Notre Dame’s ACC opener ended in defeat.
The Irish lost 75-65 to No. 21 Duke Wednesday night, dropping to 2-3 on the season heading into their final high-major non-conference game, Saturday against Purdue in Indianapolis.
Here are some observations from the game.
• The first half was probably Notre Dame’s worst defensive stretch since the season opener at Michigan State. Whether it was in zone or man, the Irish couldn’t get consistent stops. The guards in particular struggled to stay in front. Duke drove gaps in the zone to force help, or just took a defender off the bounce when in man. The Blue Devils had 20 points in the paint in the first half and no free-throw attempts. Can’t get fouled when there’s often an express lane to the hoop.
• Notre Dame’s three-point defense, despite Duke’s 53 percent mark, was adequate. The Blue Devils only took 15 three-pointers. Notre Dame ran shooters off the line with some frequency. But in a way, putting too much attention on that is a little misleading. Duke didn’t need open threes because it had angles and layups frequently available. Notre Dame didn’t send a ton of help defense, making the pass out for three a less attractive option than just taking the available close shot.
• Dane Goodwin put up his best game of the year. He had 25 points, a game-high, and was 4 of 6 on threes. He made all six of his shots inside the arc, including a baseline drive and-one on Duke guard Jeremy Roach. The development of his off-the-dribble game is an encouraging early-season storyline.
• Notre Dame also had seven turnovers in the first 13 minutes of the game. From the start of the second half Saturday against Kentucky until the 7:45 minute mark of the first half, the Irish had 19 turnovers in 52 possession, against 14 scores. That’s a 36.5 turnover rate. They only had five the rest of the game, but that dug an early hole against a team that doesn’t often blow leads.
• Guard Prentiss Hubb ended with 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting. He was fortunate to be credited with only three turnovers, all of them on erratic passes. His dribble drives brought little creation, and he too often found himself in traffic with nothing productive to do.
• Santa Clara transfer Trey Wertz played 20 minutes in his first game of the year. He debuted after the first media timeout, and Notre Dame instantly went to a pair of ball screens with him. He spent the night attacking out of those sets, and would’ve had a double-digit scoring night if not for a pair of missed layups after he got past his man. In a game where Notre Dame played sped up, compiled empty possessions and made iffy decisions, Wertz seemed calm and played within himself.
• All told, Wertz ended with nine points on 3-of-7 shooting and one assist. His first basket came when Duke forward Matthew Hurt switched on to him, and Wertz crossed over and drove past him for a layup. He had the same matchup on the next possession, but declined a chance to attack it. His pass to the top of the key was deflected and stolen for his lone turnover.
• Duke’s ball screen defense held up well and kept Notre Dame from otherwise doing too much harm in the pick-and-roll. Forward Wendell Moore’s ability to switch and stay in front of guards was a difference-maker. Guard Jordan Goldwire was pesky, as usual. Notre Dame took only three layups in the first half.
• The rotation was seven deep, with Wertz and Nikola Djogo as the two off the bench. The first appearance by freshmen Matt Zona and Tony Sanders Jr. was with 4:38 left, when Sanders checked in. Zona didn’t appear until 82 seconds remained.
• A quiet night for forward Juwan Durham, who played 20 minutes and had seven points on 2-of-5 shooting. In a puzzling stat, he grabbed just one rebound. And through five games, he has taken six free throws. His assist rate is up, but Notre Dame's not getting a ton of punch from its 6-11 big man.
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