"Nobody’s hurting more than we are": Micah Shrewsberry owns up to Notre Dame’s struggles as team's losing streak hits three

Notre Dame's losing streak hit three after Saturday's 65-63 loss to conference foes the Virginia Tech Hokies. The Fighting Irish have yet to pick up a win in February, with their last win coming against Georgia Tech on Jan. 28.

Coach Micah Shrewsberry reflected on the losing streak following Saturday's game.

“For us, we got a group of guys that are hurting right now. Got a group of guys that are disappointed," Shrewsberry said. "Nobody’s hurting more than we are. Nobody’s putting in the time and the effort that we are. And when you don’t get the results, you gotta keep going back out there and being vulnerable and putting yourself back out there with no promise that it’s going your way.”

NCAA Basketball: Notre Dame at Miami (FL) - Source: Imagn

Shrewberry was quick to admit his own blame for Notre Dame's recent shortcomings.

“I deserve every bit of criticism that is coming this way,” Shrewsberry said. “And I’ll sit here and I’ll own it and I’ll take it. But nobody’s hurting more than our guys. Nobody’s hurting more than them. Nobody wants this more than them. They’re fighting, they’re fighting, they’re fighting. They’re getting back to doing stuff. I still believe in those guys."

In 2023, Shrewsberry was named the head coach at Notre Dame after two seasons at Penn State during which he had more Big Ten wins (17) in his first two seasons than any other head coach in program history.

However, he didn't find the same early success with the Fighting Irish. In his first season, Notre Dame went 13-20 with a jarring 2-10 away record. This season, Shrewsberry's squad is 10-13, 15th in the ACC. The Fighting Irish have taken a turn for the worse as of late with three straight losses.

“No, I gotta be better for them,” Shrewsberry said. “I’ll take the blame on this. I’m the one calling the plays down the stretch. I gotta put us in a better position for us to take advantage of how we can score, how we can rebound and go back and learn from it.

"And that’s it. You gotta get back on the horse and you gotta play again. And unfortunately, this feeling, it keeps happening. But you gotta own it, you got get back out there and you gotta play again. You gotta go to what’s next, and that’s what we plan on doing."

NCAA Basketball: Notre Dame at Virginia - Source: Imagn

How can Micah Shrewsberry & Notre Dame turn things around?

Micah Shrewsberry and the Notre Dame team will continue conference play with a matchup against Boston College on Wednesday.

After three straight losses, Shrewsberry has some suggestions for how Notre Dame can right the ship.

“Maybe it’s different play calls,” Shrewsberry said. “Maybe it’s different people. I gotta find out what it is, how we’re better at the stretch, how we can score better down the stretch, how we get stops better down the stretch. So, it’s my group. We’re undisciplined.

"We got 17 turnovers. Maybe we do need to do something different in practice so we’re not turning the ball over. Whatever it is, we’re gonna find it. But I put the groups out there that aren’t scoring at the end of the game. So it falls on me.”

The squad has a chance to pick up some wins in its next few games, with the next ranked matchup not coming until the Fighting Irish visit No. 23 Clemson on Feb. 26.