Three key points to know about the second round ACC opponent for Notre Dame men's basketball

WASHINGTON — For the first time since 2021 and in coach Micah Shrewsberry’s first season, Notre Dame men’s basketball is advancing in the Atlantic Coast Conference postseason tournament. 

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Having beaten No. 13 seed Georgia Tech in Tuesday’s opening round, No. 12 Notre Dame (13-19) faces No. 5 Wake Forest (19-12), in a second-round game Wednesday (2:30 p.m., ESPN). 

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Prior to Tuesday, the last time Notre Dame won a league tournament game in 2021, the opponent was Wake Forest. Here are three points about the Demon Deacons: 

☘ Will the real high-scoring, up-tempo Wake Forest team show up in Washington? 

Wake Forest finished third in the ACC in scoring offense (78.6), fourth in scoring margin (+8.19), first in free throw percentage (.802), second in field goal percentage (.478) and second in 3-point field goal percentage (.376). We didn’t see any of that when these teams met for the only time this season, February 27 in South Bend. 

Notre Dame won 70-65. Leading by five at halftime, Wake Forest was outscored 32-22 in the second half after shooting .267 percent from the field and .200 percent from 3. 

If the Demon Deacons packed that high-octane offense, Notre Dame will have trouble keeping up playing on consecutive days for the first time since November. 

☘ Wake Forest knows well this No. 5 seed stuff. The Demon Deacons are the No. 5 seed in the league tournament for the second time in three seasons after being the No. 5 seed in 2022, its highest since 2010. Wake Forest won at least 10 league games (11-9) three straight seasons, which hasn’t happened since 1995-97. 

☘ The Demon Deacons might be back to having figured it out. Wake Forest closed the regular season with a home win over Clemson after losing three straight and five of seven. For the second straight March, Wake Forest has been tagged with that dreaded “B” word in NCAA Tournament bracket projections. 

Can the Deacons keep that bubble from popping a second straight March? A win Wednesday certainly would help. 

Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.