Notre Dame making moves in projected NCAA tournament fields after another 2-0 week
Mike Brey can sense it. He knows what another 2-0 week and a 14-2 record since a Dec. 18 loss to Indiana means for Notre Dame.
“I think we’re trending toward the tournament,” Brey said Monday.
Perusing the latest projected fields of 68 confirms his belief. Notre Dame appears in 92 of the roughly 110 predictions on BracketMatrix.com, with its seed ranging from a No. 8 to No. 12. On the aggregate, the Irish are the second No. 11 seed and among the last four at-large teams to bypass the First Four in Dayton, Ohio.
Here’s a look at where Notre Dame stands in some notable projected brackets.
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ESPN
Joe Lunardi’s Tuesday update has Notre Dame as the first No. 9 seed and playing No. 8 Colorado State in a first-round game in Portland, Ore. The Irish are in the West Region and one of five ACC teams in his bracket. They are one of 36 teams highlighted as having an 85 percent or better chance of making the tournament.
CBS
Jerry Palm’s latest bracket, released Monday, has Notre Dame as a No. 8 seed playing No. 9 Iowa State in Indianapolis. That game is part of the Midwest Region in Palm’s bracket, which has three ACC team in it.
On3
Eric Prisbell released his latest projected field Tuesday, and it has Notre Dame as a No. 12 seed and in the First Four, the lowest of the five ACC teams in his field. The Irish play fellow No. 12 seed Creighton in his mock bracket.
FOX Sports
Mike DeCourcy’s Tuesday projections have Notre Dame as the No. 8 seed in the East Region and playing a first-round game against No. 9 Iowa. The Irish are one of five ACC teams in his bracket.
Sporting News
Bill Bender’s latest projected seeds, released Tuesday, have Notre Dame on the No. 10 line and clear of the First Four. Bender included five ACC teams in his field of 68.
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The Athletic Bubble Watch
Notre Dame remains in the “work to do” category in Eamonn Brennan’s latest Bubble Watch, along with every other ACC team in the tournament mix other than Duke.
“Notre Dame just keeps winning,” Brennan wrote. “The Irish might have put up the worst offensive performance of their season (and maybe Mike Brey’s entire life) against Duke on Jan. 31 (final score: 57-43, in 66 possessions), but otherwise they’ve been excellent in ACC play, now 11-3 and sitting at the top of the conference standings alongside Duke.
“Of course, because this ACC is the way it is, ND has been racking up those league wins against Quadrant 3 teams more often than not, but you can only play the schedule in front of you (in your conference, anyway). Besides, the Irish do still have that home win at Kentucky on their resume, too.
“The rest of this schedule has more of the same on it, save a trip to Wake Forest, but if the Irish handle their business as they have been they should end up in the field pretty straightforwardly after all.
