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Classic delivery or classic collapse by Notre Dame basketball?
It’s up to the Irish how Chapter 31 (the last one) of the 2025-26 regular season is written. We know the stakes ― win and then hope for help to get to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Lose, and it's over. One final sad charter flight home will be all that remains of this version of Irish basketball.
Noie: No surprise that this is where Notre Dame basketball is at with one game to go
Noie: How did Lou Holtz rekindle the mystique that is Notre Dame football?
Notre Dame is back to searching, maybe back to wondering after Wednesday’s home loss to Stanford. The Irish weren’t good in many areas but need to be good in almost all of them against the Eagles.
This won’t be easy. Luckily for Notre Dame, they haven’t done easy all season.
Win or go home. What will it be?
Notre Dame leads all-time 30-17, 11-10 at Conte Forum and 18-7 as ACC colleagues. The Irish have won three straight after losing four in a row and six of seven.
Notre Dame last won at Boston College on Feb. 12, 2025, 97-94 in double overtime. In a game that featured 13 ties and eight lead changes, Markus Burton led the Irish with 32 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 46 minutes. Kebba Njie added seven points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes off the bench.
The teams have met this season, a 68-64 Irish win at Purcell Pavilion on January 24. The Irish trailed for 28:33 and by as many as 13 with 19:26 remaining. Notre Dame scored 44 points in the second half for its second league win. Braeden Shrewsberry led the Irish with 22 points and four rebounds. Jalen Haralson added 17 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Boston College has been a permanent repeat opponent since Notre Dame joined the ACC in 2013-14.
∎ Boston College has no chance of getting to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament, so this is it for the Eagles. They’d like nothing better than to keep Notre Dame ― whom many consider big brother in every aspect, be it academics or athletics ― from the league tournament. That would be a big bragging rights bonus for BC.
∎ No matter what might happen next week in Charlotte, Notre Dame can take a big step toward next season by showing something it hasn’t shown on the road in league play since the opener at Stanford on Dec. 30 ― resiliency and toughness.
∎ Notre Dame still needs help to extend its season past Saturday. Irish fans need to become Syracuse fans later in the day. An Irish win and an Orange win over Pittsburgh allows Notre Dame to sidestep being left home from the league tournament for the first time in program history.
The Irish need one of those games from their emotional spirit animal. One of those where Towt goes crazy on the backboard, finds his way into more than a couple of points, maybe hits a few free throws and embraces being Public Enemy No. 1 in a road game.
Towt is limited on the offensive end (6.1 ppg.), but he’s been too quiet of late. He hasn’t had a double-figure scoring game since going for a season-high 19 points against Idaho on Dec. 10. His .612 field goal percentage would rank second in the league if he qualified (minimum five makes per game). The 6-foot-8, 250-pounder enters the regular-season finale ranked fourth in the league in rebounds (9.1 per game), first in offensive rebounds (3.6) and sixth in defensive boards (5.5).
He opened the regular season with 19 rebounds. Closing the regular season with a similar stat line would be sweet. This could be the last time we see Towt in his headband and blue No. 33 jersey. Might as well empty the tank.
Hand’s recent run of games raises a red flag for Notre Dame. Hand is due ― overdue — for a big game.
The 6-5, 210-pound guard from Virginia Beach, Virginia is too gifted a scorer to have gone so quiet of late. Hand has failed to score 10 points in three straight games and four of the last five. It’s the longest stretch this season for someone averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 31.6 minutes.
Hand may still be working through the remnants a lower leg injury that cost him three games last month. He led the Eagles in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (6.1) last season. This year, he received preseason consideration for league player of the year, so there’s a lot there.
Hand had 17 points and six rebounds in the team’s first meeting in South Bend in January. When he's on, he’s tough to deal with. Hand still has another season of eligibility left. Is this his last game in The Heights?
Notre Dame basketball 2025-26 schedule
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame basketball still fighting to get to ACC tournament field
Continue reading...
It’s up to the Irish how Chapter 31 (the last one) of the 2025-26 regular season is written. We know the stakes ― win and then hope for help to get to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament. Lose, and it's over. One final sad charter flight home will be all that remains of this version of Irish basketball.
Noie: No surprise that this is where Notre Dame basketball is at with one game to go
Noie: How did Lou Holtz rekindle the mystique that is Notre Dame football?
Notre Dame is back to searching, maybe back to wondering after Wednesday’s home loss to Stanford. The Irish weren’t good in many areas but need to be good in almost all of them against the Eagles.
This won’t be easy. Luckily for Notre Dame, they haven’t done easy all season.
Win or go home. What will it be?
Notre Dame basketball (13-17 overall; 4-13 ACC) vs Boston College (10-20; 3-14)
- Date: Saturday, March 7
- Start time: 12 p.m.
- Site: Conte Forum (8,606), Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
- Tickets: Available.
What channel is Notre Dame basketball vs Boston College on?
- TV: ESPNU
- Radio: 960 WSBT-AM in South Bend. Also on SiriusXM on ACC Radio and channels 955 and 956. You can also listen live free on Audacy.
- Live streaming: https://www.fubo.tv/stream/tv/?
Series history between Notre Dame basketball and Boston College
Notre Dame leads all-time 30-17, 11-10 at Conte Forum and 18-7 as ACC colleagues. The Irish have won three straight after losing four in a row and six of seven.
Notre Dame last won at Boston College on Feb. 12, 2025, 97-94 in double overtime. In a game that featured 13 ties and eight lead changes, Markus Burton led the Irish with 32 points, seven rebounds and three assists in 46 minutes. Kebba Njie added seven points, 12 rebounds and two blocks in 29 minutes off the bench.
The teams have met this season, a 68-64 Irish win at Purcell Pavilion on January 24. The Irish trailed for 28:33 and by as many as 13 with 19:26 remaining. Notre Dame scored 44 points in the second half for its second league win. Braeden Shrewsberry led the Irish with 22 points and four rebounds. Jalen Haralson added 17 points, four rebounds and two assists.
Boston College has been a permanent repeat opponent since Notre Dame joined the ACC in 2013-14.
Notre Dame basketball versus Boston College storylines
∎ Boston College has no chance of getting to Charlotte for the ACC Tournament, so this is it for the Eagles. They’d like nothing better than to keep Notre Dame ― whom many consider big brother in every aspect, be it academics or athletics ― from the league tournament. That would be a big bragging rights bonus for BC.
∎ No matter what might happen next week in Charlotte, Notre Dame can take a big step toward next season by showing something it hasn’t shown on the road in league play since the opener at Stanford on Dec. 30 ― resiliency and toughness.
∎ Notre Dame still needs help to extend its season past Saturday. Irish fans need to become Syracuse fans later in the day. An Irish win and an Orange win over Pittsburgh allows Notre Dame to sidestep being left home from the league tournament for the first time in program history.
Keep an eye on ...
Notre Dame PF Carson Towt
The Irish need one of those games from their emotional spirit animal. One of those where Towt goes crazy on the backboard, finds his way into more than a couple of points, maybe hits a few free throws and embraces being Public Enemy No. 1 in a road game.
Towt is limited on the offensive end (6.1 ppg.), but he’s been too quiet of late. He hasn’t had a double-figure scoring game since going for a season-high 19 points against Idaho on Dec. 10. His .612 field goal percentage would rank second in the league if he qualified (minimum five makes per game). The 6-foot-8, 250-pounder enters the regular-season finale ranked fourth in the league in rebounds (9.1 per game), first in offensive rebounds (3.6) and sixth in defensive boards (5.5).
He opened the regular season with 19 rebounds. Closing the regular season with a similar stat line would be sweet. This could be the last time we see Towt in his headband and blue No. 33 jersey. Might as well empty the tank.
Boston College SG Donald Hand, Jr.
Hand’s recent run of games raises a red flag for Notre Dame. Hand is due ― overdue — for a big game.
The 6-5, 210-pound guard from Virginia Beach, Virginia is too gifted a scorer to have gone so quiet of late. Hand has failed to score 10 points in three straight games and four of the last five. It’s the longest stretch this season for someone averaging 12.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 31.6 minutes.
Hand may still be working through the remnants a lower leg injury that cost him three games last month. He led the Eagles in scoring (15.7) and rebounding (6.1) last season. This year, he received preseason consideration for league player of the year, so there’s a lot there.
Hand had 17 points and six rebounds in the team’s first meeting in South Bend in January. When he's on, he’s tough to deal with. Hand still has another season of eligibility left. Is this his last game in The Heights?
Notre Dame basketball 2025-26 schedule
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame basketball still fighting to get to ACC tournament field
Continue reading...
