Bonzie Colson was back on the court for the first time since missing 12 games with a broken foot on Wednesday night in front of the home crowd at Purcell Pavillion one final time. Senior night is normally special but tonight’s was extra special with Colson’s return and win #100 for this senior class. The Irish dispatched a Pitt team that is now 0-18 in league play 73-56 to keep their slim NCAA Tourney hopes alive.
In his first game back, Colson logged 21 minutes and posted 12 points and 9 rebounds on 6 of 10 shooting. He added three blocks to his stat line for the night as well. The most important number there though was the 21 minutes. Being able to log that many minutes in his first game back is a great indicator that he could be used even more next week in Brooklyn in the ACC Tournament and on Saturday in the regular season finale against #1 ranked Virginia.
Matt Farrell added 14 points and fellow senior Martinas Geben posted 9 points and 13 rebounds on Senior Night. Geben’s game blossomed in Colson’s absence and he continued his strong play this evening.
Notre Dame is still missing freshman DJ Harvey, but Colson’s triumphant return gives Notre Dame some life as they attempt to claw their way back into the Tournament mix.
Regardless of what happens on Saturday, Notre Dame needs a deep run in the ACC Tourney next week to have a chance at danching in March. Tonight was a good first step though.
Frank Vitovitch has been Co-Owner and Editor in Chief of UHND.com since joining forces with Kyle Flavin in 1999. Since that time, he has written over 2,000 articles covering Notre Dame football, recruiting, and basketball. He also works with all staff and external writers on all articles published on UHND.com. Frank's love for Notre Dame football started at a young age watching Rocket Ismail give opposing coaches ulcers in the late 1980's. By day Frank works in marketing and holds a degree in Digital Media from Drexel University. Frank's work has been cited by online/print editions of NBC Sports, ESPN, and Sports Illustrated and has been quoted on air by ESPN's Collin Cowherd. He's conducted interviews with Notre Dame legends Rocket Ismail, Randy Kinder, Lee Becton, Reggie Brooks, Michael Stonebreaker, and Ned Bolcar among others over his 20+ years of covering Notre Dame football. He's also been published in the print edition of USA Today Sports Weekly and the USA Today College Football Preview multiple times. Other Published Works/Citations for Frank Three Reasons Notre Dame Will Beat Alabama - USA Today Notre Dame Suspends WR Kevin Stepherson, RB C.J. Holmes Indefinitely - Bleacher Report Notre Dame / Ohio State Fiesta Bowl Preview - Eleven Warriors Brace Yourself: The Fighting Irish are Relevant Again - Sports on Earth Interviews with the Enemy: A Q&A with Frank Vitovitch of UHND - Yahoo! Sports Five Good Minutes: Notre Dame Football Preview With UHND.com - BC Interruption Vicious Electronic Questioning with UHND - MGO Blog
Hey, not to bad, saved face, tied them in 2nd half. Still got some spunk left.
The game against Virginia on Saturday will be important too. If they could notch a win in that game that will go a long way to helping their NCAA chances, though they will still need a deep run in the ACC playoffs.
With Colson back in the line-up, esp. if he’s 100% next week, that could go a long way.
Damian,
A win over Virginia would probably get us in the big dance – or at least get us a play-in. It would probably require 30 minutes from Bonzie though, and the rest of the team playing tough for 40 minutes. It’s possible, but that’s about all we can say about it.
I’d love to see it of course, but I’m still planning on some NIT seats, hopefully at the Joyce center.
The Muffeteers are looking good for a NCAA Championship – if not this year, then next year for sure!
BGC
La Crosse, Indiana