
Can the Irish get their focus back heading in to post season play?
The Fighting Irish will close out the regular season against the Pittsburgh Panthers at home in Purcell Pavilion at 2:30 ET on ESPNN. It will be a fun day for Notre Dame hoops as the ladies will be taking on the Miami Hurricanes in the ACC Tournament semifinals at the same time. Whether it’s a phone, iPad, or another TV. Get those two screens working.
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The men are coming in as -12.5 point favorites and will be looking to close out the season on a high note after an excruciating loss to Florida St. on Wednesday. I’m writing this as I sit in the vet’s office for the third day this week so I will make this straight and to the point and I believe Notre Dame should handle this game in the same way. They need to come in and take care of business. Even though we have always struggled with (also specifically at) Florida St., this season the Irish are the better team. FSU has been plagued with injuries and it was no different Wednesday where they were down four players. I am well aware wins on the road are difficult but, Notre Dame should have gone in focused and determined to solidify that #2 seed. They did almost the opposite of that. They were pushed around physically and mentally. This team when they zone in and do what they are capable of doing can go toe to toe with a lot of teams. When they are not focused they get destroyed on the boards, or they miss all their shots from beyond the arc in a half.
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The one thing this team has been able to prove regularly is their ability to bounce back. Whether it be in the games where they are not focusing, or throughout the season after a letdown, they always battle back. There aren’t many talking points about Pitt worth mentioning in my opinion. The Irish are at home, against a bottom three team in the ACC, and preparing to make a run in two tournaments. If they aren’t determined to make a point today it will make me worried for the month of March.
I don’t think this will be the case.
PREDICTION
Notre Dame 75, Pittsburgh 62