Notre Dame: 20-10, 11-7 in the ACC
Head Coach: Mike Brey
Leading Scorer: Demetrius Jackson (15.9 PPG)
Season Recap: Even after losing mainstays Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton from last year's Elite Eight squad, the Fighting Irish still boast one of the top offenses in the ACC. All five Notre Dame starters score in double-figures, and Brey's squad ranks third in basketball statistician Ken Pomeroy's adjusted offensive efficiency metric, even after a bit of a late-season slide. Jackson has filled the sizable hole at floor general left by Grant's departure, directing an offense predicated on ball movement and spacing with 5.0 assists per game—a mark good for second in the ACC. The Fighting Irish prefer to go with a four-out, one-in attack and can spread the floor around Jackson with shooters like Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem or pound the ball inside with the duo of Zach Auguste and Bonzie Colson.
Notre Dame's defense, though, leaves much to be desired and the team ranks dead last in the conference with opponents shooting 37.9 percent from 3-point range against them. The Fighting Irish picked up signature wins in conference play against North Carolina and Louisville and secured the No. 4 seed and a double-bye in the ACC tournament with the Blue Devils' loss to the Tar Heels Saturday.
How they make a run: With the offense firing on all cylinders, Notre Dame simply outscores its opponents—similar to how it knocked off Duke 95-91 in Cameron Jan. 16.
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