After perhaps their most difficult week of the regular season that saw a makeup home game against Duke, a mid-week trip to Miami, and a Saturday contest at North Carolina State, Notre Dame managed a 2-1 mark over that time and showed all the signs of an ever-improving basketball team.
That didn’t get the Irish in the Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY’s top 25 this week, but it did get them in the receiving votes category which is a big step towards a possibile tournament bid.
Duke checked into the rankings at six while Miami was the only ACC team besides Notre Dame in the receiving votes category.
A look at the full Ferris Mowers Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports:
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Change |
| 1 | Gonzaga | 19-2 | 786 (18) | – |
| 2 | Auburn | 22-1 | 784 (16) | -1 |
| 3 | Purdue | 20-3 | 698 | – |
| 4 | Kentucky | 19-4 | 682 | +3 |
| 5 | Arizona | 19-2 | 666 | – |
| 6 | Duke | 19-3 | 649 | – |
| 7 | Houston | 20-2 | 605 | +2 |
| 8 | Kansas | 19-3 | 602 | +2 |
| 9 | Texas Tech | 18-5 | 481 | +5 |
| 10 | Baylor | 19-4 | 478 | -2 |
| 11 | Providence | 20-2 | 477 | +4 |
| 12 | UCLA | 16-4 | 424 | -8 |
| 13 | Illinois | 17-5 | 411 | +5 |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 18-4 | 389 | -3 |
| 15 | Villanova | 17-6 | 368 | -3 |
| 16 | Ohio State | 14-5 | 308 | – |
| 17 | Michigan State | 17-5 | 280 | -4 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 16-6 | 231 | +2 |
| 19 | Marquette | 16-7 | 193 | +5 |
| 20 | Texas | 17-6 | 157 | +1 |
| 21 | USC | 19-4 | 148 | -2 |
| 22 | Saint Mary’s | 19-4 | 89 | +6 |
| 23 | Connecticut | 15-6 | 85 | -6 |
| 24 | Murray State | 22-2 | 68 | +9 |
| 25 | Wake Forest | 19-5 | 51 | +9 |
Schools Dropped Out
No. 22 Iowa State; No. 23 Xavier; No. 25 Louisiana State
Others Receiving Votes
Wyoming 44; Xavier 35; Iowa State 34; Alabama 28; Arkansas 27; Davidson 24; Boise St. 21; Loyola-Chicago 15; Colorado St. 15; Notre Dame 10; Miami-Florida 9; Oregon 7; New Mexico St. 5; Texas Christian 4; Louisiana State 4; San Francisco 3; Indiana 3; Southern Methodist 2; Seton Hall 2
Notre Dame returns to the court Wednesday night when they play host to Louisville before going on the road to take on Clemson on Saturday.
Related: Notre Dame’s all-time NCAA Tournament history
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