WGL Sports Performer of the Day (2/11/17)
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Forward Bonzie Colson (33 points, 13 rebounds)
Now that the NFL season has come to an end, the focus of the sports world has shifted to basketball, more specifically college basketball. March Madness is right around the corner, so this final stretch of games takes on added importance as teams look to bolster their resumes for the tournament. Notre Dame did just that on Saturday, when they took down #14 Florida State, who was looking to move into first place in the ACC, by the score of 84-72. The star of the show was Bonzie Colson, who scored a career high 33 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. Colson shot 12 for 18 from the field and 8 for 8 from the free throw line. This performance came on the heels of a 27 point, 16 rebound, 5 block performance on Tuesday against Wake Forest.
For Colson, he notched his 16th double-double of the season and surpassed the 1,000-point mark for his career. The 6’5” junior forward is averaging 16.1 points per game and leads the ACC with 10.8 rebounds per game. He is on the shortlist for ACC Player of the Year. Coach Mike Brey recently installed a four-guard lineup with the undersized Colson functioning as the de facto center, and the experiment seems to be working so far. With the win, the Fighting Irish improve to 19-7 on the season and 8-5 in conference play. They are now 2-6 against ranked teams this season, with the other win coming against Louisville in January. Notre Dame has reached back-to-back Elite 8’s and came into the day projected as a #7 seed in the big dance. Their lack of size will make it difficult for them to make another deep run this postseason, but with their elite shooting ability and the double-double activity of Colson, this team will be a tough out for anyone come March.
