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Notre Dame Basketball Nuggets and 2019-20 Season Preview

By Nathan Erbach

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 16: John Mooney #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish shoots over Jack Salt #33 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 16, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images)
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA - FEBRUARY 16: John Mooney #33 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish shoots over Jack Salt #33 of the Virginia Cavaliers in the first half during a game at John Paul Jones Arena on February 16, 2019 in Charlottesville, Virginia. (Photo by Ryan M. Kelly/Getty Images) /
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The start of the college basketball season is right around the corner, and Notre Dame Basketball will look to get back into the tournament after a disappointing two years.

Notre Dame basketball begins the start of their regular season slate on Wednesday, and it will be a tough, but great test for the 2019-2020 squad. The ACC has added a 20th game to the schedule and in doing so, some ACC teams will start their season with a conference matchup.

Enter the North Carolina Tar Heels — preseason ranked No. 9 in the country.

Want to get an early idea where the Irish stand in the ACC this year, good or bad? There is no better way than on the road in Chapel Hill.

Notre Dame essentially returns everyone from last year’s team, and their talented 2018 recruiting class is one year older. If the two exhibition games are any indication of the starting lineup Coach Mike Brey will utilize early on, it will be Prentiss Hubb, Temple Gibbs, Rex Pfleuger (limited minutes), John Mooney and Juwan Durham. Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski have been the first two off the bench, followed by Robby Carmody and Nikola Djogo.

Chris Doherty did not play in either exhibition game due to his wisdom teeth being pulled, but it is also likely that Brey will try to red-shirt him.

If the the exhibition games are any indication of what we should expect, this Irish team will still struggle to score at times, and will rely heavily on Mooney to put up points. They’ve recruited shooters, and many of their guys show it in spurts, but the consistency isn’t there. However, Hubb did hit five triples in the most recent exhibition game and looks poised to break out.

Durham has also shown an improved game offensively, but is still raw on that end. Gibbs still looks lost from last season, while Goodwin and Laszewski should be spark plugs at times.

If Gibbs can find his way back to his sophomore year form, that will really help. Pflueger and Carmody are still getting back into the swing of things after missing the majority of last season with injuries, but they play hard and specifically bring energy on defense.

What I saw in the two exhibition games is a team that will battle hard on defense, and should actually be really solid on that side of the ball — especially when Mooney and Durham are on the court at the same time. They have some height and athleticism down low that they haven’t had in awhile. When they add Goodwin and Laszewski to the lineup, that provides some more height to the lineup while also providing a hopeful boost offensively.

I would like to see Hubb, Goodwin, Laszewski, Mooney and Durham all on the court at one time a decent amount this year — especially if Gibbs struggles. In the past, Brey has overused players like Gibbs and Pflueger, having them play 35+ minutes too often. With this team, that won’t bring them back to the tournament and we might see a squad that is hugely disappointing once again.

Recruiting Nuggets

Since our last update, Matt Zona, officially committed to Notre Dame basketball, joining Elijah Taylor in the 2020 class. Zona is a talented big man that compliments Taylor well. He can play with his back to the basket, but he can also stretch the floor with his impressive outside shooting ability. I’ve seen many compare him to former Irish big man Rob Kurz.

Mike Brey is trying to add one or two more to the class, but the only player on the radar right now is Dematha Catholic Center, Hunter Dickinson. Notre Dame has done all they can with Dickinson, and they are certainly a top choice of the top 50 ranked center. It is not 100 percent as to when he will decide to commit, but it will be between Notre Dame, Michigan and Duke — with many thinking the Irish or Wolverines hold the edge. Land Dickinson, and suddenly the landscape of the 2020-21 season without Mooney seems more bearable. Couple that with Cormac Ryan gaining his eligibility after a transfer from Stanford, and we might have something on our hands.

No other names besides Dickinson have really been discussed, as Puff Johnson is extremely unlikely, but I have heard they could look at wing transfers or possibly even some late bloomers in the 2020 class. With a solid season on the court, they might even be able to gain some headway with some bigger names that didn’t sign early.

Next. Notre Dame Football: A look at Isaiah Pryor. dark

Notre Dame and North Carolina tip off on Wednesday, November 6th at 7:00 PM EST on the ACC Network. College Basketball is almost back, and it should be a fun season for Notre Dame basketball.