2016 NCAA Tournament Preview: No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 14 Stephen F. Austin

By Jason Fletcher

In East Region action, the No. 6 seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish will take on the No. 14 seeded Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks on Sunday from Brooklyn, N.Y. The Irish will be looking to return to the Sweet 16 for the second season in the row while the Lumberjacks are searching for their first ever appearance in the Round of 16.

Notre Dame is fresh off of an impressive comeback victory over Michigan in the Round of 64. Mike Brey‘s team was down 12 points at the half, but outscored the Wolverines in the second half 41-22 en route to a 70-63 win. V.J. Beachem led the Irish in scoring with 18 while Zach Auguste posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Stephen F. Austin dismantled the West Virginia Mountaineers on Friday night. The Lumberjacks held the Mountaineers to 30 percent shooting from the field, 18 percent from the three-point line and forced 22 turnovers in a 70-56 victory. Senior forward Thomas Walkup scored 33 points and added nine rebounds, four assists and four steals in a performance for the ages.

What To Watch For

The one bright spot for West Virginia against Stephen F. Austin was forward Devin Williams who posted 12 points and 17 rebounds. The interior is where the weakness is for the Lumberjacks, and the Irish need to exploit that with Auguste. In addition, the guards for Notre Dame will need to take care of the basketball and not turn it over.

The Lumberjacks need to come out with the exact same gameplan they used against the Mountaineers: keep up the pressure on defense and execute patience on offense. Slowing the game down and getting the best shot they can is the formula to moving on to the Sweet 16.

In the end, I like the grit and experience of the Irish. They will be better prepared to face the Lumberjack pressure than the Mountaineers were, so look for Auguste to have a monster game as Notre Dame advances to the Sweet 16.

Prediction: Notre Dame 70, Stephen F. Austin 58

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