Fifteen teams get into the Atlantic Coast Conference men’s basketball tournament. Currently sitting 16th with two games left to play, it’s officially go time for Notre Dame.
To night the Irish host the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford enters the matchup at 18–11 overall and 7–9 in ACC play, putting together a stronger season than Notre Dame, which sits at 13–16 overall and just 4–12 in conference play.
However, where there’s a will, there’s a way. As evidenced by the Irish 96-90 overtime win over NC State on Saturday, head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s squad has shown it has the fight. Now, with their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, the Irish need to turn that fight into a big-time result once again as they vie for a spot in the conference tournament.
Luckily for Notre Dame, the return of impact freshman wing Jalen Haralson from an ankle injury proved to be a massive boost against the Wolfpack. Although on a minute restriction, Haralson managed to score 25 points and completely changed the pace of play every time he had the ball.
Haralson’s burst of energy provided the Irish with a much-needed boost. His blistering performance was complemented by yet another strong showing from blossoming sophomore guard Cole Certa. Since the injury of star guard Markus Burton, Certa has become Notre Dame’s most lethal scorer. The shooter scored 32 points against NC State, including the last five and 12 overall in overtime.
The consistent scoring output of Haralson and Certa gives Shrewsberry a reliable one-two punch he can lean on against Stanford. The question now becomes what Notre Dame can receive from the rest of its roster.
Against NC State, the answer to that question was a cool 16 points from junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry and an additional 10 courtesy of sophomore guard Sir Mohammed. In the game prior, the now infamous 100-56 loss to No. 1 Duke, freshman forward Brady Koehler stepped up with 14 points.
As Notre Dame stands on the precipice of its season ending without an ACC tournament appearance, it needs all of these players to step up. Performances where just one player besides Certa and Haralson has the hot hand while the rest of the team watches on must become a thing of the past.
This idea doesn’t just come to fruition in scoring. Against NC State, junior guard Logan Imes delivered one of his finest performances in an Irish uniform, scoring eight points and dishing out three crucial assists. Although on paper Imes’ performance doesn’t seem like much, his play-making ability came to life several times and was a pivotal component of Notre Dame’s win.
Apart from getting the most out of all its playmakers, Notre Dame will also need to be dialed in defensively to stop a Stanford team that has shown serious offensive potency throughout the season. Against No. 17 UNC in January, the Cardinal scored 95 points en route to its most impressive win of the season.
At the forefront of Stanford’s talented point-getters is freshman Ebuka Okorie. Despite being ranked outside the top 100 in high school recruiting, Okorie is No. 5 nationally with 22.7 points per game on 45% shooting from the field.
Okorie has the ability to flip a game upside down. Just one week ago, he produced 34 points against Pitt. Earlier in February, he scored a season-high 40 against Georgia Tech.
There’s no doubt Okorie will find ways to razzle and dazzle, but the Irish can’t afford to give him anything easy. With a sizable rest period following the NC State game, Shrewsberry has had ample time to tailor a defensive game plan to fend off Okorie’s offensive prowess in practice this week.
As it stands, Notre Dame’s 4-12 record in conference play is tied with Pittsburgh, who is seated one spot above Notre Dame via tiebreaker. Wins against Stanford and then Boston College on Saturday should be enough for Notre Dame to squeak into the ACC Tournament if Pitt loses at least one of its final two games.
Tipoff for Wednesday night’s matchup is slated for 9 p.m. The broadcast for the game can be found on ESPN.
