Observations: Notre Dame falters late in Crossroads Classic loss to Indiana

Notre Dame gave itself a chance to win.

It didn’t make the winning plays, though.

Notre Dame lost to Indiana 64-56 Saturday in the final Crossroads Classic, dropping to 4-5 this season. After pulling even to tie the score at 46 with 8:11 left, the Irish made two field goals the rest of the way. They shot 36.2 percent from the field, 18.2 percent from three-point range and averaged .84 points per possession. Dane Goodwin led the team with 15 points.

Here are three observations from the game.

BOX SCORE

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The rough numbers through the first several weeks opened the door for senior guard Prentiss Hubb’s demotion to the bench. In this make-or-break year, Notre Dame needs steady play from its lead guard. Consistency hasn’t been Hubb’s strong suit, but Hubb has provided enough highs in his first three seasons. The absence of them so far this year necessitated a role change.

Nine games in, Hubb is still lost in the desert. It remains a jarring sight from a three-year starter and team leader. Hubb played 26 minutes against Indiana, going 2-of-6 from the field with five points.

His first half consisted of 10 scoreless minutes. He was essentially a stopgap. Notre Dame handed Hubb the keys for the final 4:22 of the first half when freshman guard Blake Wesley committed his second foul – joining forward Paul Atkinson Jr. with two.

The offense without those two and with Hubb at point guard did not score in that stretch and committed turnovers on four straight possessions. Two of them were shot clock violations. Another possession ended with an air-balled three-pointer as the shot clock expired. The offense spent four minutes operating as if it were playing in a locker.

To place all the weight and blame on Hubb for Notre Dame’s offensive problems, though, would be misguided. Three other Irish seniors – guard Cormac Ryan, guard Trey Wertz and forward Nate Laszewski – were a combined 4-of-17 for 11 points. They had three assists between them. Notre Dame had five assists overall. Their second-half decision making was shaky. Each also had at least one defensive lapse in the final 20 minutes.

One week after facing Kentucky walking double-double Oscar Tshiebwe, Notre Dame encountered another All American-level forward in Trayce Jackson-Davis.

The Irish held their own at the start, playing single coverage on him in the post. He had four points in the game’s first 13 minutes. In that span, he committed two turnovers on poor passes. Notre Dame also sent occasional triple teams at him.

He took over in the second half, though, and Notre Dame’s interior defense was eventually no match. All told, he scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down 12 rebounds. He also had two assists and two blocks. He handled many of his one-on-one matchups with Laszewski. When Notre Dame sent double teams, he stayed calm and kicked the ball out to the open man. One double team led to a three-pointer from 42 percent shooter Miller Kopp.

Jackson-Davis’ final field goal was a dunk off a wraparound pass from forward Race Thompson after Notre Dame got caught in rotation on the perimeter and Hubb gambled for a steal. He also blocked an Atkinson layup attempt in the final minutes.

There’s no better indicator of the Notre Dame offense’s stagnant habits in this game and this year than its assist total. The five assists were its fewest in a game since at least 2010-11 (That’s as far back as Sports Reference’s database goes). The Irish had 14 turnovers – their third game with a negative assist-turnover ratio. They have committed at least 11 turnovers five times this season.

It’s not that Notre Dame has a roster of ball-hogs who possess no feel for the game. There is, though, a lack of consistent drive-and-kick ability from anyone other than Wesley. Nor is the decision making reliable enough on a game-to-game basis as it should be from a senior-heavy roster.

Part of the low assist total is rooted in a lack of made shots, particularly from three-point range. Too often against Indiana, there were crisp passes that went to waste because of a missed shot. Wesley made three passes in the second half to open shooters. None of them led to makes.

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