Early top 25 for 2017-18 college basketball: Post-early entry deadline

By Chris Stone | May 30, 2017

March 16, 2017; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Arizona Wildcats guard Allonzo Trier (35) dunks to score a basket against the North Dakota Fighting Hawks during the first half of the first round of the NCAA tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

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Mar 11, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Bonzie Colson (35) gestures to the crowd during the second half against the Duke Blue Devils during the ACC Conference Tournament Final at Barclays Center. Duke Blue Devils won 75-69. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

19. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Notable departures: V.J. Beachem, Matt Ryan, Steve Vasturia
Notable returnees: Bonzie Colson, Matt Farrell, Martinas Geben, Temple Gibbs, Rex Pflueger, Austin Torres
Notable newcomers: D.J. Harvey

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish consistently have one of the best offenses in college basketball and next season should be no different. Although senior V.J. Beachem is off to the NBA, leading scorer Bonzie Colson returns. The 6-foot-5 brick house of a power forward averaged 22.1 points and 12.5 rebounds per 40 minutes last season. Colson is a unique player with the kind of inside-out game that an offense can flow through.

Point guard Matt Farrell will also be back for his senior season after averaging 16.3 points and 6.3 assists per 40 minutes as a junior. The 6-foot guard is an excellent facilitator who rarely makes mistakes and keeps the offense moving. Notre Dame will welcome 6-foot-6 wing D.J. Harvey to campus in the fall as well. As a 4-star recruit, he’ll have the potential to help fill some of the void left by Beachem’s departure.

For the Irish to take the next step, they’ll need build out their defense. Notre Dame finished 61st in the country in adjusted defensive efficiency last season while performing good, but not great in most metrics.