Notre Dame Basketball's Finest Modern Night: A Decade Later

It was March 14, 2015 when Notre Dame beat Duke and North Carolina in back-to-back nights to capture ACC Championship

Mar 14, 2015; Greensboro, NC, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Jerian Grant (22) and head coach Mike Brey and guard/forward Pat Connaughton (24) celebrate after the game. Fighting Irish defeated the North Carolina Tar Heels 90-82 in the championship game of the ACC Tournament at Greensboro Coliseum. / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

10 years ago Friday night was the biggest night in modern Notre Dame men's basketball history.

By modern I mean since the shot clock or three-point line were introduced, but Notre Dame pulled off what most thought would never happen that night in Greensboro, North Carolina.

After beating Miami on Thursday, third-seeded Notre Dame handled a Jahlil Okafor led Duke team in the semi-finals, setting the stage for a Saturday night special against North Carolina.

All Notre Dame that night was go on a 24-2 run in the second half that took the Irish from down eight with 9:21 to play to up 14 with just under three minutes to go.

Notre Dame finished the job minutes later, going down the heart of Tobacco Road, and beating Duke and North Carolina on back-to-back nights, capturing what remains as its only automatic NCAA Tournament bid in program history.

Reflecting on Notre Dame's ACC Run, 10 Years Later

The 2015 ACC Championship team -the ultimate example of a team taking ownership of itself. pic.twitter.com/8SxoJaZwOg

— Mike Brey (@CoachMikeBrey) March 14, 2025

With the current state of Notre Dame basketball it feels at times like those 10 years might as well be 100. Notre Dame made it back to the ACC Tournament semifinals the following season and made back-to-back Elite Eight's in the NCAA Tournament in '15 and '16 but injuries caught up by 2018 and things haven't been the same since.

10 years later though, that 2015 team had it all. Sure, casual college basketball fans will remember Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant but it was so much more.

Demtrius Jackson, Zach Auguste, V.J. Beachem and Bonzie Colson.

And don't forget this writer's personal favorite, the baby-faced assassin Steve Vasturia, one of the absolute best role players the program has ever seen.

I grew up in the nineties when Notre Dame men's basketball was an afterthought. If it battled for .500 that was seemingly an accomplishment. When Matt Doherty had Notre Dame in tournament contention in his one season that felt like a Godsend.

Then came a the turtleneck wearing Mike Brey that changed everything. Notre Dame quickly turned into an NCAA Tournament regular and even during it I remember realizing that I was probably never going to see the Irish win a national championship in basketball. I came to accept that seeing them win a Big East Tournament would feel almost as good.

Well, for the 2013-14 season Notre Dame transitioned to the ACC and by 2015 it won the league.

The memorable run to the Elite Eight followed and the heartbreak of the Kentucky game still stings if I catch a random highlight, but those few days in Greensboro were unmatched before and unmatched since in my Notre Dame basketball life.

Here's to hoping Micah Shrewsberry can get this ship righted and March feels special for the men's team again before long.