The Notre Dame Fighting Irish won the ACC Tournament and are one of the hottest teams in the country, but many don't think they have a real chance of upsetting undefeated Kentucky and making the Final Four. However, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Notre Dame could knock off the Wildcats. Here are three reasons why:
1) Three-point shooting
Kentucky is the biggest team in the country, and no one is going to be able to beat them inside. Notre Dame utilizes a four guard lineup designed to space the floor to create driving lanes and open shooters - the kind of system that plays towards Kentucky's weaknesses. The Wildcats' closest victories were against Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Florida, and Georgia, all of whom were also perimeter-oriented teams.
2) Offensive efficiency
The advantage the Irish have other those other teams that came close to beating Kentucky is their efficiency. Notre Dame is shooting over 51 percent from the floor (second in the country) as a team, including 39.2 percent from three. That efficiency has turned Notre Dame into the 12th highest scoring team in the country (78.8 points per game), and their offensive production hasn’t been stopped all season.
3) Confidence
Notre Dame has won eight straight games and 11 of their last 12 games heading into this game, and that hot streak and confidence will undoubtedly raise their level of play, as will the urgency of fighting for a spot in the Final Four. Kentucky beats a lot of people by simply intimidating them, but that won't be the case with the Irish.
Notre Dame will still be heavy underdogs against the Wildcats, but they have as good of a chance to beat Kentucky as anyone because of these three reasons.
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