ND's defense stinks.
Notre Dame knocked off North Carolina and Louisville but lost to Georgia Tech and Florida State. What could be accounting for the Fighting Irish's ups and downs this season?
Andy Katz: No one should be surprised. They have been erratic. It has been Notre Dame's calling card all season. Scoring hasn't been an issue, so if the Irish defend consistently, then they are a different team.
John Gasaway: This is not a strong defensive team, and the Irish will usually need a productive night on offense to win. That's usually not a problem with this bunch, but against Florida State, Mike Brey's guys recorded their worst showing on offense of the entire ACC season.
Eamonn Brennan: The Irish are frequently the conference's best offensive team, but their cellar-level defensive work can leave them hanging on nights when the shots don't fall. What's worth noting here is that this was basically the case for Notre Dame last season, too, but it found workarounds and got key stops in its ACC tournament title run and Elite Eight push. That team was better than this one, no question. But all hope is not lost.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/page/word160302/why-ups-downs-season-notre-dame
Notre Dame knocked off North Carolina and Louisville but lost to Georgia Tech and Florida State. What could be accounting for the Fighting Irish's ups and downs this season?
Andy Katz: No one should be surprised. They have been erratic. It has been Notre Dame's calling card all season. Scoring hasn't been an issue, so if the Irish defend consistently, then they are a different team.
John Gasaway: This is not a strong defensive team, and the Irish will usually need a productive night on offense to win. That's usually not a problem with this bunch, but against Florida State, Mike Brey's guys recorded their worst showing on offense of the entire ACC season.
Eamonn Brennan: The Irish are frequently the conference's best offensive team, but their cellar-level defensive work can leave them hanging on nights when the shots don't fall. What's worth noting here is that this was basically the case for Notre Dame last season, too, but it found workarounds and got key stops in its ACC tournament title run and Elite Eight push. That team was better than this one, no question. But all hope is not lost.
http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/page/word160302/why-ups-downs-season-notre-dame