Micah Shrewsberry shares what he learned about Notre Dame players in bounce-back win

Notre Dame defended its home court on Saturday, defeating Pitt 76-72 behind a combined 41-point performance from Tae Davis and Markus Burton.

The victory improved the Fighting Irish to 12-15 overall on the season. It’s good for their sixth win of the season in ACC action and snaps a two-game skid. Notre Dame is still 3-7 in their last 10 matchups.

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry believes the win could remind his players exactly who they are heading into the final stretch of regular season.

“Just kind of who they are as people, reinforce who they are as people a little,” Shrewsberry said. “We had a game that we really regretted as a group. How they all recommitted to how we should play and what we should do, and then to come out and do it. That says a lot about who they are as people.”

Shrewsberry is now 25-35 in just under two seasons at Notre Dame. At times, his frustration has become evident in press conferences. That includes recently knocking over a microphone in a press conference. However, Saturday’s victory over a tough Pitt squad at home could be the motivation Notre Dame needs to finish the regular season on a high note, and even schock a few people at the ACC Tournament next month.

With 18 teams now in the ACC’s ranks, the conference tournament will continue to utilize a 15-team model. That means the bottom three teams in the ACC standings will not be featured in the annual conference tournament.

Currently, Notre Dame is 12th in the ACC standings. However, one loss could bring them down to as low as 15th. That means every game is a must-win for the Fighting Irish moving forward.

Things won’t get any easier for the Irish coming up, as Notre Dame is set for a road trip to No. 18 Clemson on Wednesday night. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. ET live on the ACC Network.

The Fighting Irish will stay on the road to begin March when they take on Wake Forest one the first of the month. Notre Dame finishes the regular season on a two-game homestand agains Stanford and Cal, respectively before trying their hand at running the ACC Tournament gauntlet and stealing a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

That’s wishful thinking for Notre Dame, a team who hasn’t won consecutive games since late January. However, Saturday’s victory is a massive step in the right direction.