While it seemed a bit like a long shot that Notre Dame would upset No. 1 Duke on Tuesday night, many weren't expecting the result to be as bad as a 100-56 loss. The Irish lost by nearly 50 points against the Blue Devils, and Duke star Cameron Boozer had nearly as many points and rebounds in the first half as the entire Notre Dame team.
The 44-point loss to Duke marked the worst loss since the third-ever game played by the Irish in 1898, when they lost by 56 points to Chicago First Regiment. It's a result that couldn't have made head coach Micah Shrewsberry very happy, but it probably also didn't make the administration very happy either.
Notre Dame would go on to lose this game by 44 points, making it the team's worst home loss since 1898 😱 pic.twitter.com/NjQpN6qDFa
— ESPN Insights (@ESPNInsights) February 25, 2026
Notre Dame will have a big decision to make about Micah Shrewsberry's future with the Irish
Notre Dame is 12-16 this season and is facing not even making it to the ACC Tournament, let alone the NCAA Tournament. The only way the Irish make the big dance is if they get the automatic bid from winning the ACC, but even those chances are slipping.
In Shrewsberry's first season in 2023-2024, the Irish went 13-20; in the following season, the Irish were just 15-18, and now they have taken another step back in the 2025-2026 season. Notre Dame may decide to part ways with Shrewsberry.
Even in his latest press conference, Shrewsberry admitted he hasn't been doing his job as a coach, and right now, many would agree with him at Notre Dame. If Notre Dame were to fire Shrewsberry, it would be a full rebuild for the Irish, something they were hoping to get when hiring him.
The last time Notre Dame made it to the NCAA Tournament was in 2022, and even then, it was only to the second round. The last time the Irish made it past the first two rounds was back in 2016 when they went back-to-back to the Elite Eight in 2015 and 2016.