Quick Hits: Notre Dame's 88-58 Win Over NC State
Notre Dame moved to 2-0 in league and 12-3 overall with a dominating 88-58 win over NC State last night in South Bend.
Here is Blue & Gold Illustrated's quick hits, notes and stats from the Irish victory.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Notre Dame needed a new face to step up tonight and they got it in the form of freshman wing DJ Harvey.
In his first career start, Harvey started off hot scoring 13 points in the first half behind three three-pointers. The former top-60 recruit finished with a career-high 17 total points on 6-of-9 shooting overall.
With Bonzie Colson out for at least the next two months and Matt Farrell suffering an ankle sprain against the Wolfpack, the Irish were counting on someone to take their game to the next level. It was Harvey last night. Is it the start of things to come?
HIGHLIGHT OF THE GAME
Technically this didn’t happen during the course of action, but Mike Brey surpassing Digger Phelps as the all-time winningest coach in Notre Dame men’s basketball history is the clear story of the game.
Brey picked up his 394th win at home in front of the Irish faithful despite missing Colson for the entire game and Farrell for the second half.
The Irish head coach hoped to hit the mark as soon as possible to avoid it becoming a distraction for the team. Mission accomplished.
Brey will likely set the bar quite high for the next head coach of the program.
LIFE WITHOUT BONZIE (AND MAYBE FARRELL)
How the rotation would work without Colson was a major storyline for Notre Dame heading into the matchup with the Wolfpack.
Harvey got the start for the Irish while big man John Mooney saw 17 minutes of action (four points, five rebounds). Senior big man Austin Torres (five points, four rebounds) played 16 and junior big man Elijah Burns added 12 minutes to the rotation.
The rotation will likely change to varying degrees depending on the matchup, but last night was a first glimpse to what it may look like without Colson.
Farrell suffered a sprained ankle in the first half and didn’t return, so the program’s other star senior could be limited as well moving forward. Losing Farrell for any time would be another big blow.
WHAT THE WIN MEANS
Last night’s win was significant for two reasons: Brey picked up win No. 394 and the Irish gained confidence without their star player.
Notre Dame can now move on without the pressure of trying to break the record Brey which is what he has stated would be best for a team entering conference play. This game allowed players such as Harvey and others to gain more confidence and experience being in a bigger role offensively.
With a second straight win to open up conference play, Notre Dame is off to a good start in the ACC and for Brey and company, every league win is valuable.
PLUS/MINUS
Matt Farrell: +7
TJ Gibbs: +28
Rex Pflueger: +24
Bonzie Colson: +9
Martinas Geben: +10
DJ Harvey: +25
John Mooney: +9
Elijah Burns: +16
Austin Torres: +16
Nik Djogo: +11
Matt Gregory: +2
Liam Nelligan +2
OTHER STATS OF NOTE
NC State shot 8-of-30 (26.7 percent) in the second half.
Geben recorded his second career double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.
Notre Dame led for 38:41 of the game while trailing for just 20 seconds.
The Irish outscored NC State in the paint 30-24.
Even without Colson, Notre Dame outrebounded the Wolfpack 41-30.
NC State finished 8-of-15 (53 percent) from the free throw line.
The Irish had 20 assists on 29 made baskets.
Notre Dame shot 44 percent (11-of-25) behind the arc.
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