Slap the Sign
Fansided

Notre Dame Basketball: Irish momentum stunted by postponement of Clemson game

By Andrew Hall

Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey talks to his players during a time out in the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 16, 2020; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey talks to his players during a time out in the second half against the Duke Blue Devils at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

The ACC announced that the Clemson-Notre Dame Men’s basketball game on Wednesday, February 17 is postponed due to COVID-19 concerns within the Tigers program. A positive test, subsequent quarantine, and contact tracing within the Clemson basketball team prevent the Tigers from playing on Wednesday.

This postponement severely slows the momentum growing within the Notre Dame basketball program. The Fighting Irish are coming off a win against Miami (FL), 71-61, their sixth win in the last eight contests. Mike Brey’s squad now sits 10th in ACC and a game behind 7th place.

Around 6th or 7th place is approximately where the NCAA tournament bubble lies within the ACC. With the current momentum of the team, the Irish were threatening to make a late push towards the tournament.

The Irish currently rank 64th in the NCAA Men’s Basketball NET rankings – a major factor in tournament selection. Notre Dame needs to move into the top 40 range to have a chance of an at-large bid for the tournament.

Notre Dame Men’s Basketball could have to wait even longer

This postponement may not be the only the Notre Dame basketball team deals with this week. The Irish are slated to play the Syracuse Orange on Saturday. However, the Syracuse athletic department is currently dealing with an incident where 50 student-athletes hosted a mask-less party. The athletic department did not specify which athletic programs were involved in the incident. A similar incident prevented North Carolina from playing their game against Miami (FL).

It appears the only thing that could slow the Irish momentum in 2021 was COVID-19. If these games fall through, Notre Dame would play next against Louisville on Tuesday, February 23rd. Victories against Louisville, Syracuse, Clemson, and Florida State would help the Irish tournament resume.

To win the game, of course, the Notre Dame basketball team needs a chance to play – something that the coronavirus might prevent.

Next. Notre Dame Football: A way-too-early look at the Irish offensive depth chart. dark