Irish, Mike Brey, Packing The Mojo And Karma For The ACC Tourney Trip
From staying in the same hotel, to finding the same lucky green shirt, to already planning where to grab an iced tea, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey is doing all he can to replicate every detail from his 2015 trip to Greensboro, N.C., for the ACC Tournament, and apply ‘em to this week’s trip there.
“I’m sure it’s the same Waffle House waitress across the street to serve me my iced tea,” Brey said with a laugh.
The ACC Tournament returns to the Greensboro Coliseum Complex for the first time since 2015 when Notre Dame beat league royalty Duke and North Carolina on consecutive nights and brought the conference championship and trophy back to South Bend.
Feeling a bit nostalgic, Brey had a video compilation put together from the 2015 tourney run to share with his 2020 team, and on the way out the door for this trip, “we may all rub the trophy on the way to the bus … I’m trying to channel as much karma as possible.”
None of the current Irish players were on that championship team, but as senior captain Rex Pflueger explained, “we are part of that culture.”
Seventh-seeded Notre Dame opens play Wednesday night (7 p.m. EST, ESPN2) against No. 10 Boston College.
The two teams split two one-point games this season.
The Eagles upset the Irish 73-72 at Purcell Pavilion in December when Notre Dame was a 13-point favorite.
The Irish rebounded about two weeks ago and beat BC 62-61 in Chestnut Hill, Mass., on a last-second shot by senior guard T.J. Gibbs.
The winner will play Virginia Thursday at 7 p.m., a Cavaliers team Notre Dame had on the ropes and probably should’ve beat before falling 50-49 in Charlottesville, Va.
“We’re obviously not done yet. We’re still on a mission,” said Irish senior forward John Mooney, who on Monday was named to the All-ACC First Team, becoming the third Notre Dame player ever to do so (Jerian Grant in 2015; Bonzie Colson in 2017).
Before leaving for Greensboro, Brey took a moment Saturday to celebrate the success his team has enjoyed in the previous seven trips to the ACC Tournament, and to wonder out-loud why it can’t spend a few days down south.
Notre Dame played four games this season against the top-three seeds in this tournament — No. 1 Florida State (twice), No. 2 Virginia and No. 3 Louisville — and lost those four games by a total of seven points, none which was decided until the final possession.
“I like our team. I like our group. I know we’ve had some heartbreakers but we love playing together,” Brey said. “We’re playing pretty good and we’ll go to Greensboro and let it rip man, what the heck.”
The Irish are 8-4 in their last 12 games, they’ve been solid away from home with four road wins, and there is something about the ACC Tournament that brings out the best in this program.
Notre Dame is 9-5 in this event during its seven years in the league, it has played in the title game twice and only once has it lost in its opening-round game. That was in 2014, its first season in the ACC.
Even last year, the Irish limped into the ACC Championship on a seven-game losing streak — and with only three league wins all season — and still managed a 78-71 first-round win over Georgia Tech.
“I give the group some credit. As tough as it was, we won a tournament game,” Brey said. “We were ready to play and we won a tournament game so I’m hoping that we can believe that the ACC Tournament is somewhere we can stay awhile.”
As for that lucky shirt?
“I don’t have one,” Brey said, “but I’m going to go to the mall tomorrow and try to find a green shirt!”
The 2020 New York Life ACC Tournament (w/printable bracket)
Tuesday, March 10 First Round 4:30 p.m. – No. 12 Wake Forest vs. No. 13 Pitt (ACC Network) 7 p.m. – No. 11 Virginia Tech vs. No. 14 North Carolina (ACC Network)
Wednesday, March 11 Second Round Noon – No. 8 Clemson vs. No. 9 Miami (ESPN) 2 p.m. – No. 5 NC State vs. Wake Forest/Pitt winner (ESPN) 7 p.m. – No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Boston College (ESPN2) 9 p.m. – No. 6 Syracuse vs. Virginia Tech/North Carolina winner (ESPN2)
Thursday, March 12 Quarterfinals 12:30 p.m. – No. 1 Florida State vs. Clemson/Miami winner (ESPN or ESPN2) 2:30 p.m. – No. 4 Duke vs. Wednesday 2 p.m. winner (ESPN or ESPN2) 7 p.m. – No. 2 Virginia vs. Wednesday 7 p.m. winner (ESPN or ESPN2) 9 p.m. – No. 3 Louisville vs. Wednesday 9 p.m. winner (ESPN or ESPN2)
Friday, March 13 Semifinals 7 p.m. – Thursday afternoon winners (ESPN or ESPN2) 9 p.m. – Thursday evening winners (ESPN or ESPN2)
Saturday, March 14 Championship 8:30 p.m. – Semifinal winners (ESPN)
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