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Mike Brey, JJ Starling, Cormac Ryan speak after win over Louisville

Everyone was happy to get the win.

SOUTH BEND – For once, everyone associated with the Notre Dame men’s basketball program was in a relaxed mood. After the Irish’s 76-62 win over Louisville, there wasn’t a frown in sight.

[autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] (22 points) and [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] (11 points, career-high eight assists) came out first to talk about games that undoubtedly will be on their season highlight reels. Then, [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag], fresh out of the suit he wore for the game celebrating Coaches vs. Cancer at Purcell Pavilion, took his turn at the podium.

Make no mistake: A convincing win over the worst team in the ACC doesn’t do a whole lot in the grand scheme of things. However, the Irish needed something good in the worst way. They got it, and they have a whole week to enjoy it before reconvening at Purcell Pavilion against Wake Forest.

Here are some of things players and coach said as they basked in an enjoyable afternoon:

2022 ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchups announced

Besides the one involving the Irish, which game most interests you?

Few things draw more excitement during the early part of the college basketball season than the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. Every team from one power conference matches up against one from the other. Whether the opponent is good or bad, it also is nice for these teams to see how well they do against a similar level of competition. It definitely is one of the major tuneups for when the conference schedule begins.

The 2022 matchups have been announced, and the ACC would like to change its luck. The conference won this series, which began in 1999, in each of its first 10 seasons. Since then, its only wins have come in 2016 and 2017, the latter of which saw it post a series-best 11-3 record. The Big Ten has had the upper hand in each of the past three years, so a changing of the guard is overdue.

Here are the matchups for this year’s edition:

Is Notre Dame about to snag an elite punter from ACC team?

Is Notre Dame about to steal a commitment from an ACC championship contender?

Notre Dame is in hot pursuit of everyone’s favorite recruiting target, a star punter!

Bryce McFerson is rated as one of the very best punters in all of high school football this year and has been a Wake Forest commitment since September. However, he shared on social media Friday that he’s withdrawing his commitment to the Demon Deacons and reopening his recruitment. It just-so happens that McFerson is visiting Notre Dame this weekend.

McFerson has not revealed publicly if Notre Dame has extended a scholarship offer his way but the timing is certainly interesting for him to walk away from Wake Forest so suddenly.

We will keep you posted on anything that happens with McFerson and anything else on Notre Dame’s recruiting front this weekend here at Fighting Irish Wire.

Notre Dame updates depth chart ahead of Georgia Tech game

Notre Dame’s updated national bowl projections