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

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.

2015–16 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Elite Eight
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 17
Record24–12 (11–7 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaEdmund P. Joyce Center
Seasons
2015–16 ACC men's basketball standings
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
*Ineligible for both the 2016 ACC tournament and the 2016 NCAA tournament due to self-imposed postseason ban.
2016 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

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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

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Departures

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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

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college 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 
Recruiting star 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 
Recruiting star 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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 15   Rivals: 20  ESPN: 17
  • 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 2015 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  • "2015 Notre Dame Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  • "2015 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved July 17, 2015.
  • "2015 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved July 17, 2015.

2016 Recruiting class

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US college sports recruiting information for 2016 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college 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 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: 
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 15   Rivals: 20  ESPN: 17
  • 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:

Roster

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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
Assistant coach(es)

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

Roster

Schedule and results

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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]

Rankings

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Ranking movement
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. ██ Not ranked the previous week. RV=Others receiving votes.
Poll Pre Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Post Final
AP 19 18 17 RV RV RV NR NR NR NR RV 25 RV RV 19 23 RV RV RV N/A
Coaches 18 18 18 RV NR RV RV RV NR NR NR RV RV RV 18 20 RV RV RV 17

References

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  1. ^ "Jackson scores career-high 27 for No. 19 Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 14, 2015.
  2. ^ "2015-16 Notre Dame Men's Basketball Schedule". und.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2015.