Notre Dame basketball: MBB cannot afford another loss down the stretch
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame basketball team should make the NCAA Tournament this season, but one more loss down the stretch could come back to haunt them.
It has been a solid season for the Notre Dame basketball team, which currently sits in second place in the ACC right now. However, as we inch closer to March Madness, some experts are not convinced they are a legitimate tournament team, including Bleacher Report, who had them as their ‘last team in’ for the tournament.
Looking at the roster, the Irish should be a tournament team, and they have proven they can go on the road and get wins. However, they have also proven that they are nearly impossible to beat inside Purcell Pavilion, the site of three of their last four games to close out the regular season.
Led by a star in true freshman Blake Wesley, the Irish are a team that can see several players fill it up on a nightly basis, and that kind of ball distribution will prove crucial during tournament times. As of now, they are not considered a bubble team, but a few losses to close the regular season will make for nervous times when the bracket is released.
Notre Dame basketball must win out to close the regular season
Looking at the rest of the schedule, especially with those three home games, you have to think that the Irish are favored to win out the rest of the way. In fact, one would think that to get a single-digit seed, Notre Dame basketball is going to have to win out, closing out a regular season that has had many highs so far.
If the Notre Dame basketball team does get into the Big Dance, they have a roster that can do some damage, especially with plenty of veterans in the starting lineup. To get there, they have to finish strong, giving them not only the wins they need to make the tournament but the confidence and momentum to possibly make a deep run.