# 2017–18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Fighting Irish, led by 18th-year head coach Mike Brey, played their home games at Edmund P. Joyce Center in South Bend, Indiana as fifth-year members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They finished the season 21–15, 8–10 in ACC play to finish tied with Syracuse for tenth place. As the No. 10 seed in the ACC tournament, they defeated Pittsburgh in the first round and Virginia Tech in the second round before losing to Duke in the quarterfinals. They were one of the last four teams not selected for the NCAA tournament and as a result earned a No. 1 seed in the National Invitation Tournament, where they defeated Hampton in the first round before losing to Penn State in the second round.

## Previous season

The Fighting Irish finished the 2016–17 season 26–10, 12–6 in ACC play to finish in a three-way tie for second place. They defeated Virginia and Florida State to advance to the championship game of the ACC tournament where they lost to Duke. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 5 seed in the West Region. There they defeated #12 seed Princeton in the First Round before losing in the Second Round where they lost to #4 seed West Virginia.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| V. J. Beachem | 3 | F | 6'8" | 201 | Senior | Fort Wayne, IN | Graduated/Undrafted 2017 NBA draft |
| Matt Ryan | 4 | F | 6'7" | 228 | Sophomore | Cortlandt Manor, NY | Transferred to Vanderbilt |
| Patrick Mazza | 30 | F | 6'10" | 255 | RS Senior | Glen Ellyn, IL | Walk-on; graduated |
| Steve Vasturia | 32 | G | 6'5" | 212 | Senior | Medford, NJ | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Juwan Durham | 11 | F | 6'11" | 207 | Sophomore | Tampa, FL | Transferred from Connecticut. Under NCAA transfer rules, Durham will have to sit out for the 2017–18 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility. |

### 2017 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| D.J. Harvey SF | Bowie, MD | DeMatha Catholic High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Sep 20, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017. ||||||

### 2018 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for 2018 recruits :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Nate Laszewski #14 PF | Northfield, MA | Northfield-Mt. Hermon School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Sep 27, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Dane Goodwin #14 SG | Upper Arlington, OH | Upper Arlington High School | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | Jul 5, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Robby Carmody #20 SF | Mars, PA | Mars Area High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jun 22, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Prentiss Hubb #15 SG | Upper Marlboro, MD | Gonzaga College High School | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | May 17, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Chris Doherty #38 C | Marlborough, MA | Marlborough High School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 13, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 8, 2017. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 20, 2017* 7:00 pm | | Holy Cross (IN) | W 97–57 | | 20 – Geben | 13 – Colson | 5 – Pflueger | Edmund P. Joyce Center (3,483) South Bend, IN |
| Nov 3, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 14 | Bethel | W 88–59 | | 19 – Colson | 11 – Colson | 7 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| Nov 7, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 14 | Cardinal Stritch | W 90–46 | | 19 – Colson | 14 – Colson | 6 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (6,070) South Bend, IN |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 11, 2017* 4:00 pm, FS1 | No. 14 | at DePaul | W 72–58 | 1–0 | 21 – Gibbs | 13 – Colson | 5 – Colson | Wintrust Arena (10,194) Chicago, IL |
| Nov 13, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 13 | Mount St. Mary's Maui on the Mainland | W 88–62 | 2–0 | 27 – Colson | 11 – Colson | 5 – Tied | Edmund P. Joyce Center (6,633) South Bend, IN |
| Nov 16, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 13 | Chicago State | W 105–66 | 3–0 | 23 – Gibbs | 9 – Colson | 4 – Tied | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,046) South Bend, IN |
| Nov 20, 2017* 9:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 13 | at Chaminade Maui Invitational tournament quarterfinals | W 83–56 | 4–0 | 27 – Farrell | 8 – Colson | 4 – Tied | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| Nov 21, 2017* 10:30 pm, ESPN | No. 13 | vs. LSU Maui Invitational Tournament semifinals | W 92–53 | 5–0 | 26 – Gibbs | 11 – Colson | 7 – Farrell | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| Nov 22, 2017* 10:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 13 | vs. No. 6 Wichita State Maui Invitational Tournament finals | W 67–66 | 6–0 | 25 – Colson | 11 – Colson | 4 – Tied | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| Nov 30, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN | No. 5 | at No. 3 Michigan State ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 63–81 | 6–1 | 17 – Colson | 6 – Colson | 7 – Farrell | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| Dec 3, 2017* 2:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 5 | St. Francis Brooklyn | W 71–53 | 7–1 | 14 – Geben | 10 – Geben | 4 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,911) South Bend, IN |
| Dec 5, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | No. 9 | Ball State | L 77–80 | 7–2 | 26 – Colson | 7 – Mooney | 8 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,891) South Bend, IN |
| Dec 9, 2017* 7:00 pm, CBSSN | No. 9 | at Delaware | W 92–68 | 8–2 | 24 – Farrell | 12 – Tied | 7 – Farrell | Bob Carpenter Center (4,737) Newark, DE |
| Dec 16, 2017* 2:30 pm, FOX | No. 18 | vs. Indiana Crossroads Classic | L 77–80 $^{OT}$ | 8–3 | 29 – Colson | 11 – Colson | 8 – Farrell | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,680) Indianapolis, IN |
| Dec 19, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Dartmouth | W 97–87 | 9–3 | 37 – Colson | 11 – Colson | 6 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (6,837) South Bend, IN |
| Dec 21, 2017* 7:00 pm, ACCN Extra | | Southeastern Louisiana | W 86–50 | 10–3 | 18 – Gibbs | 10 – Tied | 5 – Gibbs | Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,134) South Bend, IN |
| ACC regular season |||||||||
| Dec 30, 2017 2:00 pm, ESPNU | | Georgia Tech | W 68–59 | 11–3 (1–0) | 22 – Colson | 17 – Colson | 6 – Pflueger | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,441) South Bend, IN |
| Jan 3, 2018 9:00 pm, ACCN | | NC State | W 88–58 | 12–3 (2–0) | 22 – Gibbs | 13 – Geben | 5 – Gibbs | Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,563) South Bend, IN |
| Jan 6, 2018 3:15 pm, ESPN2 | | at Syracuse | W 51–49 | 13–3 (3–0) | 18 – Gibbs | 14 – Geben | 4 – Tied | Carrier Dome (24,304) Syracuse, NY |
| Jan 10, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Georgia Tech | L 53–60 | 13–4 (3–1) | 16 – Geben | 9 – Geben | 7 – Gibbs | McCamish Pavilion (7,771) Atlanta, GA |
| Jan 13, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 20 North Carolina | L 68–69 | 13–5 (3–2) | 19 – Gibbs | 9 – Geben | 6 – Gibbs | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| Jan 16, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Louisville | L 78–82 $^{2OT}$ | 13–6 (3–3) | 23 – Farrell | 17 – Geben | 8 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,076) South Bend, IN |
| Jan 20, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 20 Clemson | L 58–67 | 13–7 (3–4) | 18 – Gibbs | 9 – Geben | 6 – Farrell | Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000) Clemson, SC |
| Jan 27, 2018 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Virginia Tech | L 75–80 | 13–8 (3–5) | 27 – Gibbs | 11 – Mooney | 5 – Gibbs | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| Jan 29, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 4 Duke | L 66–88 | 13–9 (3–6) | 22 – Gibbs | 6 – Pflueger | 4 – Gibbs | Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314) Durham, NC |
| Feb 3, 2018 12:00 pm, ESPN | | at NC State | L 58–76 | 13–10 (3–7) | 16 – Farrell | 6 – Tied | 7 – Pflueger | PNC Arena (19,500) Raleigh, NC |
| Feb 6, 2018 8:00 pm, ACCN | | Boston College | W 96–85 | 14–10 (4–7) | 28 – Gibbs | 11 – Geben | 7 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,953) South Bend, IN |
| Feb 10, 2018 4:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Florida State | W 84–69 | 15–10 (5–7) | 28 – Farrell | 8 – Geben | 5 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| Feb 12, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 14 North Carolina | L 66–83 | 15–11 (5–8) | 18 – Tied | 7 – Geben | 9 – Farrell | Dean Smith Center (19,336) Chapel Hill, NC |
| Feb 17, 2018 4:00 pm, ACCN | | at Boston College | W 84–67 | 16–11 (6–8) | 37 – Farrell | 7 – Mooney | 7 – Farrell | Conte Forum (8,606) Chestnut Hill, MA |
| Feb 19, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | | Miami (FL) | L 74–77 | 16–12 (6–9) | 19 – Geben | 7 – Geben | 6 – Farrell | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149) South Bend, IN |
| Feb 24, 2018 3:00 pm, ACCN | | at Wake Forest | W 76–71 | 17–12 (7–9) | 22 – Geben | 14 – Geben | 6 – Farrell | LJVM Coliseum (10,626) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Feb 28, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPNU | | Pittsburgh | W 73–56 | 18–12 (8–9) | 14 – Tied | 13 – Geben | 4 – Pflueger | Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,007) South Bend, IN |
| Mar 3, 2018 4:00 pm, ACCN | | at No. 1 Virginia | L 57–62 | 18–13 (8–10) | 24 – Colson | 15 – Colson | 4 – Farrell | John Paul Jones Arena (14,205) Charlottesville, VA |
| ACC Tournament |||||||||
| Mar 6, 2018 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | (10) | vs. (15) Pittsburgh First Round | W 67–64 | 19–13 | 19 – Colson | 9 – Geben | 3 – Farrell | Barclays Center (10,612) Brooklyn, NY |
| Mar 7, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | (10) | vs. (7) Virginia Tech Second Round | W 71–65 | 20–13 | 22 – Farrell | 9 – Pflueger | 7 – Gibbs | Barclays Center (17,732) Brooklyn, NY |
| Mar 8, 2018 7:00 pm, ESPN | (10) | vs. (2) No. 5 Duke Quarterfinals | L 70–88 | 20–14 | 18 – Colson | 9 – Colson | 12 – Farrell | Barclays Center (17,732) Brooklyn, NY |
| NIT |||||||||
| Mar 13, 2018* 9:00 pm, ESPN | (1) | (8) Hampton First Round – Notre Dame Bracket | W 84–63 | 21–14 | 17 – Geben | 12 – Colson | 6 – Tied | Edmund P. Joyce Center (2,101) South Bend, IN |
| Mar 17, 2018* 12:00 pm, ESPN | (1) | (4) Penn State Second Round – Notre Dame Bracket | L 63–73 | 21–15 | 16 – Colson | 9 – Colson | 4 – Tied | Edmund P. Joyce Center (4,023) South Bend, IN |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Eastern Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Final |
| AP | 14 | 13 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 18 | RV | RV | RV | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | | | | Not released |
| Coaches | 14 | 14^ | 12 | 5 | 8 | 18 | RV | RV | RV | 25 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | | | | |
^Coaches did not release a Week 2 poll. *AP does not release post-NCAA tournament rankings