The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are on a four-game winning streak and hope to be peaking at the right time for the ACC and NCAA Tournaments. Here we go…

Bonzie Colson’s Creative Finishes

Bonzie Colson is a great scorer around the basket, but since he’s only 6’5, he’s had to learn to finish difficult and creative shots. Against North Carolina State, Colson had 13 points on 6-10 shooting and showed off his full repertoire.

The Up-And-Under

The Catch-And-Shoot Short Jumper

The Jump Hook

(This is probably his go-to move. Notice how he leans forward into the basket as he shoots. The contact he generates with the defender tends to put them off balance and helps him draw fouls.)

The Fadeaway Short Jumper

The Floater

These moves are helping Colson shoot 54.6% this season on two-point field goal attempts (per sportsreference.com). These “in the paint outside the restricted area” shots are really difficult for most players on all levels. Of 44 players in the NBA that have made at least 50 “in the paint outside the restricted area” shots this season, only eight are making at least 50% of them.

But practice and a soft touch have made Colson arguably the best in the country at converting such shots. I’m not sure what Bonzie’s shooting percentage is on such shots (not publicly available), but Colson clearly has a unique ability that’s made him one of the front-runners for ACC Player of the Year.

Gibbs Rejecting The Pick

TJ Gibbs may be a freshman, but he often plays with the savvy of an upperclassmen. On consecutive possessions against the Wolfpack, Gibbs had the ball on the left wing and Austin Torres came up to set a pick. Both times, Gibbs took advantage of the defender anticipating his use of the pick and drove baseline.

Here, he draws the attention of Matt Farrell’s defender and finds him in the corner for an open three.

Here, Gibbs finishes himself.

When the Irish have four shooters on the floor, all it takes is the ball-handler beating one defender off the dribble to get the defense really scrambling (so much space inside the arc). And when this happens, layups and open threes tend to result. Rejecting a pick is one effective way to put these events into motion.

Risk of Baseline Out-Of-Bounds Play

When the Irish run baseline out-of-bounds plays, they tend to try and get looks for guys in the corners. Here, VJ Beachem and Steve Vasturia fade towards the corners and Beachem puts up a shot. The risk of these sorts of plays is that they make the Irish liable to giving up transition baskets.

With Farrell under the basket passing in the ball, Vasturia and Beachem in the corners, and Colson trying to get an offensive rebound, that only leaves Gibbs in any position to prevent a fast break. The Irish can still run plays like this, but they just need to make a conscious effort to get back after missed shots (and maybe position themselves better).