Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/499410
BY ANDREW OWENS N otre Dame had never before appeared in a conference championship game. Not dur‑ ing its membership in the Big East, and certainly not in year one in the ACC when it went 15‑17. But the 2014‑15 season was about the Irish leaping to heights rarely, if ever, seen before in program history. To capture the ACC crown, Notre Dame had to beat two ACC behemoths — Duke and North Carolina — in Greensboro, N.C. Head coach Mike Brey's squad accomplished just that. "I'm a little bit in awe of what my team did and really the whole week‑ end here," Brey said. "It was a light‑ ning strike to watch. To win a champi‑ onship going through Duke and North Carolina on Tobacco Road, I think is extremely powerful." Notre Dame scored on 16 of 18 pos‑ sessions to go on a 34‑15 run during the second half of the ACC champion‑ ship game to top North Carolina 90‑82. Perhaps most impressively, the Irish beat Duke in two of three meet‑ ings and were the only team to defeat the eventual NCAA champions after Jan. 13, a feat they accomplished twice. The run continued the following weekend in the NCAA Tournament. First, the No. 3‑seeded Irish barely avoided another first‑round upset, against 14th‑seeded Northeastern in the opening game March 19. The Huskies had the ball down two in the closing seconds before a turnover and subsequent Notre Dame free throws wrapped up a 69‑65 win. Then, on March 21, the Irish earned their first Sweet 16 bid in 12 years with a thrilling, 67‑64 overtime win over sixth‑seeded Butler. Not until after the game did Brey reveal to anyone — including his players and assistant coaches — that his mother, Betty, had passed away that morning. With a heavy heart, Brey achieved one of his top professional accomplishments in Pittsburgh. Senior captain Pat Connaughton re‑ corded one of the most memorable moments of the entire NCAA Tour‑ A Season To Remember Notre Dame exorcised its March demons with an ACC championship and a run to the Elite Eight