Why Notre Dame’s short ACC tournament stay brings sour start to weekend of eventual celebration

Mike Brey hedged, just for a moment. Not out of worry, but disappointment.

Asked to explain why he pulled second-leading scorer Dane Goodwin from the starting lineup for the first this season in Thursday’s ACC tournament quarterfinal, Brey dove into a thorough answer. He started forward Nate Laszewski to help counter Virginia Tech’s powerful frontcourt duo of Keve Aluma and Justyn Mutts. He also wanted a change of pace for Goodwin, who had scored 10 or fewer points in four of the last five games.

It backfired like an old jalopy. Goodwin didn’t take a shot in the first half. Notre Dame still couldn’t slow down Aluma and Mutts. Would it be a one-time move?

“I don’t know who we’ll start,” Brey began.

Pause.

“…you know, uh, next week.”

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Notre Dame’s next game should be in the NCAA tournament, even with this 87-80 loss to the Hokies in which the Irish never led. Brey is unconcerned about exclusion, and his postgame comments said it without saying it. Find just about any expert’s NCAA tournament bracket projection, and Notre Dame is included. That was a preseason goal, and the Irish are in position to achieve it.

Still, Notre Dame’s swift ACC tournament exit and 1-2 record in the last three games hit like a stinkbomb, especially on a weekend that should end with a Sunday evening celebration. It made the mood glum enough for Brey to explicitly avoid saying “NCAA tournament” afterward.

No matter where it lands, Notre Dame’s first March Madness appearance since 2017 will be a step in the right direction after a four-year absence. That was the line in the sand Notre Dame knew it had to cross and is two days from formally crossing.

At the same time, though, a drop to the First Four in Dayton, Ohio would be a disappointing outcome for a team that rolled up 15 ACC wins, defeated potential No. 1 seed Kentucky and openly talked about ambitious postseason goals in the days before the conference tournament. As of Friday afternoon, ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi had Notre Dame as a No. 11 seed and the last team to avoid Dayton. So does BracketMatrix.com, a compilation of more than 120 projections.

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Even amid a Sunday celebration, there’d certainly be a little disappointment in relegation to the round some fans refer to as the “play-in games.” Fair or not, that’s their perception. Brey’s measured tone when discussing the tournament conveyed an understanding.

“I have them coming to my house Sunday night,” Brey said. “We’ll see what our destiny is. I’m excited about us moving forward. I think we’re in pretty good shape. We’ll find out Sunday. I have the food ordered.”

A fall that far would likely be triggered by a 4-9 record in Quadrant 1 and 2 games, which as of Friday morning, ranked as the lowest Quad 1 and 2 win percentage of any tournament-eligible team in the top 55 of the NET rankings. Notre Dame is 53^rd in the NET, higher than all but three projected at-large teams in Lunardi’s Friday bracket update. Some bubble teams could also pass the Irish with deep conference tournament runs.

The Irish should have enough on the résumé to counter all that – namely three Quadrant 1 wins, a top-30 non-conference schedule and top-70 strength of schedule. Thursday wasn’t all bad for the résumé either, because a Jan. 5 home win North Carolina become a Quadrant 1 game thanks to the Tar Heels’ Thursday dusting of Virginia.

The ACC tournament, though, was a prime chance for Notre Dame to add to their appeal and validate their regular-season accomplishments. Instead, they slumbered through the first half, committing 10 turnovers and making just nine field goals.

“We didn’t come ready to play at the beginning,” guard Prentiss Hubb said.

A similarly dejected Cormac Ryan offered a matter-of-fact confirmation.

“I’d agree with that,” Ryan said.

Nothing more really needed to be added. Notre Dame understands the chance it squandered and the break in cohesion it displayed.

The NCAA tournament selection committee looks at the entire body of work, weighting a result from December as much as one in March. In that sense, this loss won’t be the sole reason for any disappointment that comes with their tournament fate. But the opportunity for the Irish to help themselves was right there to take. Wasting it leaves a sour taste.

“What’s great for this group is after tonight and not getting off to a start or playing well early, they still get another chance to do that, it’s a good thing,” Brey said. “I think they’ll bounce back really well next week.”

He’s confident this week won’t ruin the upcoming one. But Notre Dame wishes it could’ve helped.