1986 Notre Dame Basketball: A Contender Undone In March
Notre Dame basketball came into 1986 looking to build off success. In 1985, the Fighting Irish ended a three-year drought with a return to the NCAA Tournament. With the key players back in the fold, expectations were high in ’86. Digger Phelps’ team spent all year generally meeting those expectations and had the look of a Final Four contender…until a March disaster ended it all.
RIVERS & BARLOW LEAD THE WAY
The arrival of David Rivers in 1985 had been the spark Notre Dame needed, and the dynamic point guard was even better in ’86. Rivers averaged 17 points/5 assists per game. Down low, the post was anchored by Ken Barlow. A first-round pick of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers in the summer of 1986, Barlow averaged 15 points/5 rebounds.
Rivers and Barlow were the focal points, but junior forward Donald Royal was a valuable contributor in his own right, averaging an 11/5 line. Keyed by this returning trio, the Irish were ranked #12 in the nation to start the season.
A QUIET BEGINNING
December offered little clarity. Notre Dame only played six times prior to the New Year. They won five games against non-descript opponents, while losing decisively at Bob Knight’s Indiana, who were headed for a 3-seed in the NCAA bracket. Record-padding continued after the New Year, with a couple more easy wins, including over a Providence team that was rebuilding in their first year under Rick Pitino.
At this point, it was tough to get a read on Notre Dame either way.
HOLDING STEADY
A key test game came against DePaul. The Blue Demons, along with Marquette and Dayton, were Notre Dame’s Catholic Midwest rivals, programs that were independents and played each other home-and-home. DePaul was a consistent contender throughout the 1980s and would make the NCAA Tournament in 1986. The Irish got a decisive 70-54 road win.
While a loss at mediocre BYU was disappointing, it was also the final step of a four-game road swing. Notre Dame came back home to a softer schedule and tacked on three more wins.
On Super Bowl Sunday, as the appetizer before America watched the Chicago Bears stomp the New England Patriots, Notre Dame traveled to Chapel Hill to face top-ranked North Carolina. The Irish lost that one 73-61, but they quickly turned around and beat eventual WAC champ Utah by thirty points. Notre Dame was 12-3 as the calendar moved into February.
BUILDING MOMENTUM
Phelps’ team started to get some notable wins. Marquette was squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble, and they came to South Bend. The Irish narrowly escaped the Warriors with a 72-70 win. Two days later, they hosted a good Maryland team that would make the Sweet 16 and got a 69-62 win. While a 67-65 loss to so-so Dayton was disappointing, it was similar to the BYU game, in that came at the end of a grueling schedule stretch where these above three games took place over a span of six days.
HOLDING THEIR OWN AGAINST THE BEST
Syracuse was ranked #8 in the country. This national showcase game on Saturday was a major opportunity for Notre Dame and the Irish took advantage. An 85-81 win showed this team was coming into its own. Eight days later, they went to second-ranked Duke, who ultimately reached the NCAA championship game. Notre Dame lost, but the narrow 75-74 decision in Durham underscored that the Irish were effectively hanging with the nation’s very best.
CLOSING WITH A FLOURISH
By mid-February, the Irish were 16-5. After a couple of easy wins, they closed out the year by doing some damage to their Catholic rivals. A 70-59 win over DePaul nearly pushed the Blue Demons out of the field (DePaul hung on as a 12-seed). A 74-66 win almost certainly burst Marquette’s bubble and pushed the Warriors into the NIT. And Notre Dame took a measure of revenge in the season finale with a 69-59 home win over Dayton.
The Irish finished the regular season at 22-5. When the NCAA bracket was announced, they were a 3-seed in the Midwest Regional. They might not have been one of the favorites, but the Final Four was certainly a realistic possibility.
TRAPPED IN THE TWIN CITIES
Notre Dame went to Minneapolis, where they met Arkansas-Little Rock on Friday. The Trojans had a dynamic backcourt. Myron Jackson and Pete Myers were both senior guards who could fill it up. While the nation may have been looking ahead to possible Notre Dame-Michigan showdown in the Sweet 16 a week later, UA-Little Rock has the exact profile of a team that you watch for as an upset possibility.
And Jackson, Myers, along with another senior, Michael Clarke, used Notre Dame to carve out their little niche in history. The veteran trio combined for 78 points. The Irish allowed 62 percent shooting from the floor.
Rivers played well, scoring 25 points and getting six assists. Royal chipped in 12 points and eight rebounds, and Notre Dame played well offensively. But it wasn’t enough to overcome the lack of defense. Even more damaging was that early foul trouble limited Barlow to 23 minutes and a meager 10 points/2 rebounds line. An otherwise fine season was marred by a 90-83 upset loss.
OPPORTUNITY LOST
The loss was a missed opportunity in more ways than one. Michigan failed to survive the first weekend, meaning Notre Dame missed what turned into an open path to the Elite Eight. The good news is that, even with Barlow’s departure, Rivers and Royal came back and got Notre Dame into the Sweet 16 in 1987.