Projected Starting Lineup
G – Tory Jackson 5-11 Jr. (32.8 MPG, 8.0 PPG, 5.8 APG)
G – Kyle McAlarney 6-0 Sr. (35.7 MPG, 15.1 PPG, 3.5 APG)
G – Ryan Ayers 6-7 Sr. (25.2 MPG, 7.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG)
F – Luke Harangody 6-8 Jr. (29.0 MPG, 20.4 PPG, 10.6 RPG)
F – Zach Hillesland 6-9 Sr. (22.4 MPG, 6.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG)

Impact Bench Players
G – Jonathan Peoples 6-3 Jr. (11.5 MPG, 3.3 PPG, 1.6 RPG)
F – Tyrone Nash 6-8 So. (3.9 MPG, 1.0 PPG, 1.3 RPG)
F – Luke Zeller 6-11 Sr. (11.8 MPG, 4.5 PPG, 2.2 RPG)

Guards
Notre Dame will continue with its three guard approach as they return the same trio of starters from a year ago. Tory Jackson is probably one of their weaker players offensively, but he is needed to run the point because of his superb passing skills and defense. Senior Kyle McAlarney stepped up in a big way last season from the bench to leading minute getter. That was a wise decision by Brey because he’s one of the best pure shooters in the college game right now. Ryan Ayers is a smart player who usually stays out of the way, but when he does decide to shoot, opposing teams need to look out. Expect Jonathan Peoples to play a similar role as last year off the bench. You won’t see a lot of him, but he’s another nice player who will get a well deserved chance to start next season.

Forwards
National Player of the Year contender Luke Harangody returns to the starting lineup. His emergence last year shouldn’t have been a huge surprise because he showed all the signs his freshman season but just didn’t get enough playing time. Luke’s a beast in the paint in every aspect, and it’s tough to shut him down even with size mismatches. The Fighting Irish do have to replace Rob Kurz, who was a senior last season. He was a fine player that will be missed. That leaves Zach Hillesland to fill his shoes in the starting lineup. Hillesland is a good rebounder, but the rest of his game does have some question marks. How he’ll handle the pressure will be something to monitor. Notre Dame would be wise to give an increased role to Luke Zeller who has looked sharp and has good range despite his 6-11 frame. Tyrone Nash didn’t see much work last season, but that should change as he was their best incoming freshman a year ago and could be their go to guy in the future.

Final Thoughts
Notre Dame came a bit under the radar last season, but that won’t be the case this season as they’re getting a lot of Top 10 hype, so will have to see how they hold up to that early on. The big question here has to be defense because they’ve been very bad under Brey in that regard. ND’s had a lot of talent the past couple of seasons, but they haven’t been as good as they should be because their perimeter defense is usually awful. Hard to imagine that changing with the same core of guards intact. Nevertheless, it’ll be tough to score in the paint on them, and they will be very difficult to shut down. Harangody is so tough to stop, and with quality deep shooters in McAlarney, Ayers, and Zeller, they can beat you with trey balls, too. They didn’t play well however come tournament time, where they lost right away in the Big East tourney, and their 1-2 in the NCAA the last two seasons. It’s a group full of upperclassmen, so they should be experienced and ready for the challenge this time around.

Links

- Jackson to Brey: Sit down, shut up, I’ve got it