Know Your Opponent: Notre Dame

By Bobby Hundley

Notre Dame (UND.com)
Location: Notre Dame, Ind.
Preseason Rankings: No. 42 KenPom, NR AP
2018-19 NET/SOS: No. 111 NET, No. 78 SOS
2018-19 Record: 14-19, 3-15 ACC
Carolina Series History (Last Meeting): UNC leads 24-7 (UNC 75, Notre Dame 69, Jan. 15, 2019, Smith Center)

A 2018-19 Notre Dame campaign that started with hope for a return to the NCAA tournament went off the rails early, with the Irish winning just four times after New Year's Day thanks to a rash of injuries and an incredible run of close losses. The 6-point setback to Carolina in Chapel Hill on Jan. 15 was one of 13 ND losses by 10-or-fewer points for a young team that struggled to cope with the absence of veteran standout Rex Pflueger.

But Pflueger, who had surgery to repair his torn ACL in January, is back for a fifth year and now finds himself surrounded by a team that has plenty of ACC experience. A trio of seniors are likely to join Pflueger in the rotation as Juwan Durham, T.J. Gibbs and John Mooney all return for their final year under Mike Brey. Mooney was especially effective last season, averaging a double-double and establishing himself as one of the premier defensive rebounders in college basketball.

With the return of sophomore guard Robby Carmody from December shoulder surgery, Brey has every key contributor back from a year ago save for D.J. Harvey. Harvey, a 6-6 guard who averaged 10.7 points per game as a sophomore, transferred to Vanderbilt in May.

Under Brey, Notre Dame has established itself as a disciplined team that protects the ball and keeps opponents off the foul line. Even in a lost 2018-19 season, the Irish still ranked fourth nationally in turnover percentage and led the country in opponent free throw rate.

While the return of Pflueger has obvious on-court ramifications, his place in the locker room is even more critical after a tragic offseason. Shortly after his knee injury, Pflueger's mother Rebecca was diagnosed with cancer. She passed away in September, and Rex keeps her in his thoughts constantly. Bray and the entire Notre Dame program flew out to California for Rebecca's memorial, and the head coach has heaped praise on his players for growing tighter to help one of their brothers.

A special trip this weekend to support @rexpflueger and his family.
Rebecca's spirit will live on through our program and the people she has touched. pic.twitter.com/A8pcfWxmRY
— Mike Brey (@NDMikeBrey) September 23, 2019

Regardless of the result in Wednesday's opener, Notre Dame figures to push for the top half of the ACC and NCAA tournament inclusion again in 2020. And if the Irish can return to the postseason after a two-year absence, Pflueger - a tenacious defender and an outside shooting threat - will be a big reason why.

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