Notre Dame beat North Carolina for the program’s first league title in history. Pit file photo.
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] 26-3 rally run in the second half giving up the lead gave Notre Dame all they needed as the Irish overtook North Carolina for the 90-82 victory for the team’s first ACC Championship.
The ACC title isn’t just Notre Dame’s first as a member of the conference, but the first conference title in the history of the program.
“To win the championship going through Duke and North Carolina on Tobacco Road I think is extremely powerful,” Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey said following the Irish victory. “It’s really powerful for our program. We’ve never won a conference tournament championship.”
The Irish, down 9 points at one time, turned the tide by making key stops and forcing turnovers to push Notre Dame ahead to victory.
“I think we really combined defense with just a great attacking offensive run. Now, like last night, we got to the bonus quick because we were driving that ball, so getting to the foul line helped us too,” Brey said about the change in attack for the Irish.
Senior Jerian Grant secured 24 points and 10 assists to once again lead Notre Dame. Fellow senior Pat Connaughton followed with 20 points of his own while Zach Auguste had 13 rebounds.
Brey mentioned how Grant’s and Demetrius Jackson’s ability to get into the lane when needed put a lot of pressure on the Tar Heels.
“They got fouled, but then they started kicking the shooters. I love how fearless we are when we step up and take big time shots. We’ve done that all year though. We really have,” Brey said.
The team and fans alike await Selection Sunday as the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are expected to be placed as a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
“To do this and still the early stages of league play for our program, there is not a better achievement in the history of our program,” Brey said. “I’m thrilled that Jerian and Pat, when we come back or they come back for reunions, that is something they’ll always remember.”
