Where Notre Dame men's basketball stands in ACC tournament bracket
Notre Dame men’s basketball — picked last in the Atlantic Coast Conference before the season — finished 12th in the league with a 7-13 conference record. The Irish are set for a first-round matchup with 13-seed Georgia Tech at 2 p.m. ET on Tuesday in the ACC Tournament in Washington, D.C.
The Yellow Jackets — much like the Irish — are a young team playing their best basketball as the regular season comes to a close. First-year head coach Damon Stoudamire‘s group won three of its last four, including a 70-69 win road win over Wake Forest.
That game was significant because it happened almost exactly a month after Georgia Tech lost 80-51 to the Demon Deacons, prompting a memorable post-game opening statement from Stoudamire that can’t be written in an article.
Junior guard Miles Kelly is the Yellow Jackets’ leading scorer, averaging 14.6 points and 5.8 rebounds. Freshman forward Baye Ndongo had a terrific first season, compiling 11.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Another freshman, point guard Naithan George, has come on strong as of late. He scored 15 and 16 points, respectively, in recent wins over Florida State and Wake Forest. George also leads the team with 4.6 assists per game.
If the Irish get past Georgia Tech, they’ll be right back at it at 2:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Here’s Notre Dame’s path to a run in the ACC Tournament.
If Notre Dame beats Georgia Tech, the Irish face…
Wake Forest, the No. 5 seed in the tournament. The Demon Deacons stopped a three-game losing streak Saturday, beating Clemson 81-76 to salvage the end of the regular season. That losing streak began in South Bend, where Notre Dame beat Wake Forest 70-65 to start a skid that pushed the Deacs to the wrong side of the NCAA Tournament bubble.
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Junior guard Hunter Sallis, a transfer from Gonzaga, leads the Demon Deacons with 18.2 points per game. He struggled against the Irish, though, scoring only 7 points and shooting 2-for-11 from the field. Kevin “Boopie” Miller led Wake with 16 points against Notre Dame on Feb. 27.
If the Irish beat Wake Forest, they face…
Pittsburgh, who received the final double-bye as the No. 4 seed after beating North Carolina State and watching Clemson lose to Wake Forest on Saturday. The Panthers won nine of their final 11 games, and they enter the ACC Tournament on a three-game win streak. They’re right alongside Wake Forest on ESPN bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s Next Four Out, meaning they likely have to win multiple games in the conference tournament (if not the entire thing) to make the field.
Senior forward Blake Hinson is Pittsburgh’s best player scoring 18.8 points per game and shooting a carer-high 42.6 percent from 3-point range. Freshman guard Carlton “Bub” Carrington, who tied Notre Dame guard Markus Burton for most ACC Rookie of the Week honors this season with four, is up there as well with 13.3 points per game.
A win over Pitt would likely result in a matchup with North Carolina, the No. 1 seed in the tournament who blasted Notre Dame 84-51 on Tuesday. But that’s a long way off as the Irish prepare for Georgia Tech.
