By Matthew MacCormack, news staff
The Northeastern University men’s basketball team will face off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Thursday in the Huskies’ first NCAA tournament appearance since 1991. NU, which garnered a No. 14 seed in the bracket’s Midwest region, has a tough draw against Notre Dame, the region’s three seed.
Northeastern (23-11) won three consecutive games last week to capture the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament title and an automatic bid to the Big Dance. Redshirt junior forward Quincy Ford led the way for the Huskies, earning Most Outstanding Player honors in the tournament. Ford totaled 22 points, 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in a 72-61 victory over William and Mary to give Bill Coen his first CAA tournament title as head coach.
Notre Dame (29-5) is fresh off an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) tournament championship. Head Coach Mike Brey’s squad has won eight of its last nine games, including ACC tournament wins over Duke University (a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament) and University of North Carolina (a No. 4 seed).
One player to watch for the Fighting Irish is senior guard Jerian Grant, who was named as a First Team All-American by the US Basketball Writer’s Association. Grant leads Notre Dame in scoring with a16.8 point-per-game clip, and ranks seventh nationally in assists per game with 6.6. Other impact players include Massachusetts-natives senior guard Pat Connaughton and junior forward Zach Auguste.
The Huskies and Irish faced three similar opponents this year. Both squads won games against Florida State University and the United States Naval Academy, but Notre Dame was the only of the pair to defeat the University of Massachusetts (Umass) Amherst.
Northeastern is 3-7 in seven NCAA tournament appearances ever, and is 0-2 as a No. 14 seed. Notre Dame is making its 34th overall appearance and boasts a 31-37 tournament mark. The Irish, however, have lost their first game in their past two NCAA appearances (2012 and 2013).
The Huskies will try to use a team-oriented defensive approach Thursday to shut down Notre Dame’s prolific offense. The Irish score the 11th most points per game nationally, and rank second in the nation in field goal percentage.
“They’re very explosive, maybe the best offensive team in the country,” said Coen after NU’s practice on Monday. “It’s a game of matchups and this one’s going to be a very difficult one for us.”
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics.
