Notre Dame faces must-win finale at Boston College to keep ACC tournament hopes alive

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The regular season comes down to one final game for the Notre Dame men’s basketball team. The scenario is simple: Notre Dame must defeat Boston College and Syracuse must beat Pittsburgh. If both results happen, the Irish will qualify for the conference tournament. A Notre Dame loss would end the season and mark the first time the program has missed the ACC Tournament

Notre Dame enters the matchup at 13-17 overall following a frustrating home loss to Stanford on Wednesday. In that game, the Irish struggled in multiple areas and were unable to build momentum late in the season. Despite the recent setback, history favors Notre Dame in the matchup. The Irish lead the all-time series against Boston College 30-17.

The last meeting in Chestnut Hill was a thriller, with Notre Dame defeating the Eagles 97-94 in double overtime. That game featured 13 ties and eight lead changes, highlighted by a 32-point performance from Notre Dame guard Markus Burton.

Boston College enters Saturday’s matchup at 10-20 and has already been eliminated from ACC Tournament contention. Still, the Eagles could play spoiler and prevent Notre Dame from extending its season.

Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry said the focus late in the year is on keeping players healthy and prepared.

“When you get to this time of year, the most important thing is health, freshness and having them be at their best,” Shrewsberry said. “Film studies have to be really important. We broke it down in three different segments and spent more time on it yesterday.”

Whether the Irish extend their season or see it end this weekend, Saturday’s game presents one final opportunity to showcase resilience on the road in a must-win situation.