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ACC Basketball: Notre Dame vs. NC State preview, prediction, TV schedule

By Taylor Sturm

Feb 5, 2017; Greensboro, NC, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey (center) talks to his team during the second half at Greensboro Coliseum. The Tar Heels won 83-76. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2017; Greensboro, NC, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey (center) talks to his team during the second half at Greensboro Coliseum. The Tar Heels won 83-76. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish travel to PNC Arena to face-off with the reeling NC State Wolfpack on Saturday afternoon.

TV Schedule: Saturday, Feb. 18, 12:00 p.m. ET, ESPN

Arena: PNC Arena, Raleigh, NC

Things can’t really get much worse for the NC State Wolfpack in 2017. After high expectations to begin the college basketball season, the Wolfpack have lost six straight games since their upset road win over the Duke Blue Devils and have now fired head coach Mark Gottfried. At 3-11 in conference play and holding a dismal 14-13 overall record, it’s already time to start looking towards the future for this program.

Notre Dame, on the other hand, have rebounded nicely from a four game losing streak with three straight wins, including a 12-point victory over the then No. 14 ranked Florida State Seminoles. The Fighting Irish appear to be surging at the right time and should be able to carry that momentum into the postseason, as they should easily win three of their four remaining ACC games.

While I expect NC State to come out a little fired up after their coach was fired coming into the game, it should be yet another loss for the hugely disappointing Wolfpack. Notre Dame tends to struggle against the top dogs in the ACC, but do their jobs against weaker opposition.

Prediction: Notre Dame 78, NC State 66

Next: Miami suspends key player

The Fighting Irish actually worry me a bit heading into March. Their schedule has been grueling, but their best wins continue to look worse, as Virginia Tech, Florida State, and Northwestern limp into the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame has the talent to get hot at the right time and make a deep NCAA Tournament run, but they also look like a team that could be upset in the first round by a mid-major. Stay tuned.