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Are we actually doing this basketball dance once more?
Whoever crafts the annual ACC/Massive Ten Problem males’s basketball matchups will get a zero for creativity. Even that is perhaps a bit of excessive.
When information broke Friday morning of the annual matchups in a Problem that dates again to 1999, it seemingly was greeted with rather less than a shrug from the Notre Dame perspective. Perhaps even a yawn.
For the third time since Notre Dame joined the Atlantic Coast Convention in 2013, and the fourth time within the final 9 seasons, it drew a matchup in opposition to Michigan State. Earlier than this current run, the packages went 35 years between video games.
Severely, Sparty once more?
The groups meet Nov. 30 at Purcell Pavilion. It is going to be THE marquee non-conference matchup for Notre Dame now that large, dangerous Kentucky determined to dodge a 3rd straight early-season loss to the Irish. That sequence is off for a yr (and possibly for good).
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Any recreation in opposition to a gold-standard program like Michigan State is a deal with. So is seeing good buddies Mike Brey and Tom Izzo share the identical sideline. However that is positively a been-there, accomplished that (approach too many instances) really feel. Like consuming steak practically each evening throughout a week-long keep in Omaha for the School World Collection.
Move the Pepto.
What, Iowa wasn’t obtainable? Illinois was too busy?
When Notre Dame joined the ACC in 2013, one of many points of interest from a males’s basketball standpoint was an opportunity to discover totally different non-league opponents. See groups and locations that the Irish simply didn’t see within the Massive East. The ACC/Massive Ten Problem was supposed to try this.
It did precisely that when Notre Dame and Michigan State met for the primary time since 1979 in 2014, a recreation at Purcell Pavilion that went to extra time (the Austin Torres recreation) earlier than the Irish received 79-78. Three seasons later, the groups met once more within the annual problem at Breslin Heart. Contemporary from a Maui Invitational championship and ranked within the Related Press prime 5, Notre Dame was as scorching because it’s ever been underneath Brey. Michigan State was approach higher, and proved it in a primetime pummeling, 81-63.
Two seasons in the past, when the coronavirus pandemic threatened to torpedo the faculty basketball season earlier than it ever bought began, Brey had the intense concept of opening at Michigan State. It was good, in principle. With Brey struggling the lingering results of coronavirus, Notre Dame performed as torpid and lackluster as the pinnacle coach felt in an 80-70 loss in a recreation the Irish trailed by as many as 28.
Now it is Notre Dame-Michigan State Half IV. This would be the tenth season for Notre Dame within the ACC, however in the case of the Massive Ten Problem, it can not appear to get off the identical three opponent hamster wheel.
The Massive Ten options 14 groups. Throughout its time within the ACC, Notre Dame has performed precisely 5. That’s it. That’s the listing. The ACC/Massive Ten Problem opponent leaderboard is Michigan State (3), Illinois (3) and Iowa (2). In 2019, Notre Dame traveled again to Brey’s dwelling state and bought boat-raced (72-51) by Maryland. Throughout that misplaced pandemic season, Notre Dame performed its most entertaining dwelling recreation, a 90-85 loss to No. 22 Ohio State.
In 9 challenges, Notre Dame is 4-5. It has misplaced three straight.
A Notre Dame-Rutgers rematch in November apparently was too good to be true. In March, the groups performed arguably probably the most entertaining recreation of the whole NCAA event in a First 4 matchup in Dayton, Ohio. That recreation featured 12 ties and 17 lead adjustments. It went to double extra time. The Irish received on a Paul Atkinson, Jr., rebound basket with 1.4 seconds remaining.
Rutgers is scheduled in this Problem cycle to go on the street, besides as a substitute of going to South Bend, it should head to South Seaside to fulfill Miami (Fla.).
What about Purdue? After 10 seasons, the annual Crossroads Basic doubleheader in December that includes Butler, Indiana, Notre Dame and Purdue dissolved final December. Sufficient was sufficient. Notre Dame would rotate taking part in Indiana in odd years, Purdue in even. With no Crossroads this yr, it felt like the right time to rekindle on-campus video games with Indiana and Purdue.
Suppose a Purdue at Notre Dame recreation (the primary time the Boilers would go to South Bend since 2004) would’ve moved the realm school basketball meter in November? How a few go to from Wisconsin for the primary time since 1968?
As an alternative, Purdue will get a visit to Florida State whereas Wisconsin will get a house recreation in opposition to Wake Forest and Notre Dame will get Michigan State.
And the ACC/Massive 10 Problem once more will get it improper.
►2022 Males’s ACC/Massive Ten Problem Matchups
Monday, Nov. 28
Minnesota at Virginia Tech
Pitt at Northwestern
Tuesday, Nov. 29
Syracuse at Illinois
Maryland at Louisville
Penn State at Clemson
Virginia at Michigan
Wake Forest at Wisconsin
Georgia Tech at Iowa
Wednesday, Nov. 30
Ohio State at Duke
Purdue at Florida State
Rutgers at Miami
North Carolina at Indiana
Michigan State at Notre Dame
Boston School at Nebraska
Observe South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on Twitter: @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.
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