Notre Dame Basketball Misses ACC Tournament After Dismal Season

The Fighting Irish finished the season 13-18 overall and just 4-14 in ACC play.

Published on Mar. 8, 2026

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Notre Dame men's basketball team failed to qualify for the ACC Tournament for the first time since the conference's recent expansion. The Fighting Irish lost their regular season finale 77-69 to Boston College, finishing the year with a 13-18 overall record and just 4-14 in ACC play. It marks the fourth straight season and seventh time in the last eight years that Notre Dame will not participate in the NCAA Tournament.

Why it matters

Notre Dame basketball has fallen on hard times in recent years, struggling to be competitive in the ACC. This season's failure to make the conference tournament is another low point for the program, raising questions about the direction of the team under head coach Micah Shrewsberry.

The details

In their regular season finale, Notre Dame led by as many as nine points early in the second half, but couldn't hold on as Boston College rallied for a 77-69 win. Freshman Jalen Haralson led the Fighting Irish with 21 points, but they couldn't overcome a 24-point performance from BC's Fred Payne. Both Notre Dame and Boston College finished the ACC regular season with 4-14 conference records, missing the cut for the 15-team ACC Tournament.

  • Notre Dame lost to Boston College on March 7, 2026 to end their regular season.
  • The ACC Tournament is scheduled for next week.

The players

Micah Shrewsberry

The head coach of the Notre Dame men's basketball team.

Jalen Haralson

A freshman who led Notre Dame in scoring in their season-ending loss to Boston College.

Fred Payne

A Boston College player who scored a game-high 24 points against Notre Dame.

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What’s next

The Notre Dame coaching staff will need to focus on roster construction in the coming weeks, looking to add talent through the transfer portal to make the team more competitive next season.

The takeaway

Notre Dame's failure to make the ACC Tournament is the latest low point for a once-proud program that has struggled mightily in recent years. The Fighting Irish will need to make significant improvements in the offseason to become relevant in the ACC again.