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N.C. State upends Notre Dame in South Bend

Eric Atkins,Tyler Lewis

Notre Dame guard Eric Atkins, right, drives the lane as North Carolina State guard Tyler Lewis defends in the second half of an NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2014, in South Bend, Ind. NC State won 77-70 with Atkins scoring 14 points. (AP Photo/Joe Raymond)

AP

Remember all that goodwill that Notre Dame curried when they were able to knock off then-No. 7 Duke in South Bend?

Remember how we were all like, ‘Hey, maybe we need to take the Irish seriously without Jerian Grant’?

Well, it may still end up being true, but Tuesday night’s performance isn’t promising.

The Irish lost to the Wolfpack, 77-70, on a night where they held T.J. Warren to 6-for-17 shooting and they got a combined 50 points from Garrick Sherman, Pat Connaughton and Eric Atkins.

That’s not a good sign for Mike Brey’s club.

It is good for Mark Gottfried and the Wolfpack, however. While Notre Dame was busy beating the Blue Devils on Saturday, N.C. State was in the midst of blowing a 15 point lead and losing by 12 to Pitt. At home. The Wolfpack have certainly had better days.

What’s becoming clear is that the jumbled mess in the middle of the ACC isn’t going to be easy to figure out. Notre Dame, Pitt, N.C. State, Virginia, Florida State. I’m not sure anyone knows how that will shake out, and what’s worse is that it looks like North Carolina, and maybe even Duke, could end up finding their way into that group if the Tobacco Road rivals don’t find a way to right the ship.

Remember when people were talking about the ACC being the best conference of all-time?

Seems pretty silly now, doesn’t it?

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