNEL
(Note: Player statistics are through games of March 6.)
STARTING LINEUP
F Zach Auguste (14.5 PPG, 10.4 RPG)
F V.J. Beachem (11.1 PPG, 4.0 RPG)
F Bonzie Colson (11.4 PPG, 6.9 RPG)
G Steve Vasturia (12.2 PPG, 3.1 APG)
G Demetrius Jackson (15.9 PPG, 5.0 APG)
Key Bench Players
F Matt Ryan (5.7 PPG, 1.8 RPG)
G Rex Pflueger (2.8 PPG, 1.5 RPG)
G Matt Farrell (1.9 PPG, 0.8 RPG)
Biggest strength: The Fighting Irish possess better balance than the Wallendas, with all five starters averaging in double-figures. Jackson expertly directs an offense predicated on ball movement and spacing, while Auguste is a low-post load.
Biggest weakness: Coach Brey needs to find a way to put the "D" back in Notre Dame as soon as possible. The Fighting Irish were 321st nationally in 3-point defense percentage, as opponents canned 37.9 percent from behind the arc against them.
Best players: Jackson and Auguste will cause sleepless nights for opposing coaches in Notre Dame's section of the bracket. Jackson successfully filled the high-tops of Grant at the point (no small task), leading the team in scoring and finishing second in the ACC with five assists per game. Auguste, meanwhile, registered 17 double-doubles in Notre Dame's 30 regular-season games; he's a big-time inside scorer.
X factor: Notre Dame's ability to knock down 3s. The Fighting Irish make more than nine 3-balls per game. Jackson, Beachem, Vasturia and sixth man Ryan all possess textbook jumpers and aren't afraid to use them.
SCOUTING REPORT
Offensive approach: The Irish employ a four-out, one-in attack, allowing them to spread the floor around their superb point guard Jackson. Once in their set, Jackson has some options. He can look to score himself; he can find shooters like Vasturia and Beachem parked by the arc; or he can pound the ball inside to Auguste or Colson.
Defensive approach: Notre Dame's defense of choice is man-to-man, but Brey has made an adjustment to fix his porous D. Brey now has Jackson, his point guard, picking up opposing floor generals soon after they come over half court. During the season, Jackson's pickup point had sunk to the 3-point line and, as a result, Irish foes rarely turned the ball over and hit a high percentage of their trifecta tries. Brey hopes this tiny tweak will pay big dividends.
How they beat you: With scoring balance. Jackson is a master at reading screens and getting into the lane. Auguste sets loads of screens and is recognized as the ACC's best at screening and rolling. Colson can knock down midrange shots. And Beachem, Vasturia and Ryan are deadeye shooters.
How you beat them: By attacking Notre Dame's leaky D. The Irish will score, but they can be outpointed because their defense is the team's weakness. Beachem, in particular, is a weak on-the-ball defender, and ACC teams often made him pay.
WHAT THE NUMBERS SAY
(Note: All statistics in this section are courtesy of kenpom.com and are accurate through games of March 6.)
NATIONAL RANKS
Offensive efficiency, 3rd (119.8)
Defensive efficiency, 189th (104.7)
3-point percentage, 54th (37.3)
3-point percentage D, 321st (37.9)
Free throw rate, 270th (32.9)
Free throw rate D, 12th (26.6)
TO percentage, 3rd (14.1)
TO percentage D, 337th (14.8)
Good stat: 118.9 offensive efficiency
Notre Dame has one of the most efficient offenses in the nation. The Irish space the floor, rarely turn the ball over and shoot a high percentage from 2-point and 3-point range. Their offense is a thing of beauty.
Bad stat: 14.8 turnover percentage defense
The Notre Dame defense rarely forces turnovers. The Irish only cause a miscue on 14.8 percent of their defensive possessions, which ranks 337th in the country, according to KenPom.com.
HOW FAR WILL THEY GO?
Best-case scenario: Sweet 16
The Irish are among the nation's best offensive teams, but they struggle mightily to defend the 3-ball and force turnovers. So shootouts will likely be the order of the day in the NCAAs. Brey's team in the best case can win two or three shootouts but will be hard-pressed to win four of them and get to the Final Four.
Worst-case scenario: One and done
A first-round upset loss would ruin St. Patrick's Day for many Notre Dame backers. But one and done is a distinct possibility for Brey's bunch unless the Irish start offering significantly more resistance on defense.