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Notre Dame Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Fighting Irish

By Collin Helwig

SOUTH BEND, IN - MARCH 07: Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dribbles the ball during the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Purcell Pavilion on March 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
SOUTH BEND, IN - MARCH 07: Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dribbles the ball during the game against the Virginia Tech Hokies at Purcell Pavilion on March 7, 2020 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Notre Dame Basketball Mike Brey Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /

Schedule Outlook

As we all know, an ACC membership card and a difficult schedule almost always go hand in hand. Refusing to beat around the bush, The Fighting Irish match up against nearly all their intimidating opponents during the season’s earliest stage.

Notre Dame plans to kick things off against No. 13 Michigan State on November 29th as a prequel to their home opener against Western Michigan a week later. But after that, things really kick up a notch. After playing No. 12 Tennessee and No. 23 Ohio State at home, the Fighting Irish next head to Rupp Arena for a road date with No. 10 Kentucky, before rushing back home to face No. 9 Duke.

Games at Purdue and Syracuse follow after, and the team closes out the calendar year with a game against No. 4 Virginia on December 29th.

With so many challenging tests coming before we even reach January, expect Notre Dame to struggle considerably out of the gate, likely winning only 1-3 games and potentially falling down a rabbit hole. However, if the Fighting Irish manage to stay afloat amidst this early onslaught, some relief may come their way, with more winnable games against Pittsburgh, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Boston College, and Howard up next.

If Notre Dame finds themselves near .500 at this point, having pulled off two or three upsets and once again defeating their less daunting opponents, consider their run for a tournament bid alive.

But if the Fighting Irish intends to keep things this way, securing one or two more upsets against additional ACC rivals remains imperative. Games against Miami, Virginia Tech, and No. 16 North Carolina arrive next to conclude January play, with all three posing serious trouble for this underdog Notre Dame team.

Contests against Wake Forest and Georgia Tech once more offer a brief recess from the ACC inferno before the Fighting Irish close things out with a tough stretch against Duke, Miami, Clemson, Louisville, Boston College, NC State, and No. 21 Florida State. To stay alive, Notre Dame likely needs to win their games against Boston College, NC State, and Clemson, while stealing games from both Miami and Louisville.

This generously brings Notre Dame’s win total to 18, and with a condensed schedule due to COVID-19 restrictions, high enough to warrant a tournament bid.

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