In ACC Tournament opener, Pitt confronts Irish team that still believes it can win, even with losing record

If you thought it was maddening to root for Pitt this season, you should talk to a Notre Dame fan.

The Irish (14-17, 8-12) experienced five-, four-, three- and two-game (twice) losing streaks but still found a way to wriggle their way into the ACC Tournament as the No. 12 seed. Notre Dame plays No. 13 Pitt (17-14, 8-12) at 2 p.m. Tuesday in a first-round game at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C.

With no shortage of drama, emotion and injury, the Irish season bubbled over, including 17 games decided by eight points or fewer and the first four-overtime game in ACC history, a 112-110 victory against California last Saturday. Their record in those games is 6-11, but four of the victories occurred in the past month.

Everyone remembers coach Micah Shrewsberry’s angry rant after Notre Dame’s 75-60 loss to Louisville on Feb. 16 when he took the mic drop one step further. He smashed it (or tried to).

It didn’t help immediately. Notre Dame lost three of its next four, with the 76-72 victory against Pitt on Feb. 22 the exception. The Irish have won their past two, two-point home victories against Stanford and Cal.

Shrewsberry said one of his team’s strengths is its belief in itself.

“We still think we have a long way to go,” said senior Matt Allocco, who scored 24 points and drilled the winning 3-pointer against Cal. Of that shot, he added, “We sure as hell weren’t going to play another (overtime).”

But the chief Notre Dame hero is Markus Burton, who missed seven games early with a knee injury but still led the ACC in scoring (22.2 points per game). He dropped 43 on Cal.

“I knew it was my time to put on a show and will the team to win,” he said.

Shrewsberry added, “When it gets to clutch time, man, I know he missed a couple, but (Burton) is not scared of the moment. He wants it. Some people don’t want it. They are, like, ‘Stand me in the corner and do something else.’ He is ‘I want the basketball, and I want an opportunity to win the game.’ ”

What was most impressive about the Cal victory — aside from players setting aside their exhaustion and making big plays at the end of the 3 1/2-hour marathon — was players stepping up after Burton fouled out with 2 minutes, 40 seconds to play. That’s not something seen very often from a team with a losing record.

No matter how strongly they believe in themselves, Pitt and Notre Dame need a miracle to reach the NCAA Tournament. That’s what then-N.C. State coach Kevin Keatts called it last year when his team became the first to win five games in five days in the ACC Tournament and went on to the Final Four.

Pitt coach Jeff Capel made an important starting lineup change before Pitt’s 93-67 victory against Boston College, promoting freshman Brandin Cummings ahead of junior Guillermo Diaz Graham. Also, in the past three games, freshman Amsal Delalic has averaged nearly 20 minutes, scored a total of 20 points and hit one 3-pointer in each outing.

The moves toward a younger lineup were made with more than just next season’s team in mind. Pitt needs serviceable depth from its lineup now more than ever.

If Pitt wants to find an N.C. State-type miracle, Capel said his players need to be “fresh … sharp … tight … connected.”

Notre Dame was all of that in its four-overtime marathon. Pitt also seems to be on the right track after crushing Boston College, but consistency has eluded the Panthers throughout the season.

No one is expecting a miracle, but the hope among both fan bases is that those victories gave their teams the necessary confidence to at least put on a good show on the ACC’s grandest stage.

NOTE: Pitt sophomore guard Jaland Lowe was named third-team All-ACC in voting results released Monday. … Zack Austin was named to the conference’s All-Defensive team.