Notre Dame Basketball Season Preview

This year, Notre Dame fans are hoping that the basketball season turns out better than the football season. Looking at the team, that seems more than likely.

2006-07
Record: 24-8 (11-5)
Postseason: Lost in the Round of 64 in the NCAA Tournament to Winthrop
Quality Victories: Maryland, Marquette, Syracuse In The Big East Tournament
Bad Losses: South Florida, St. John's
Key Player: Russell Carter

Roster
1 Tyrone Nash SG Freshman
2 Tory Jackson PG Sophmore
5 Tom Kopko PG Freshman
13 Ty Proffitt PG Freshman
20 Jonathan Peoples SG Sophmore
21 Tim Abromaitis PF Freshman
23 Kyle McAlarney SG Junior
31 Rob Kurz PF Senior
33 Zach Hillesland SF Junior
34 Carleton Scott SF Freshman
40 Luke Zeller PF Junior
42 Ryan Ayers SF Junior
44 Luke Harangody C Sophmore

Starting Lineup
PG-Tory Jackson
SG-Kyle McAlarney
SF-Zach Hillesland
PF-Rob Kurz
C-Luke Harangody
6th Man-Luke Zeller

Impact Freshman
Carelton Scott: Carelton Scott is a skinny but fast wing out of New Jersey. His wingspan is very impressive, and his speed at practice has been outstanding. After losing Russell Carter, Carleton Scott has to step up.

Best Player
Tory Jackson: Some may argue Kyle McAlarney or Luke Harangody. Harangody seems to be inconsistent, and McAlarney hasn't played college basketball in almost a year. Jackson stepped in after McAlarney's suspension and led this team. Jackson averaged 7.8 points in his freshman year and also led the Irish in assists. He stepped up big in their Big East Tournament game against Georgetown. He will be playing point guard even though McAlarney has returned. This could be his breakout year after being named to the Big East All-Rookie team.

Biggest Question Mark
Height: The Irish are a fast team, but they do not have much height. Their tallest player is Luke Zeller, who is 6-11. Zeller, however, is their only player above 6-10. When the Irish played Roy Hibbert and Georgetown last year, Harangody and Zeller were shut down. Harangody is big (250 lbs.), but he is only 6-8. Hillesland, Zeller, and Kurz need to play big in the paint so they don't get pushed around by big men.

Best News
McAlarney Returns: After being busted for having marajuana in his car, Kyle McAlarney was suspended for the remainder of the year. He was missed greatly, mostly for his 3-point shooting. He was shooting over 45% last year from beyond the arch. With Colin Falls, who is the Big East's all-time leading 3-point shooter, graduating, the Irish need him to make the big threes for them to win close ball games.

Big Losses
Collin Falls (Graduation)-16.1 ppg, 99 3-point shots made
Russell Carter (Graduation)-17.1 ppg, 4.9 rpg
Joe Harden (Transfer)-1.2 ppg

Schedule

vs. Long Island-11/12
vs. Monmouth @ the University of the Virgin Islands-11/16
vs. Baylor/Wichita State @ UVI-11/17 or 11/18
vs. Charlotte/Georgia Tech/UIC/Winthrop @ UVI-11/19
vs. Youngstown State-11/24
vs. Colgate-11/26
vs. Eastern Michigan-12/1
vs. Kansas State @ Madison Square Garden-12/4
vs. Northern Illinois-12/8
vs. San Francisco-12/22
vs. Brown-12/29
vs. North Florida-12/31
vs. West Virginia-1/3
vs. Connecticut-1/5
@ Marquette-1/12
vs. Cincinnati-1/15
@ Georgetown-1/19
@Villanova-1/26
vs. Providence-1/31
vs. DePaul-2/2
@ Seton Hall-2/6
vs. Marquette-2/9
@ Connecticut-2/13
@ Rutgers-2/17
vs. Pitt-2/21
vs. Syracuse-2/24
@ Louisville-2/28
@ DePaul-3/2
vs. St. John's-3/5
@ South Florida-3/8

Toughest Games
Kansas State, Georgetown, Connecticut (twice), Louisville, Marquette (twice)

Projected Win Total
20 to 27 wins

Projected Seed In NCAA Tournament
3rd to 8th