Just a year removed from getting knocked out in the round of 32 by the Texas Tech Raiders, Mike Brey and his guys will gear up for another season at South Bend. Despite making the march madness tournament for the first time since 2016, the Irish did lose arguably their best player in Blake Wesley (NBA Draft), Prentiss Hubb, Elijah Taylor, and Paul Atkinson Jr, making it tough on Mike Brey to replicate what the second-placed Irish (In the ACC) did a season ago.
On top of losing a big part of their core, Anthony Solomon (Notre Dame's Assistant Coach) left for a gig at Dayton University, to coach the flyers. Solomon was a respected leader and was a big reason for Notre Dame's defensive successes last year. Soon after Solomon's departure, Hamlet Tibbs was hired to replace Solomon's big shoes. At Vermont, Tibbs posted an outstanding 166-61 record, while winning the American East Conference Championship three times during that span.
As any other team will be doing, Mike Brey and the Irish will be bringing in some new faces this year to replace some of the graduated / drafted guys from last year. One guy that really stands out from the rest is JJ Starling (5-star Recruit Guard). Starling was named a Mcdonald's All-American and will try to bring that recognition to Notre Dame. He's a pure combo guard scorer, passes the ball effectively and unselfishly, can get to the rim and finish, and has a terrific mid-range game to complement his 3-point shooting.
Another top-100 recruit that the Irish has hauled in is Power Forward, Ven Allen Lubin, standing at 6-8, weighing in at 220. Lubin being lengthy is a great thing for the Irish, after losing rim-protected Paul Atkinson Jr over the summer. Lubin led his high school team, Orlando Christian Prep, to the 2A State Championship (ultimately winning it). Lubin also was invited to the Pangos All-American camp in the summer of 2022 and was ranked as the 10th best prospect, in his specific state in the 2022 recruiting class. The Irish also add Center Dom Campbell (6-8, 260 3-star recruit) from Phillips Exeter Academy and transfer Marcus Hammond from Niagara, where he is averaging 18 points a game, 4.7 rebounds, 2.9 assists while shooting 43% from the field and 37% from long range. All these incoming freshmen and transfers will be vital to whether or not the Irish make it back to the big dance.
Now, as September goes along, the official schedule should be out for the Irish, but now they have only issued a non-conference schedule. That non-conference schedule includes Radford, Youngstown State, Southern Indiana, Lipscomb, Bowling Green, St Bonaventure, Michigan State in the Big Ten-ACC Challenge, Boston University, Marquette, Georgia, and Jacksonville. Then Notre Dame will play all conference games against the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), but how many and the date is yet to be determined.
If you were to ask me how many games Notre Dame will win and their conference record, as of September 2nd, I will tell you they should at least go 23-12 with a record of 13-7 in the conference, which is a game worse than last year. They lost a stud in Blake Wesley and another absolute stud in coach Anthony Solomon. That isn't easy to come back from, but that's what will separate good teams from great teams. Which one is Notre Dame? All you have to do is follow the steps below:
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