For the first time since Week 3 of the 2021-22 season, Notre Dame women’s basketball is unranked in the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 ballot.
What started as a great week for the Irish turned into a brutal one by the end.
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The Irish, now 10-4 and 2-2 in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) play, beat Pittsburgh (8-9, 1-3 ACC) by 35 points Monday, December 29. Then, they headed down to Atlanta to face a Georgia Tech squad that was 5-9 overall and 0-2 in the ACC in what seemed to be another blowout loading.
More: No. 18 Notre Dame women’s basketball upset by Georgia Tech | Analysis
Until Notre Dame lost 95-90 to the Yellow Jackets (now 7-9, 2-2 ACC) in overtime. It was the first time the Irish had lost to an unranked team since November 30, 2024, vs. Utah, and it was their first unranked ACC loss since February 8, 2024, vs. Louisville.
Then the week got even worse when Notre Dame fell to Duke (9-6, 4-0 ACC), 82-68, on the road. While the Blue Devils are undoubtedly the most talented ACC team the Irish have played so far, even ranked No. 6 in the preseason NCAA Coaches Poll, the fact is that Notre Dame went into Cameron Indoor Stadium still ranked 18th in the country while Duke was not deemed a top 25 team.
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The Irish find hopeful recluse against Boston College (4-13, 0-4 ACC) at home Thursday, January 8, but then they’ll face three straight ranked opponents in North Carolina, Louisville and UConn, not helping the Irish’s cause of finding their way back into the rankings anytime soon.
Kyle Smedley is a sports reporter at the South Bend Tribune. Contact him via email at ksmedley@usatodayco.com or follow him on X @KyleSmedley03.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame women’s basketball unranked after back-to-back losses
