2015–16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

2015–16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
2015–16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 17
Record	24–12 (11–7 ACC)
Head coach	Mike Brey (16th season);
Assistant coaches	Anthony Solomon; Rod Balanis; Martin Ingelsby;
Home arena	Edmund P. Joyce Center
	Seasons ← 2014–15 2016–17 →

2015–16 ACC men's basketball standings
v t e	Conf.				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
No. 3 North Carolina †	14	–	4	.778	33	–	7	.825
No. 4 Virginia	13	–	5	.722	29	–	8	.784
No. 10 Miami (FL)	13	–	5	.722	27	–	8	.771
No. 16 Louisville*	12	–	6	.667	23	–	8	.742
Notre Dame	11	–	7	.611	24	–	12	.667
No. 19 Duke	11	–	7	.611	25	–	11	.694
Virginia Tech	10	–	8	.556	20	–	15	.571
Clemson	10	–	8	.556	17	–	14	.548
Pittsburgh	9	–	9	.500	21	–	12	.636
Syracuse	9	–	9	.500	23	–	14	.622
Georgia Tech	8	–	10	.444	21	–	15	.583
Florida State	8	–	10	.444	20	–	14	.588
NC State	5	–	13	.278	16	–	17	.485
Wake Forest	2	–	16	.111	11	–	20	.355
Boston College	0	–	18	.000	7	–	25	.219

† 2016 ACC tournament winner * Ineligible for both the 2016 ACC tournament and the 2016 NCAA tournament due to self-imposed postseason ban. Rankings from AP poll

The 2015–16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Fighting Irish, led by sixteenth year head coach Mike Brey, played its home games at Edmund P. Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana and were third year members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 24–12, 11–7 in ACC play to finish in a tie for fifth place. They defeated Duke in the quarterfinals of the ACC tournament to advance to the semifinals where they lost to North Carolina. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Michigan, Stephen F. Austin, and Wisconsin to advance to the Elite Eight where they lost to fellow ACC member North Carolina.

Previous season

The Fighting Irish finished the season 32–6, 14–4 in ACC play to finish in third place. They defeated Miami (FL), Duke, and North Carolina to become champions of the ACC tournament. They received an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament where they defeated Northeastern in the second round, Butler in the third round, and Wichita State in the Sweet Sixteen before losing in the Elite Eight to unbeaten Kentucky in a close game, 68–66.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Eric Katenda	15	F	6'9"	230	Junior	Paris, France	Graduate transferred to North Texas
Jerian Grant	22	G	6'5"	202	Senior	Bowie, MD	Graduated/2015 NBA draft
Pat Connaughton	24	G/F	6'5"	206	Senior	Arlington, MA	Graduated/2015 NBA draft

2015 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Rex Pflueger SG	Dana Point, CA	Mater Dei High School	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Sep 11, 2014
Rex Pflueger SG	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Elijah Burns PF	Troy, NY	Blair Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	230 lb (100 kg)	Jul 19, 2014
Elijah Burns PF	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Matt Ryan SF	Cortlandt Manor, NY	Iona College Prep	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Jul 11, 2014
Matt Ryan SF	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking: Scout: 15 Rivals: 20 ESPN: 17
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Notre Dame 2015 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved July 17, 2015. "2015 Notre Dame Commits". Scout. Retrieved July 17, 2015. "2015 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN. Retrieved July 17, 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved July 17, 2015. "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved July 17, 2015.

2016 Recruiting class

College recruiting information (2016)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
T. J. Gibbs SG	Scotch Plains, NJ	Seton Hall Prep	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	May 4, 2015
T. J. Gibbs SG	Recruit ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruit ranking: Scout: 15 Rivals: 20 ESPN: 17
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Notre Dame 2016 Basketball Commitments". Rivals. Retrieved July 17, 2015. "2016 Notre Dame Commits". Scout. Retrieved July 17, 2015. "2016 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN. Retrieved July 17, 2015. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout. Retrieved July 17, 2015. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved July 17, 2015.

Roster

2015–16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Previous school	Hometown
G	0	Rex Pflueger	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	198 lb (90 kg)	Fr	Mater Dei	Dana Point, California
F	1	Austin Torres	6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	234 lb (106 kg)	RS So	Penn	Granger, Indiana
F	3	V. J. Beachem	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	Jr	New Haven	Fort Wayne, Indiana
F	4	Matt Ryan	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	Fr	Iona Preparatory	Cortlandt Manor, New York
G	5	Matt Farrell	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	So	Point Pleasant Beach	Point Pleasant, New Jersey
G	11	Demetrius Jackson	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	201 lb (91 kg)	Jr	Marian	Mishawaka, Indiana
F	12	Elijah Burns	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	234 lb (106 kg)	Fr	Blair Academy	Troy, New York
F	20	Austin Burgett	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	232 lb (105 kg)	Sr	Avon	Avon, Indiana
F	21	Matt Gregory (W)	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	So	Cathedral	Avon, Indiana
F	23	Martinas Geben	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	253 lb (115 kg)	So	St. Maria Goretti	Vilnius, Lithuania
F	30	Zach Auguste	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	Sr	New Hampton	Marlborough, Massachusetts
G	32	Steve Vasturia	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	212 lb (96 kg)	Jr	St. Joseph's Prep	Medford, New Jersey
F	35	Bonzie Colson	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	So	St. Andrew's School	New Bedford, Massachusetts

Head coach

Mike Brey

Assistant coach(es)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2015* 7:00 pm	No. 19	St. Francis (IL)	W 87–56		Edmund P. Joyce Center (5,873) South Bend, IN
Nov 5, 2015* 7:00 pm	No. 19	Caldwell	W 81–56		Edmund P. Joyce Center (5,585) South Bend, IN
Non-conference regular season
Nov 13, 2015* 7:30 pm, ESPN3	No. 19	Saint Francis (PA)	W 87–56^[1]	1–0	Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN
Nov 17, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	No. 18	Milwaukee	W 86–78	2–0	Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,464) South Bend, IN
Nov 21, 2015* 2:00 pm, ESPN3	No. 18	UMass Lowell	W 83–57	3–0	Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,888) South Bend, IN
Nov 26, 2015* 6:30 pm, ESPNU	No. 17	vs. Monmouth AdvoCare Invitational First Round	L 68–70	3–1	HP Field House (4,871) Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 27, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	No. 17	vs. Iowa Advocare Invitational Consolation 2nd Round	W 68–62	4–1	HP Field House (4,508) Lake Buena Vista, FL
Nov 29, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 17	vs. Alabama Advocare Invitational 5th Place Game	L 73–74	4–2	HP Field House (4,633) Lake Buena Vista, FL
Dec 2, 2015* 9:15 pm, ESPN2		at Illinois ACC–Big Ten Challenge	W 84–79	5–2	State Farm Center (14,953) Champaign, IL
Dec 8, 2015* 9:00 pm, ESPNU		Stony Brook	W 86–61	6–2	Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,537) South Bend, IN
Dec 13, 2015* 2:00 pm, ESPN3		Loyola–Chicago	W 81–61	7–2	Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,653) South Bend, IN
Dec 19, 2015* 2:00 pm, ESPN2		vs. Indiana Crossroads Classic	L 73-80	7–3	Bankers Life Fieldhouse (19,156) Indianapolis, IN
Dec 21, 2015* 7:00 pm, ESPN3		Youngstown State	W 87–78	8–3	Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,313) South Bend, IN
Dec 29, 2015* 5:00 pm, ESPNU		Liberty	W 73–56	9–3	Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,837) South Bend, IN
ACC Regular season
Jan 2, 2016 5:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 5 Virginia	L 66–77	9–4 (0–1)	John Paul Jones Arena (14,389) Charlottesville, VA
Jan 7, 2016 7:00 pm, RSN		at Boston College	W 82–54	10–4 (1–1)	Conte Forum (4,165) Chestnut Hill, MA
Jan 9, 2016 4:00 pm, RSN		No. 24 Pittsburgh	L 82–86	10–5 (1–2)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,298) South Bend, IN
Jan 13, 2016 9:00 pm, ACCN		Georgia Tech	W 72–64	11–5 (2–2)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,795) South Bend, IN
Jan 16, 2016 2:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 9 Duke	W 95–91	12–5 (3–2)	Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC
Jan 20, 2016 7:00 pm, RSN		Virginia Tech	W 83–81	13–5 (4–2)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,888) South Bend, IN
Jan 23, 2016 12:00 pm, ACCN		Boston College	W 76–49	14–5 (5–2)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN
Jan 28, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 25	at Syracuse	L 66–81	14–6 (5–3)	Carrier Dome (22,861) Syracuse, NY
Jan 31, 2016 1:00 pm, ACCN	No. 25	Wake Forest	W 85–62	15–6 (6–3)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN
Feb 3, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN2		at No. 17 Miami (FL)	L 70–79	15–7 (6–4)	Bank United Center (6,819) Coral Gables, FL
Feb 6, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN		No. 2 North Carolina ESPN College GameDay	W 80–76	16–7 (7–4)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN
Feb 8, 2016 9:00 pm, ESPNU		at Clemson	W 89–83	17–7 (8–4)	Bon Secours Wellness Arena (8,195) Greenville, SC
Feb 13, 2016 4:00 pm, ESPN2		No. 13 Louisville	W 71–66	18–7 (9–4)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN
Feb 20, 2016 8:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 19	at Georgia Tech	L 62–63	18–8 (9–5)	Hank McCamish Pavilion (8,600) Atlanta, GA
Feb 24, 2016 9:00 pm, RSN	No. 23	at Wake Forest	W 69–58	19–8 (10–5)	LJVM Coliseum (8,498) Winston-Salem, NC
Feb 27, 2016 4:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 23	at Florida State	L 56–77	19–9 (10–6)	Donald L. Tucker Civic Center (7,819) Tallahassee, FL
Mar 2, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN2		No. 7 Miami (FL)	L 50–68	19–10 (10–7)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN
Mar 5, 2016 12:00 pm, CBS		NC State	W 89–75	20–10 (11–7)	Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,715) South Bend, IN
ACC Tournament
Mar 10, 2016 2:00 pm, ESPN	(4)	vs. (5) No. 19 Duke Quarterfinals	W 84–79 ^OT	21–10	Verizon Center (18,561) Washington, D.C.
Mar 11, 2016 7:00 pm, ESPN	(4)	vs. (1) No. 7 North Carolina Semifinals	L 47–78	21–11	Verizon Center (20,719) Washington, D.C.
NCAA tournament
Mar 18, 2016* 9:40 pm, CBS	(6 E)	vs. (11 E) Michigan First Round	W 70–63	22–11	Barclays Center (17,502) Brooklyn, NY
Mar 20, 2016* 2:40 pm, CBS	(6 E)	vs. (14 E) Stephen F. Austin Second Round	W 76–75	23–11	Barclays Center (17,401) Brooklyn, NY
Mar 25, 2016* 7:27 pm, TBS	(6 E)	vs. (7 E) Wisconsin Sweet Sixteen	W 61–56	24–11	Wells Fargo Center (20,686) Philadelphia, PA
Mar 27, 2016 8:49 pm, TBS	(6 E)	vs. (1 E) No. 3 North Carolina Elite Eight	L 74–88	24–12	Wells Fargo Center (20,743) Philadelphia, PA
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. E=East Region. All times are in Eastern Time. Source:^[2]