Notre Dame is the most high-profile Big Monday snub

The biggest surprise from ESPN's release of its Big Monday schedule on Wednesday was one of the schools that did not make the cut.

Notre Dame will not make a single appearance on Big Monday next season despite returning a handful of key players from a team that not only reached the Elite Eight but also fell just a basket shy of upsetting unbeaten Kentucky to advance to the Final Four.

The exclusion of the Irish probably reflects the strength of the ACC more than it does questions about Notre Dame's ability to replace stars Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton. A core of guards Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia and forward Zach Auguste should be enough to help the Irish begin the season in the AP Top 25 and end the season in the upper half of the ACC standings.

Notre Dame is the most high-profile of the eight ACC teams that won't appear on Big Monday next season, though Pittsburgh probably can't be thrilled being excluded either. Kansas State, Texas Tech and TCU are the only three Big 12 teams who won't make an appearance.

Of the teams who will be part of Big Monday next season, Kansas will make the most appearances. The 11-time reigning Big 12 champs will play on Big Monday four times including home games against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State and visits to Iowa State and Texas.

The most enticing of the ACC games may be the ones pitting Louisville against Duke and North Carolina. None of the matchups between two-time reigning league champ Virginia and Duke or North Carolina made the cut, which may mean those are reserved for ESPN's College GameDay slate or primetime slots on other nights.

All in all, both the ACC and Big 12 slates look solid. The only folks with reason to complain reside in South Bend.

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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!

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