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ACC Roundup - Notre Dame Heating Up

The Irish could still make a run to the NCAA Tournament - but they’ll need to nearly run the table to do it.

By JD King
COLLEGE BASKETBALL: FEB 23 Miami at Notre Dame
SOUTH BEND, IN - FEBRUARY 23: Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward John Mooney (33) goes for the rebound during the mens college basketball game between the Miami Hurricanes and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on February 23, 2020 at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, IN.
Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Is it too late for Notre Dame to make a run? Maybe. Maybe not.

Monday’s ACC Action

  • Louisville @ Florida State || 7:00 || ESPN

Sunday’s Result

  • Notre Dame 87 Miami 71

ACC Standings

After putting an 87-71 beatdown on Miami Sunday night, the Irish are 17-10. We’d favor them in three of their last four ACC games and the other one, against FSU, is at home. So if they go into the ACC tournament 20-11 or 21-10 and win 2-3 games, as one of the hottest teams in the country, well, that might do it. Right now they’re 6-2 in the last eight games. If they can pull off 10-3, that’s a nice turnaround. Toss in a couple of tournament wins and you might be in business.

Notre Dame was up by 26 in this one which suggests a team that’s really clicking.

And the Irish, long an elite three point shooting program, are getting that part of their game back. Against Miami they hit 14-31. That’s 42 out of 87 total points or 48.3 percent. When Mike Brey’s offense is working it’s really a thing of beauty.

It’s still a ways to go though: KenPom.com sees Notre Dame as #56. And the one that counts now, the Net rankings? That has the Irish at #60.

Win five more games though - and that’s very possible - and the Irish are in the conversation.

In the 1998 NBA Three Point Competition, Larry Bird legendarily walked into the locker room and said “who’s coming in second?”

In Tallahassee Monday night, people might well ask, “who’s going to be in third place?” Because whoever loses, FSU or Louisville, will fall to third in the ACC race. And if it’s Louisville, then Duke, by benefit of the tiebreaker with FSU, is in first place - at least for now.

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