Despite a third straight abysmal Notre Dame basketball season, head coach Micah Shrewsberry was retained and allowed to try and rebuild his program almost entirely. With departures like Markus Burton, most Fighting Irish fans knew 2026-2027 was another rebuilding year. And then, the NCAA expanded the season-ending tournament by another eight spots.
Now sitting at 76 teams getting a bid starting next year, Shrewsberry is going to hard pressed to explain it away if he doesn't find some way to get an at-large bid out of the ACC. Granted, there's a big leap from where they were the last three years to winning 17 or 18 games, but with the kind of non-conference schedule they tend to put together, it really just means winning the conference games, they should be able to handle.
Micah Shrewsberry now has Notre Dame basketball facing a more forgiving NCAA Tournament path
Even with there being some understanding that the Notre Dame men's basketball team won't be anywhere near a finished product, fans will be quite annoyed if the Irish aren't even getting mentioned for the Big Dance.
There's already plenty of annoyance about the job Shrewsberry has done so far in his stay in South Bend. Even with expectations that aren't anywhere near making noise in the postseason, things will get hotter under his seat as Notre Dame fans watch middling programs back their way into the 76-team bracket.
Micah Shrewsberry risks more Notre Dame basketball frustration if the Irish still miss out
On the other hand, the Notre Dame women's basketball team now looks to have a lot less stress during the regular season. What seed they get will still be an issue, but getting an invite to the tournament should be a given under Niele Ivey.
As the women's basketball team continues to make noise and march towards the NCAA Tournament every single year, now with an even easier road, Micah Shrewsberry's Notre Dame squad is bound to get more ire.
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