Irish making run with star player’s return
RALEIGH, N.C. — Notre Dame coach Mike Brey spent the past two months hoping his team could somehow stay within reach of an NCAA Tournament bid until Bonzie Colson could return from a broken left foot.
The Fighting Irish have arrived right on schedule. And Colson’s return is a potential game-changer, assuming he’s able to knock off any rust from his long recovery.
The preseason Associated Press All-American returned this week after missing 15 games with the injury. And he rejoins a team hovering near .500 in the Atlantic Coast Conference with résumé-helping games on the schedule, starting Saturday at top-ranked Virginia followed by next week’s league tournament in Brooklyn.
“The bad news is you can lose seven in a row in the ACC,” Brey said after Wednesday’s win against Pittsburgh. “The good news is when you need a quality win, there’s one on the schedule for you. … So that’s the benefit of playing in this league: you’ve got a chance to get some scalps to get you back in the discussion.”
Notre Dame (18-12, 8-9 ACC) is a bubble team like few others. With the 6-foot-6 Colson in the lineup, the Fighting Irish won the Maui Invitational and pushed all the way to No. 5 in the AP Top 25 in November. Without him, Notre Dame suffered through a seven-game losing streak that lasted most of January and stood at 3-7 in the ACC after a lopsided loss at North Carolina State on Feb. 3.
Now the Irish are getting back a guy averaging 20.7 points and 10.3 rebounds. And that will leave the NCAA selection committee with a tough evaluation.
Notre Dame sits at No. 69 in the RPI and has just a 2-7 record against Quadrant 1 teams, though that includes a win against Wichita State in the Maui championship game in November (Colson had 25 points and 11 rebounds) and a win at Syracuse. Colson had 12 points and nine rebounds in 21 minutes in his return, and Brey promised Colson’s role will only grow.
On the rise
Louisiana: The Ragin’ Cajuns (26-4, 16-1 Sun Belt, 35 RPI) have lost just once since Christmas. Still, after losing its only game against a Quadrant 1 opponent, they probably need to win their league tournament.
Loyola-Chicago: The Ramblers (26-5, 31 RPI) have won 15 of 16 after Friday’s win against Northern Iowa in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
St. Bonaventure: The Bonnies (23-6, 13-4 Atlantic 10, 22 RPI) are rolling with 11 straight wins, including Tuesday’s 117113 triple-overtime win against Davidson — the last team to beat St. Bonaventure on Jan. 19.
TCU: The Horned Frogs (21-9, 9-8 Big 12, 19 RPI) are putting together a strong finish (four straight wins) as they approach their first NCAA bid since 1998.
Fading hopes
Alabama: The Crimson Tide (18-13, 8-9 Southeastern Conference) picked a bad time for a four-game losing streak — three coming by double-figure margins — to go with their No. 58 RPI.
Louisville: The Cardinals (19-11, 9-8 ACC) were less than a second away from upsetting No. 1 Virginia on Thursday night. They instead bumbled away what would’ve been the first true headlining win on their resume to keep things looking uncertain.
Oklahoma: It seems hard to believe that the Sooners (17-12, 7-9 Big 12) are in this predicament considering they stood at No. 4 in the AP Top 25 in January. But they’ve lost seven of eight since the start of February in a slide that keeps pushing them into bubble territory.
Syracuse: The Orange (18-12, 7-10 ACC) have lost three straight games. Two came against No. 5 Duke on the road and No. 9 North Carolina at home, but Syracuse (49 RPI, 52 KenPom) did nothing to help itself with a double-digit loss at Boston College on Wednesday — the kind of late-season loss that sends teams to the NIT.