History lesson: Brey reminds Irish they're yet to win at FSU
If Mike Brey is worried about a jinx, he isn’t revealing any such nerves.
Greeting reporters before departing Tuesday evening for his Atlantic Coast Conference second-place team’s Wednesday night tilt at Florida State, Brey didn’t duck the obvious element. Including his team’s last trip to Tallahassee, Florida, -- a last-minute, 85-84 setback that kept the Irish winless at FSU and was aided, in part, by a rare technical foul whistled against the Notre Dame bench (Brey).
”I can guarantee you I will mentally put myself in a trance two minutes before the game,” Brey said. “[Telling himself] ‘Shut up and don't get involved with the officials.’ That was crazy and a heck of a game.
"I did tell our guys we haven't won there, ever. I don't care about bracketology or double byes - we've never won in Tallahassee. We've played our butts off a couple times. How about we try and get one in Tallahassee? That's kind of been our message this week."
If the Irish (21-8, 14-4 ACC) can get a win in FSU’s home, they keep alive their dim hopes of catching first-place Duke for at least a share of the ACC regular-season title.
Regardless, they’ve clinched a double-bye in next week’s ACC Tournament at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Still, additional wins only further burnish a resume that Brey believes is filled with enough to make his team viable for a return spot in the Field of 68, a move that would snap Brey’s five-year drought.
”Even if we were on the bubble, you try not to talk about it too much because you don't want guys tight,” Brey said. “Not to say we're a lock yet, but we've got a hell of a resumé. It keeps you in the week-to-week (discussion and focus on March Madness).
"We've never won in Tallahassee, period. Let's stop with what it means with everything else. Let's see if we can win one in Tallahassee.”
Aside from this being perhaps Brey’s most successful road team, FSU also is floundering this season under veteran coach Leonard Hamilton. The Noles are a meager 15-13 overall and must sweep their two ACC games this week to avoid finishing below .500.
Two years ago, Notre Dame raced to a 15-3 lead against FSU on the road but could not preserve its advantage; last season, the Irish snapped a program-worst losing skid against ranked teams when they blasted out to a 16-point halftime edge against the Noles and held on to win.
"Anytime on the road, and in our road wins, we've gotten off to pretty good starts,” Brey said. “That always helps if you're getting confident out of the gate. We couldn't do that at Wake (forest), but at NC State, we did that and got out and ran early.”
RENAISSANCE RYAN
Since being forced into the starting lineup a month ago after senior forward Nate Laszewski suffered an undefined knee injury, versatile transfer Cormac Ryan has emerged as a bit of a jack-of-all-trades utility player for the Irish.
In Saturday’s win against Georgia Tech, Ryan paced the Irish with 10 rebounds – and he had seven inside the game’s first seven minutes.
Of course, the Irish didn’t have too many opportunities for rebounds as they blew past their guests in a rousing, 90-56 win.
Ryan, however, has been in an elevated state during Notre Dame’s surge through the ACC. He’s averaged 12 points and nearly five rebounds per game during his quintet of consecutive starts.
"There's nothing like it,” Brey said of Ryan’s uptick corresponding to his starting role – even after Laszewski has returned. “You get introduced (by the public address announcer as part of the starting lineup), man. I thought (Trey) Wertz gave us good stuff and we need him to kind of make open shots and help us handle the ball a bit.
“Nate has comfortably analyzed and come in and done that. We'll start the same way (Wednesday), Saturday, who knows."
