1987 Notre Dame Basketball: A Return To The Sweet 16

In 1987, Notre Dame basketball was on the upswing. A three-year NCAA Tournament drought came to an end in 1985 with the arrival of heralded freshman point guard David Rivers. The Irish were even better in 1986 and got all the way to the 3-line in the NCAA bracket. But that year ended with a flameout in the Round of 64. The 1987 Notre Dame basketball wasn’t as good in the regular season, but they were better in March—and they made the program’s first Sweet 16 since 1981.

Rivers was a junior, and he would average 16 points/4 rebounds/5 assists per game. He was joined in the backcourt by senior Scott Hicks, who chipped in 11 a night. The front line was anchored by 6’8” forward Donald Royal, who averaged 16 points/7 rebounds. Mark Stevenson was a double-digit scorer at the other forward, and 6’9” center Gary Voce worked the boards. In a year of change for college basketball—the first season that use of the three-point shot was standardized across the country–head coach Digger Phelps had a well-balanced lineup.

The Irish began the season unranked and immediately lived down to those expectations. They dropped their opener, 80-63 to Western Kentucky. While the Hilltoppers would make the NCAA Tournament, a home loss wasn’t exactly an auspicious beginning. Notre Dame played better at home against Indiana, but dropped a 67-62 decision to the team that would ultimately win the national championship.

That respectable showing against IU was the start of better things. The Irish beat NCAA-bound BYU 62-46 on their home floor on December 26. Notre Dame reached the New Year with a  record of 6-2—although seven of the eight games had been at home, so the biggest tests were still ahead.

The Irish had three marquee contests on successive Saturdays in January. They lost a 58-54 decision to DePaul, a good team with Rod Strickland at point guard and Dallas Comegys up front. The Blue Demons, a traditional archrival in this era of the Midwestern Catholic independent schools, would ultimately get a 3-seed in the NCAA field.

West Virginia also went to the NCAA Tournament, and Notre Dame lost to the Mountaineers, 57-55, one week later. And on January 24, they completed the trifecta by losing another one—this time to UCLA, 63-59. The Bruins were the eventual Pac-10 champ and had sharpshooter Reggie Miller—destined for Hall of Fame pro career and later a TNT announcer—but the defeat marked another missed opportunity.

With a record of 11-5, Notre Dame was far from a lock for the NCAA bracket. And #1 North Carolina was coming to town on February 1, a marquee Sunday afternoon game. This was the week after the Super Bowl, so it was the first time college basketball had the sports weekend to themselves.

The Tar Heels had another future NBA star and TNT broadcaster in their lineup—point guard Kenny Smith. But Phelps had put together an impressive record of knocking off #1-ranked teams in South Bend, and this one would add to his collection. A 60-58 upset gave the Irish a badly needed win.

Notre Dame went on to beat an explosive LaSalle team midweek. But Phelps’ team backslid again on a Friday/Sunday package of games—they lost at mediocre Vanderbilt, then went up to Kansas and lost to Danny Manning’s Jayhawks.

The Irish again needed a big win, and they again found one against a marquee ACC team on their home floor. It took overtime, but Notre Dame beat Duke 70-66. They followed that up with three successive wins. All of which set up a home date with fourth-ranked DePaul on the final Wednesday night in February. The Irish got that win too, 73-62.

They were rolling, and kept it going against what was a mediocre remaining schedule. Notre Dame went up to Milwaukee and knocked off another traditional Catholic rival in Marquette, 72-60. The win ended whatever faint NCAA hopes the Warriors had left. Three more Ws closed the year. The Irish were not only going to the NCAA Tournament, they got a strong #5 seed.

Notre Dame was in the East Regional and their journey began in Charlotte, against Middle Tennessee. Rivers put on a dynamic performance, dropping 27 points, grabbing seven rebounds and handing out six assists. Royal was tough down low, going for 24 points and seven boards. Stevenson knocked down 17. The Irish shot 53 percent from the floor while holding Middle Tennessee to 43 percent. Notre Dame pulled away in the second half and won 84-71.

Fourth-seeded TCU was up next. This was a slower-paced, lower-scoring game. The Irish again shot 53 percent, and held a narrow edge on the glass. But the game was tied 57-57 coming down to the final moments. Rivers, with 23 points to his name, brought the ball up the floor. He was guarded by Jamie Dixon, later to become the head coach at his alma mater. Rivers looked to turn the corner with four seconds left. He went down. The ball went out of bounds. But a foul was whistled on Dixon. It was a controversial call, but it got Rivers to the foul line. He made one free throw, capping a 24-point afternoon and a 58-57 win.

It was on to the Meadowlands, where a rematch with North Carolina was looming. The Tar Heels were this region’s top seed. Rivers and Royal met the moment, with the former going for 23 points, and the latter posting 19 points/10 rebounds. But UNC was too talented, they had revenge on their minds, and they stayed in control of this one. Notre Dame was down 36-26 by halftime, and while they fought gamely, the final result was a 74-68 loss.

Getting back to the second weekend of NCAA play was still a good season. But it marked the end of an era. While Phelps would make the NCAA Tournament each of the next three years, he only won one game combined. After the bottom fell out of the program in 1991, a coaching change was made. 1987 Notre Dame basketball was the last real high point in the colorful tenure of Digger Phelps.