ACC Basketball power rankings: Clemson rises, while Notre Dame tumbles

14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish – 8-7 (0-4)

The Irish have lost six out of eight games as of late, with the wins coming against Jacksonville and Boston University. And even in those games, they were close for a good amount of time. The latest two defeats came to Miami and Boston College.

Losing to the Hurricanes isn’t shameful. It was a good fight by Notre Dame, losing 76-65. Trey Wertz led the team with 15 points while Dane Goodwin had 14 on 7/10 shooting. And Marcus Hammond, who has now played eight games after dealing with an earlier injury, had 12 to provide some scoring production off the bench.

The loss to the Eagles was less understanding. It’s a true road game in league play but considering how badly they needed a win, Notre Dame’s 70-63 setback was bad. Goodwin and JJ Starling had 16 points to lead the team, while Cormack Ryan had 11. The problem is that forward Nate Laszweski had just six points in 35 minutes, while Trey Wertz had just six on 2/9 shooting.

And that’s the overall issue for the Irish. They have five double-digit scorers on the season but unless all of them play well together, there’s just not enough offensive production, as they play 6-7 guys at the most. And the defense, particularly inside, is just brutal.

Things don’t get easier for them, with a road trip to North Carolina up next. Notre Dame has a favorable schedule after the Heels, with Georgia Tech, Florida State, Louisville, and Syracuse up afterward. But Notre Dame may have dug itself too big a hole to this point.