12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 7-7 (1-2)
The good news for the Irish is that the early win at Georgetown has looked better, with the Hoyas tied for first in the Big East. However, starting with a loss at home to Elon, they lost five in a row to fall out of postseason contention. They’ve also been playing without star guard Markus Burton, who was injured.
The good news is that Burton did make his return this past week. The bad news is that it didn’t help them get back in the win column. In the first game, Notre Dame lost 86-75 on the road at Georgia Tech. Tae Davis had 27 points and seven rebounds to lead the team, while Matt Allocco had 15 points and seven assists.
Burton was back for the matchup with North Carolina and had no rust, scoring 23 points off the bench to keep them in the game. But thanks to allowing a four-point play in the final seconds, the Irish lost 74-73. Davis (17) and Braeden Shrewsberry (16) were also in double figures but lost the backcourt battle in a true heartbreaker.
But with Burton back in the fold, Notre Dame looks to get back to being a factor in the ACC. They have a pair of difficult road games coming up, taking on NC State and Duke. It’ll take a lot to avoid a 1-4 start to league play.