Notre Dame basketball: 3 reasons MBB could make a deep run this March

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Dec 22, 2021; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Dane Goodwin (23) during warmups before the game against the Texas A&M CC Islanders at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2: Veterans around a star true freshman

Every March, you see some big-name programs get upset early in the tournament, as a lot of the time, teams like Kentucky and Duke are relying on true freshmen to lead the way. Fortunately for the Irish, while they have a legitimate star in true freshman Blake Wesley, he is surrounded by four other starters who have played in more than their fair share of college basketball games.

In fact, the Irish have multiple 1,000-point scorers on their roster, and a lot of these guys are multi-year starters for the program. It is a perfect blend of veteran players wrapped around a young superstar, and that is going to help Wesley when the game is on the line come the ACC or NCAA Tournaments.

Notre Dame basketball has not made the NCAA Tournament in some time, but with the way they have been playing over the last 17 games, they are no longer a bubble team. They are going to get into the Big Dance, and thanks to the way this roster has been constructed, I do not see them going one-and-done when that time comes.