Nov. 14--2013-14 record: 15-17, 6-12 ACC (T-11th).
ACC tournament: Lost to Wake Forest in first round.
NCAA tournament: Did not appear.
Key players: Fifth-year senior Jerian Grant returns from an academic suspension to be the Irish's primary scorer. Before his suspension last season Grant was averaging 19 points per game and shooting 52 percent from the field. At 6-foot-5 senior Pat Connaughton might be undersized to mix it up in the post, but he averaged 7.1 rebounds per game and is a steady scoring presence along the perimeter. The Irish will need sophomore guard Demetrius Jackson and junior forward Zach Auguste to make significant contributions to get into the NCAA tournament.
The talk: Can the Irish adapt to play in the ACC? In their first season, Notre Dame had trouble adjusting to a different style of play than they faced in the Big East.
Prediction: Behind Grant, Notre Dame will become a prolific offensive program while Jackson, Notre Dame's best on-the-ball defender, helps the Irish improve on that end of the floor. The Irish will finish in the top six in a rigorous ACC and get back to the NCAA tournament.
