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2017 ACC Tournament: Notre Dame claims third seed, may have easiest road (entire bracket included)

By Noah Strackbein

Feb 26, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Josh Heath (11) drives to the basket as Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward V.J. Beachem (3) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 26, 2017; South Bend, IN, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Josh Heath (11) drives to the basket as Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward V.J. Beachem (3) defends in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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Notre Dame may not have finished second in the conference, but they did secure a two-round bye in the 2017 ACC Tournament.

After falling to Louisville in their final regular season game, the Fighting Irish failed to clinch the No. 2 seed in the ACC Tournament. But with wins by Florida State and North Carolina, Notre Dame didn’t fall far, claiming the No. 3 seed in the conference.

Notre Dame isn’t complaining, though. The Irish may have the easiest road to the title if their cards play out right. With Georgia Tech and Pitt deciding who will play Virginia, which will decide the Irish’s opponent, Notre Dame doesn’t really need to worry about too much competition.

Virginia may have handled the Irish in their first meeting this season, but the Cavaliers are hitting a rough patch in their year. Finishing the regular season 5-5 including a four-game losing streak with losses to Virginia Tech, UNC, Duke, and Miami, Virginia has looked lost against some stiffer competition.

Pitt and Georgia Tech were never a threat. The Irish may have split the season series with the Yellow Jackets, but at a bigger stage and having to play two games prior, Georgia Tech wouldn’t have even left to pull off the upset for the second time.

For Notre Dame, they may have finished their regular season off with a loss, but they were in the midst of a six-game winning streak which included #2 Florida State. Even if they didn’t get the win against Louisville, the Irish will carry plenty of momentum into the tournament. With a chance for their seniors to earn ACC title number two, the drive to succeed is in full swing.

Listen: Conference Tournament Predictions

Notre Dame will be looking to knock off the powerhouses of the tournament. The Duke Blue Devils have won the tourney nine times since the turn of the century. But they haven’t been able to win one since 2011, which has left the door open for teams like Notre Dame, North Carolina, Florida State, Virginia, and Miami to get their share of the trophy.

The 2017 ACC Tournament kicks off Tuesday, March 7 at 12:00 pm EST and will run through Saturday, March 11. All games will be broadcasted on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and the ACC Network. You can watch online at WatchESPN and theacc.