2000-01 record: 20-10; 11-5 in Big East (1st in West) Final Ranking: No. 23 ESPN/USA Today; No. 19 AP Postseason: Lost to Mississippi 59-56 in second round of NCAA Tournament. RETURNING LEADERS Points: Humphrey 14.1 ppg | Rebounds: Humphrey 9.0 rpg | Assists: Carroll 3.8 apg | FG %: Humphrey 50.5% | 3pt %: Carroll 40.9% | FT %: Carroll 83.6% 00-01 Stats: Notre Dame | Big East

		Monday, Oct. 29 How can the Irish replace the loss of Troy Murphy? Coach Mike Brey will build around their abundance of shooters like Matt Carroll. There's also Ryan Humphrey inside to guarantee toughness on the frontline. Freshman Chris Thomas must demonstrate good judgment, quickness and penetration ability to make the Irish a very good team.

Outlook
The Fighting Irish return some talented players, but let's be honest: The only school that can lose a player like Troy Murphy and not miss a beat is Duke.

And Notre Dame ain't Duke -- though it is coached by a former Duke assistant, Mike Brey.

Still, the Irish won't be entirely defenseless, even if they also lost their point guard, Martin Ingelsby, who led the Big East in assist-turnover ratio at 3.16-to-1. Power forward Ryan Humphrey is back, and after averaging 14.1 points and nine rebounds while being relegated to Murphy's leftovers, don't be surprised if Humphrey goes for more of the 20-and-10 variety on a regular basis. Two outstanding shooters also return in 6-6 senior David Graves (13.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg) and 6-6 junior Matt Carroll (12.4 ppg).

A pair of freshmen will contribute, especially 6-1 point guard Chris Thomas, a McDonald's All-American who was working with the first team from the first day of practice. The other freshmen, 6-9 Jordan Cornette, ought to be more of a role player early in his career. Both were recruited by former Notre Dame coach Matt Doherty and decided to stay when Brey was hired.

The new coach is a stickler for defense, another reason the Irish won't drop off the face of the basketball map without Murphy. He wasn't their best defender, or even close, and the team allowed foes to shoot just 39.7 percent last season from the field. If that number drops further, the team's win total might not, after all.

What we like: Humphrey is a star, and Graves, Carroll and Thomas will provide a perimeter complement to his interior game. The defense will carry this team, and the defense ought to be good.

What we don't like: Shooters like Graves and Carroll have never had to hunt for their shot with defenses hunting them, instead of hunting Murphy. Their numbers could tumble this season thanks to the added defensive pressure they will face.

The bottom line: The way Brey coaches and recruits, Notre Dame is a threat to win 20 games or more every season -- though there are sure to be some bumps along the way this season as the team learns to win without Murphy.

Key Players Returning
Player	Yr.	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Ryan Humphrey	Sr.	F	6-8/233	PTS: 14.1 | REB: 9.0 | AST: 1.4
Matt Carroll	Jr.	G	6-6/210	PTS: 12.4 | REB: 5.0 | AST: 3.8
David Graves	Sr.	F	6-6/208	PTS: 13.8 | REB: 4.7 | AST: 2.3

Key Losses
Player	Pos.	Ht./Wt.	Comment
Troy Murphy	F	6-11/245	PTS: 21.8 | REB: 9.2 | AST: 2.1
Martin Ingelsby	G	6-0/175	PTS: 8.2 | REB: 2.8 | AST: 6.4

Notre Dame Signings
Player	Pos.	Ht.	High School/College
Jordan Cornette	F	6-9	Cincinnati/St. Xavier (Ohio)
Chris Thomas	G	6-1	Indianapolis/Pike (Ind.)