Blue and Gold Illustrated

February 2020

Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football

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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com FEBRUARY 2020 39 MEN'S BASKETBALL that attitude, we're going to be okay." GOODWIN BETTER THAN GOOD About a month now has passed since Notre Dame was coming off consecutive losses to Maryland and Boston College, and Brey summoned sophomore guard Dane Goodwin into his office for a chat. Goodwin had two miserable per- formances in the defeats, scoring just 10 points total on 3-of-17 shooting, and Brey wanted to know how to find improvement. Goodwin's answer was simple, "work and ride me harder in practice." The message and adjustments took. In the four games following the player-coach meeting, Goodwin av- eraged 17.5 points, including a ca- reer-high 27 points against Detroit Mercy Dec. 10. "I think the light bulb is on," Brey said of Goodwin. "I really believe he is in it, he gets it, he's aggressive." Also in those four games, Goodwin shot 54.2 percent (26 of 48) from the field and 50.0 percent (13 of 26) from three-point range. "Right now, I love his frame of mind," Brey added. "He is going af- ter it and he is going to have to con- tinue to do it." Goodwin's surge has made him one of the best bench players in the country. With a 12.0 scoring average this season (through Jan. 3), Goodwin trailed only Vanderbilt's Saben Lee among reserve scorers from power conference teams. Lee, a junior guard, averages 17.0 points a game for the Commodores. FINISH THE JOB Three times in the closing minutes through the first 14 games this sea- son Notre Dame clawed back from seemingly impossible circumstances and gave itself a legitimate chance to win each of the three. It won one and lost two. • The Irish erased a seven-point second-half deficit to Toledo at home Nov. 21, hit a buzzer-beating three- pointer to send the game to overtime and escaped with a 64-62 win. • Against Boston College at home Dec. 7, Notre Dame cut an 11-point second-half deficit to just one point in the closing seconds, only to see the ferocious comeback fall one point short in a 73-72 loss. • And most recently, and perhaps most painfully, Notre Dame used a 32-10 scoring run in the second half against Indiana in Indianapolis to turn a 17-point deficit into a five- point lead, only to be outscored 8-1 down the stretch in a 62-60 loss. "Love how we came back, but we couldn't finish, that's what we're in search of," Brey said. "That is an area we're going to have to be better in because we are going to be in that situation a bunch." ✦ 2019-20 NOTRE DAME MEN'S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Nov. 6 at North Carolina* L, 76-65 Nov. 9 Robert Morris^ W, 92-57 Nov. 12 Howard^ W, 79-50 Nov. 15 Marshall^ W, 74-64 Nov. 18 Presbyterian W, 63-53 Nov. 21 Toledo^ W, 64-62 (OT) Nov. 26 Fairleigh Dickinson W, 91-66 Dec. 4 at Maryland# L, 72-51 Dec. 7 Boston College* L, 73-72 Dec. 10 Detroit Mercy W, 110-71 Dec. 14 UCLA W, 75-61 Dec. 21 vs. Indiana& L, 62-60 Dec. 29 Alabama A&M W, 82-56 Jan. 4 at Syracuse* (ESPN2/U) 4 p.m. Jan. 8 at NC State* (ESPN2/U) 7 p.m. Jan. 11 Louisville* (ESPN) 2 p.m. Jan. 15 at Georgia Tech* (ACCN) 8:30 p.m. Jan. 22 Syracuse* (ESPN/2/U) 7 p.m. Jan. 25 at Florida State* (TBA) 12 p.m. Jan. 29 Wake Forest* (ACCN) 9 p.m. Feb. 1 Georgia Tech* (RSN) 12 p.m. Feb. 5 Pittsburgh* (ACCN) 6:30 p.m. Feb. 9 at Clemson* (ACCN) 6 p.m. Feb. 11 at Virginia* (ESPN2/U) 9 p.m. Feb. 15 at Duke* (TBA) 4 p.m. Feb. 17 North Carolina* (ESPN) 7 p.m. Feb. 23 Miami* (ACCN) 6 p.m. Feb. 26 at Boston College* (ACCN) 9 p.m. Feb. 29 at Wake Forest* (RSN) 4 p.m. Mar. 4 Florida State* (ESPN2/U) 9 p.m. Mar. 7 Virginia Tech* (ACCN) TBA Mar. 10-14 ACC Tournament$ (ACCN/ESPN) TBA * ACC game; ^ Men Against Breast Cancer Invi- tational; # ACC/Big Ten Challenge; & Crossroads Classic at Indianapolis; $ at Greensboro, N.C.; ACCN — ACC Network Three-Point Play 1. Dodging A Bullet Senior forward Juwan Durham had a scare against Alabama A&M Dec. 29, when he fell to the court and headed straight to the locker room with an apparent knee injury. Durham later returned to the Irish bench with ice on his left knee. Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said afterward the injury was a "slight strain" and was not expected to impact Durham's prep or playing time. 2. Playing At A High Level Irish senior forward John Mooney continues his push for ACC Player of the Year and first-team All-America honors. Through games as of Dec. 29, Mooney was tied for first in the country in both rebounding (13.5 boards per game) and double-doubles (10). 3. On The Road Again The Irish welcomed the New Year with four of six ACC games to be played on the road, and hoping not to get buried early in league play during this stretch. If Notre Dame survives, it gets a three-game homestand against seemingly lower-tier conference teams — Wake Forest, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh. — Todd D. Burlage Senior forward Juwan Durham suffered an apparent knee injury against Alabama A&M Dec. 29, but it was just a slight strain and was not expected to sideline him. PHOTO COURTESY FIGHTING IRISH MEDIA

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