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Notre Dame Basketball: Irish to Face Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament

By Chase Eyrich

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 15: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish talks to his players during the first half of a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Dean Smith Center on January 15, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - JANUARY 15: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish talks to his players during the first half of a game against the North Carolina Tar Heels at the Dean Smith Center on January 15, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame will enter the ACC Tournament as No. 15 seed looking to upset No. 10 seed Georgia Tech.

Notre Dame will head into Charlotte, N.C. riding a disastrous seven-game losing streak. The last time the Irish won a game? February 10th versus none other than Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets and Irish split their regular season meetings this season, but it’s hard to say all momentum isn’t on Tech’s side this time. Georgia Tech won their last two games of the season and now have a bit of optimism.

Their wins might not have been against the best talent (Boston College and North Carolina State), but the overall feeling has to be better than what it is in South Bend. After going 3-15 in the ACC, many of the Irish faithful are hanging their heads.

Notre Dame was able to come away with the 69-59 victory the last time these two faced off, but it wasn’t the cleanest of games.

The Irish struggled once again with Georgia Tech’s zone. Turnovers and shooting struggles became a byproduct for most of the game. There was a lack of an effort to get to the middle of the zone, as Notre Dame would pass around the arc and eventually settle for a long jump shot.

While that win was Notre Dame’s second in the last three games at that time, it wouldn’t be the turning point of the season that we all were looking for.

Now, the Irish play a little different. They are still playing solid defense, but a faster offense has been implemented. In transition, this team doesn’t look half bad. Between Temple Gibbs and Prentiss Hubb pushing the ball, it opens up shooters Nate Leszewski and John Mooney’s game completely.

When Notre Dame settles in their offensive routine for too long, efficiency becomes a problem. If Georgia Tech can get set into their zone, it could provide the same struggles that we saw in the last two meetings.

Georgia Tech plays a rotation just as short as Notre Dame’s. After a long season, it will be interesting to see which team will still have their legs under them toward the end. Motivation after poor seasons could also be a factor.

Next. Notre Dame Hoops: The Irish Are Right Where They Should Be. dark

All of that said, records never matter during the tournament. Notre Dame and Georgia Tech will take part in the second game of the day with a project tipoff time of 2 PM ET. You can watch on ESPN.