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Notre Dame basketball: Irish continue to get no love in the AP top-25

By Brad Weiss

Jan 26, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) reacts after an offensive foul call against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 26, 2022; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) reacts after an offensive foul call against the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame basketball team is one of the hottest in the country right now, but once again, they were shut out of the AP top-25.

With their win against Virginia on Saturday, the Notre Dame basketball team notched their tenth victory in their last 11 games. That is an incredible run of success for the Irish, and they are undefeated at home, as Purcell Pavilion has been a nightmare for opposing teams walking through the doors.

Thanks to a solid blend of veteran leaders, and a true freshman superstar in Blake Wesley, the Irish are one of the more well-rounded teams in the ACC. Saturday, in their 65-62 victory, four starters scored in double figures, and while Wesley struggled with his shot, he led the team in assists, finding a way to make an impact even on an off night.

However, despite the Irish run of success recently, they are still getting no love nationally.

On Monday, the AP released their latest top-25 rankings, and once again, Notre Dame was not listed as one of the best 25 teams in the country. However, they did receive votes, coming in at four, so maybe they are starting to get more national attention with a monster game ahead this week.

Notre Dame basketball has a crucial test Tuesday against Duke

The Irish can silence a lot of their doubters tonight, as the No. 9 ranked Duke Blue Devils come to town. Notre Dame already has a win against No. 5 Kentucky on their resume this season and can continue to build towards a possible NCAA Tournament berth with another solid showing against Coach K’s group.

They are doing a great job of finishing games late, and against a team like Duke, if the Irish are in it deep into the second half, you can expect a fight to the finish.

A win against Duke will likely catapult them into the top-25 at this time next week, but after receiving only four votes, even that could be a stretch. The most important thing is for this team to continue to gel on the court, and when all is said and done, rankings and tournament invited will take care of themselves.