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Notre Dame basketball: Men’s preview for the 2021-22 college season

By Brad Weiss

Jan 4, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Prentiss Hubb (3) and forward Nate Laszewski (14) react after their game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 4, 2020; Syracuse, New York, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Prentiss Hubb (3) and forward Nate Laszewski (14) react after their game against the Syracuse Orange at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports /
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Notre Dame Basketball
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 /

Notre Dame basketball: Men’s preview for the 2021-22 college season

Toughest stretches

Sure, CSU Northridge is going to be a cupcake game to open the season, but the slate definitely gets tougher for the Irish, who are coming off an 11-15 season in 2020-21. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge will take place starting on November 29, when the Irish take on preseason No.11-ranked Illinois. Two games later, they will take on what should be a much-improved Kentucky team.

Moving forward, the start of the new year could be trouble for the Irish, as they will kick off 2022 by playing preseason No. 3 Duke on New Years Day, before battling out against preseason No. 19 North Carolina five days later. It gets a bit easier after those two back-to-back matchups, as they do not play another preseason top-25 team until Virginia late in January.

Overall, this is going to be a tough schedule no navigate, as they play some solid out-of-conference teams, and the ACC is always one of the best conferences in all of college basketball. There are plenty of storylines this season, as Mike Brey looks to get this program back on track, so bringing it every night is going to be the only way the Irish make a legitimate run at the tournament in 2021-22.