When is Notre Dame Basketball Going to Be Good Again?

Another night of Notre Dame basketball, and another night of disappointment.

This time it was an 81-69 loss at home to Miami as the Fighting Irish fell to 10-7 overall on the year, and just 1-3 in ACC play.

And mind you, of those three conference losses, only one (Clemson) has come against a team that is currently ranked in the AP Poll Top 25.

It's the latest in a long string of disappointment for Notre Dame men's basketball, that is approaching a decade of the doldrums.

2025-26 Feels Like A Lost Cause

Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry in a 2026 gam — Jan 13, 2026; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry reacts against the Miami (FL) Hurricanes during the first half at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. | Michael Caterina-Imagn Images

It seems to be getting late early for Notre Dame, as the Irish are now just 1-3 in ACC play and 10-7 overall. Wins over Missouri and TCU in early December feel like a lifetime ago, as the Irish have gone just 1-4 overall since December 21, which was when they lost at home in embarrassing fashion to Purdue Fort Wayne.

Things won't get easier anytime soon for Notre Dame, either, as trips to Virginia Tech (13-4 overall) and No. 14 North Carolina (14-2) are on deck in the next week.

Feeling out of any run at the ACC by mid-January is the new norm, and hopes of even a trip to the NIT feel far-fetched at this point.

Notre Dame is suddenly looking 1-5 in conference play in the eye, as things haven't gone the Fighting Irish's way to date.

Things were supposed to be different this year, as a loaded recruiting class came in. Unfortunately, it's just been more of the same for Notre Dame.

However, that's just par for the course in the last decade.

Notre Dame Basketball's Rough Patch

The peak of the modern Notre Dame basketball era came in back-to-back years when the Irish reached consecutive Elite Eights under Mike Brey in both 2015 and 2016.

Notre Dame got into the NCAA Tournament in the 2016-17 season, making it to the Second Round before falling to West Virignia, but has been back just once since.

The worst part about it though, has been how uncompetitive the Irish have been overall in the ACC.

In the eight completed seasons since then, Notre Dame has finished above .500 just once in the conference, going 15-5 in 2021-22. It also finished right at .500 in 2019-20, going 10-10.

However, overall since the start of the 2017-18 season, Notre Dame has stumbled to an overall mark of just 62-96 (.392) in ACC play. And let's face it, this isn't exactly the same caliber ACC from the late-90s or early-2000s that was putting out multiple national title contenders on a regular basis.

Notre Dame Basketball Becoming an Afterthought

Listen, I get that Notre Dame basketball will also take a backseat in terms of interest to what the football team does, but can there not be a world where the two co-exist?

I want to keep giving Micah Shrewsberry the benefit of the doubt, but things simply aren't getting any better.

Would another hard reset be the right plan or would letting him ride this storm out be a better idea?

I don't have that answer and I won't pretend to have the same passion for college basketball that I once did, but is it too much to ask for Notre Dame to at least be compelling until February on the hardwood?