Plenty of time to prepare as the Irish go for ACC win #2

Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish men’s basketball team has had a good long break since getting its first ACC win of the season against the Boston College Eagles last Saturday (an exciting Martin Luther King, Jr. Day matchup with the Howard Bison was cancelled due to COVID-19 issues within Howard’s herd, a struggle with which Notre Dame fans can certainly sympathize).

The Irish hiatus will finally be broken this Sunday with a road matchup against the struggling Miami-Florida Hurricanes, who are owners of a 6-7 overall record with a mark of 2-6 in conference play. Like last week’s game against BC, this game presents an opportunity for the Irish (4-8 overall, 1-5 ACC) to climb one rung closer to the middle of the pack and show they are at least better than their record indicates after facing a very difficult early slate.

One of the hopeful signs from the win over BC was the improved play of the Irish backcourt, with Dane Goodwin racking up 21 points and Prentiss Hubb recording a double-double. These efforts complemented the reliably solid play of Nate Laszewski and Juwan Durham to form a winning offensive combination. The Hurricanes will present challenges to each of these position groups, with a reliable backcourt scorer in Isaiah Wong (17.5 ppg) and a formidable inside presence in Nysier Brooks.

This one appears to be a relatively even matchup between two teams who have spent most of this season underperforming their physical potential and are clinging to any semblance of relevance this season. But if Notre Dame can continue to gel as they did against BC, then Irish fans should expect a W in Miami.

WHEN, WHERE AND HOW TO WATCH

When: Sunday, 1/24 @6:00 PM EST

Where: Watsco Center, Coral Gables, FL

How to watch: ACC Network