Notre Dame Basketball: What The Irish Should Expect From North Carolina

Notre Dame basketball is now 6-4 in ACC, but with a win over North Carolina, the Irish will be right back on track.

North Carolina isn’t going to be easy. As the top team in the ACC, the Tar Heels have been one of the best teams in the NCAA. But the Irish aren’t out of this game by no means.

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What the Irish have is some of the scrappiest players in the country. These hardworking individuals have earned the right to be in the top 25, but if they continue to lose, they’ll fall out of the AP Polls.

The key for Notre Dame is finding a way to win down low. Isiah Hicks, Kennedy Meeks, and Justin Jackson are some of the best forwards in the nation. All averaging over 10 points per game, they’ve become a trio every team in the country fears.

Notre Dame isn’t going to be any different. They’re going to need everything they have to outmatch these players. While V.J. Beachem will have the duty of Jackson and Bonzie Colson will face up with Hicks, the Irish still need to find an answer for Meeks.

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At this point in the season, it may be time to change up the frontcourt for the Irish. Martinas Geben and Matt Ryan haven’t produced nearly enough this season. Both barely adding any productivity to the team, it may be time to look for a new man to control the paint alongside Colson.

John Mooney is only a freshman and has only played in 10 games this season, but this 6’9 forward may be in line for more minutes. At this point, nothing is holding Mike Brey back from giving Mooney a chance.

It’s going to come down to the frontcourt in this game. If Notre Dame can find a way to slow these crazy good forwards, they’ll be able to give their backcourt a chance to outscore the Tar Heels. But without stopping the bigmen, the Irish are going to have to outmatch UNC’s guards. With only three or four of them producing, that’s an almost impossible task for Notre Dame.

Prediction: Notre Dame sneaks away with a win, beating UNC 77-71.

As inevitable as it seems, Notre Dame is going to come away with their second top 25 win of the season.

North Carolina is a tough task, but Notre Dame is chippy, and eventually that’s going to pay off. When Matt Farrell and V.J. Beachem start leading this team offensively, the frontcourt will handle the defensive end. Bonzie Colson has dominated the boards all season, and that isn’t going to change.

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It’ll come down to one man, who may not be well known but could make a huge impact when given a chance. John Mooney should get a shot in this game. If he does, there’s this hunch feeling he’s going to perform. With a strong performance, Notre Dame will have a significant advantage over the Tar Heels.

From there, the game is the Irish’s for the taking. It isn’t going to be easy, but if they can find success in the paint, the Irish will pull off this upset ACC victory.