I get annoyed at the lazy take about ND basketball

by Domer99, John Wesley Powell's Expedition Island, Thursday, March 19, 2026, 08:34 (70 days ago) @ Joe I

It basically goes something like, "ND is a football school and an inordinate level of resources get diverted to our breadwinner program such that it is unreasonable to expect ND basketball to be consistently competitive."

Then the collective fanbase (***DRINK!!!***) succumbs to the basketball media apologists who offer up these justifications and then we end up with the worst of all worlds...pure apathy. Can't be mad at the program/coach/players because the administration has decided basketball is simply not a priority.

I listened to Fortuna's interview with Jordan Cornette who proffered this same line of thought. Of course, he has a vested interest in Shrews' hiring (think he introduced him? Vouched for him?).

Everybody posits this theory but nobody puts forward any facts. It's all spun anecdotes.

Here's what I will say, you don't land a consensus top 15 class (2025) without spending some money ( https://247sports.com/season/2025-basketball/compositeteamrankings/ ). You don't land Burton (for multiple years), Haralson (5* '25), or Sanderson (4* '26) without spending money.

And feel free to beat this up but at least it's trying to objectively measure investment in the program. The Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education publishes collegiate athletic spending by sport and gender every year. Notre Dame men's basketball is comfortably in the top quartile in the ACC (Duke and UNC are clear leaders).

https://ope.ed.gov/athletics/#/compare/search

People try knocking the source saying the accounting isn't accurate. OK?!?!? Then what else are you putting forward to corroborate this notion that ND doesn't invest?

It just sucks because we are past the point of disappointment and dangerously entered the apathy zone. And too many surrounded by the program twist themselves into pretzels to persuade the public that this is the case.