The film on this one will be a tough watch.
So much to pick at, and so much to lament.
Just one offensive spurt, just one hot hand would have made for a very compelling finish — maybe even a special one for Micah Shrewsberry in his first Atlantic Coast Conference game as head coach of Notre Dame’s men’s basketball team — in Coral Gables, Fla. Saturday afternoon.
Instead, the Irish (3-4) fell, 62-49, to No. 8 Miami (6-1) in a sold-out (7,972) Watsco Center, again a victim of too little offense, just as it played out in Tuesday’s 65-53 loss at South Carolina.
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The shots were better for the Irish. The ball movement was better. They attacked the lane more often. They found more space on the perimeter. And they still didn’t make nearly enough shots.
“Any time we had a chance to make any kind of noise, we turned it over (13 for the game), or we let them get in transition,” said Shrewsberry.
When Notre Dame’s J.R. Konieczny, the team’s leading scorer with 14 points, made his fourth 3-pointer of the day with 5:21 to play, the Irish were within nine at 58-49.
Four empty Hurricane possessions followed, and the Irish failed to make a dent.
And it wasn’t because of bad shots.
Braeden Shrewsberry (2-for-11, 2-for-10 on threes) missed a wide-open 3-point attempt from the wing at the 4:34 mark, Tae Davis (12 points, 5-10 shooting) missed on a drive, Markus Burton (6 points, 3-for-11, 0-5 on threes) missed consecutive shots — one close, one distant — on the next possession, followed by another missed three from Shrewsberry.
Finally, Norchad Omier’s shot from the lane fell at the 2:50 mark for a 60-49 Miami lead, ending ND’s best and last shot to make a run.
The Irish offensive numbers were frightening — 29% from the field, 19% from the 3-point line, 16-0 deficit on fast-break points.
But it wasn’t all bad, per Micah Shrewsberry.
“It's got to give you some belief, right?” he said. “For us to come in here and out-rebound them (39-37) or stay even in turnovers (13 each). We made one less three (six) than them — though I know we shot a boatload of them — but we shoot more free throws (7-for-9 vs. 5-for-8), like, it's all positive …”
Except, as he acknowledged, for that “L.”
ND’s biggest bigs — 6-foot-10 Kebba Njie was 1-for-7 and 6-10 Carey Booth was 2-for-6 — struggled inside, but that awful 3-point shooting didn’t help loosen things up or require any shift defensively from Miami’s man-to-man.
The Hurricanes got what they wanted by containing 16-point scorer Burton.
“That was the whole game plan, to try to keep him (Burton) from going to his right hand,” said Jim Larranaga, who took his 29-8 Hurricanes to the Final Four last season and is 261-150 in his 13th season at Miami. “He's such a quick player. Driving right is his major asset. And each time he went right, he scored. So we wanted to keep him from kicking it out in the paint and creating for himself and others.”
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South Carolina attacked the Irish in the same fashion, limiting Burton to eight points.
Despite Burton’s misses, Micah Shrewsberry likes his progress, especially the six assists he had and his improving work on trying to get the offense in sync.
“He was more like how we need him to play,” Shrewsberry said. “You know, I thought he did a good job — he had six assists. He got it moving and he got other guys shots. He got all the guys the ball. We’ve got to make more. We make more shots, he probably has a couple more (assists). Now he's probably approaching eight or nine assists. So, he keeps improving. He's listening and he's competing. We're asking a lot of him with 33 minutes (a game) as a freshman.”
Shrewsberry also likes where his defense is headed.
“We can guard,” he said.
Miami has five players in double figures and shoots 53% from the field, 16th best in the country. The Hurricanes were at 46% Saturday.
They also can all shoot threes and started the game shooting 43.1% from the 3-point line, third best in the country. They shot 39% for the game.
Notre Dame’s slow pace may have been a factor in Miami, averaging 86.3 points coming in, being a little off offensively.
“That was a workman-like game where we didn't shoot the ball great,” said Larranaga. “We didn't defend them great. But you see, we only gave up 49 points. We're used to scoring in the 80s. And we only scored 62. But the style of play dictated that, it was a little slower pace, fewer possessions. And we're gonna have to learn to play that way too, because each game is different.”
The 6-7 Davis, averaging 8.7 points and shooting 50% from the field coming in, finished with 12, his third game in double figures, and had 10 rebounds. Konieczny (8.5 points at 48.6%, five rebounds a game) has gained Shrewsberry’s trust. He was on the floor for a team–high 35 minutes Saturday.
“You can't doubt our effort,” said Shrewsberry, whose club hosts Western Michigan on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST.
“You know, obviously with the young guys … we're sustaining physical effort, but we’ve got to sustain our mental focus for longer periods, longer stretches.
“These last two games, that's where it's gotten us. We had a stretch in South Carolina the other night where we're in the game and then one stretch kind of kills you. I think we'll continue to get better in that area. But coming here and playing in this way against this team, all you're looking for is belief. We're getting more and more as these kinds of things happen as we keep playing well in different and difficult environments.”
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