Notre Dame is generally expected to finish last, but Micah Shrewsberry is a shrewd coach and he may exceed expectations early. That doesn’t mean the Irish will finish in the top three in the ACC and get a tourney bid. Finishing ninth would be a big deal this year.
Here’s South Bend columnist/coach killer Tom Noie on how things look in the early days of the Shrewsberry era.
Syracuse coach Adrian Autry, also in his first year, could be a big surprise. However, the Orange has had some early challenges. First, Chance Westry has an injury that required surgery and obviously he’ll be out for at least a while.