Notre Dame fighting for ACC tournament position ahead of matchup with Georgia Tech

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The Irish will host Georgia Tech at noon Saturday, but instead of fighting for NCAA tournament positioning, they are battling simply to qualify for the ACC tournament.

Notre Dame has lost 10 of its last 11 games and currently sits 17th in the 18-team conference standings. Only the top 15 teams advance to the ACC tournament. Georgia Tech enters just one spot ahead in 16th, making Saturday’s matchup critical for both programs. And loss would give the Irish the longest active losing streak in the ACC.

Despite the slide, there have been bright spots. Freshman forward Jalen Haralson has emerged as a consistent offensive presence, especially with Markus Burton sidelined. Haralson leads the team with 15.5 points per game. Meanwhile, forward Carson Towt, 25, has anchored the rebounding effort, averaging 9.3 rebounds per game and providing stability on the glass.

Offensively, the matchup appears evenly balanced. Notre Dame averages 73.2 points per game, ranking in the 260s nationally. Georgia Tech scores slightly more at 76.5 points per game but allows more on the defensive end.

For Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry, the emphasis is less about numbers and more about urgency.

“I’m going to measure success tomorrow if we’re ready to play at Noon; that’s going to be a huge deal because we didn’t show up until 7:30pm against Florida State,” Shrewsberry said. “We need to be ready to go right from the start. There’s got to be a sense of urgency of what’s important and how hard we need to play.”

With both teams averaging in the low-to-mid 70s offensively, execution in the closing minutes could decide the outcome. Shrewsberry said ball security and tempo control will ultimately determine whether the Irish can keep their postseason hopes alive.