March 22--PITTSBURGH -- For Notre Dame, there was no use in ignoring the subject.
The Irish haven't been to the Sweet 16 since 2003, a black mark on an otherwise proficient 15-year tenure under coach Mike Brey.
It has been a burden that has weighed on Notre Dame with every tournament loss it has compiled since then, each failure like another anvil added to the program's back. It seemed like No. 3 seed Notre Dame felt that pressure down the stretch before surviving Thursday against No. 14 Northeastern.
So when the Irish were preparing for their round of 32 matchup against No. 6 Butler on Saturday, they embraced the opportunity to change the perception of the program.
"It would mean lot just to know we're re-writing Notre Dame history," senior guard Jerian Grant said. "It would mean the world. This is what we came back here to do, to leave a legacy."
The Irish have already done that in winning the ACC tournament, but the season might feel incomplete without at least a run to the second weekend of the NCAA tournament.
To get their, the Irish will have to get past a grinding Bulldogs team that rates as the eighth most efficient defense in the country. Butler's second-leading scorer Roosevelt Jones is expected to play despite a knee injury, but it's unclear how much the injury will affect Jones on the floor.
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