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Notre Dame basketball: Cormac Ryan catches fire, Irish advance to second round

By Brad Weiss

Mar 18, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) shoots against Alabama Crimson Tide center Charles Bediako (10) in the first half during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 18, 2022; San Diego, CA, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Cormac Ryan (5) shoots against Alabama Crimson Tide center Charles Bediako (10) in the first half during the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament at Viejas Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame basketball team took care of No. 6 Alabama on Friday, punching their ticket to the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

The Notre Dame basketball team went into their matchup against Alabama as the underdog, as they had to punch their ticket to the Field of 64 on Wednesday night. Playing in the First Four as a No. 11 seed against Rutgers, the Irish needed double overtime to keep their season alive, and in the end, clinched the matchup against Alabama in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

With their battle against Alabama set, the Irish were the underdog, as the Crimson Tide clinched a spot in the tournament easily, making it as a No. 6 seed. Going in as a four-point underdog per WynnBet, not many gave the Irish a chance, especially on short rest, but it was clear early on that Cormac Ryan was not going to be stopped.

Ryan absolutely went off against Alabama, finding his touch from the outside, and finishing the game with 29 points on 10-of-13 shooting. To make it even more impressive, Ryan hit seven three-pointers in the game, as the Crimson Tide had no answer for him all game long.

Four Irish players went for double-figures, including star true freshman Blake Wesley, who had a few highlight-reel dunks in the game. Wesley scored 18 points, and had three steals, as he showed why he is considered a legitimate first-round draft pick.

Notre Dame to take on Texas Tech in the Round of 32

With the Irish beating the Crimson Tide, this Notre Dame basketball team advances to the Round of 32, where they will take on the No. 3 seed in the West Region, Texas Tech. Texas Tech dominated Montana State in the first round, beating the Big Sky Champion Bobcats 97-62, and are a well-balanced team that is going to cause some problems for this Irish squad.

It has been an incredible few days for the program, and as we saw on Friday, they have more than enough depth to make a run this year. We have been saying it all season long, and if Texas Tech thinks they are going to have an easy time on Sunday, they have another thing coming.