Tough Practices Lead to Notre Dame Win and Confidence

Notre Dame (4-8, 1-5) ended a four-game losing streak on Saturday with a win over Boston College. It wasn't the prettiest of games, but Mike Brey's team showed fight they lacked in the previous two games. 

Why the change? 

Practice. 

"We had some intense practices where we had to," stated Brey. "I just thought we needed to really compete more and stick our nose in there more." 

The step-up in intensity was welcomed from the team as Dane Goodwin felt it was exactly the kick in the pants they needed. 

"We just needed those two days of practice where we just went after each other," explained Goodwin. "We came out ready to play today and I think that competitive nature that we all have just hasn't shown up at certain times. We just needed that. We needed to come out strong and aggressive and I think we did that."

What were the practices like? Brey challenged his team as individuals, but also in settings where they had to make plays. 

"One-on-one, two-on-two - just really going at guys," Goodwin stated. "We needed to get down and dirty and get into guys - get the juices flowing because we got some big games coming up - games we feel we can win."

The Notre Dame offense also took on a slight change on Saturday as Brey stated he called zero sets during the game. Risky, right? 

It paid off as the Irish were able to find a flow and it certainly worked for Goodwin, who scored 21 points, including going 5-of-9 from three-point range. 

"We were just playing," Goodwin said. "We've been in those positions before where we're kind of looking around at each other and not really knowing what to do. We just went out there and went for it. I think moving forward, that's a recipe for us. We have to stay aggressive in those situations." 

Senior captain Juwan Durham felt the game was still tougher than the practices, but he hopes the intense practices continue moving forward. 

"We really got after it in practice and it was really good for us," said Durham. "Without days like that, we're going to continue to have the bad days. With us practicing hard the way that we did, we need to continue to do that. I'm all for it."