While survive and advance may be the only saying the counts once the NCAA Tournament begins, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish must know that while they did in fact advance after today’s 69-65 win over Northeastern in a Midwest Region second-round game in Louisville, the Irish can certainly play better.

You can’t complain about how Notre Dame shot the basketball, which is usually the case. The Fighting Irish hit 57 percent from the field and only committed seven turnovers. But Notre Dame, the ACC Tournament champions, couldn’t put away the Huskies (23-12) because in terms of getting everyone involved in the offense, the Fighting Irish simply weren’t firing on all cylinders.

Forward Zach Auguste was the main man for Notre Dame, scoring 25 points on an impressive 10-for-14 shooting afternoon. Jerian Grant chipped in 17, even though it took him a while to find his rhythm offensively in the first half. Pat Connaughton, a threat from three-point range who is almost always good for double figures, ended the game with just nine. Bonzie Colson, a revelation for the Fighting Irish late in the season, got in foul trouble early and scored just four.

The lack of distribution in terms of scoring is an important issue for Notre Dame (30-5), since the Fighting Irish lack the depth of just about any other national championship threat in this tournament. Head coach Mike Brey used just seven players this afternoon, and one of those, forward Austin Torres, was only on the court long enough to hit a shot, get an assist, add a block and pick up a foul.

Playing so few players, Notre Dame has no choice but for everyone to be at the top of their game if they are going to progress deep through the Midwest Region. That’s especially true considering tough opponents like Kansas, Wichita State, Kentucky and Maryland potentially await the Fighting Irish between here and the Final Four.

Notre Dame was fortunate to get just enough today to survive and advance. But that won’t be enough to move much farther through the bracket if the Fighting Irish don’t improve.

Ed Morgans is an ACC Basketball Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @writered21 and add him to your network on Google.