Redundancy: Irish Lose Another Close One, To Syracuse
During this difficult start to the ACC season, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey has consistently advised his team that it can expect every league game to be decided in the closing seconds and won only with improved “game situation” play from what it has shown so far.
Brey’s message may have been heard by his team, but it clearly wasn’t taken to heart Wednesday in a crushing 84-82 loss to Syracuse at Purcell Pavilion that dropped the Irish (11-7, 2-5 ACC) to 0-3 at home this season in league play — their sixth straight home loss in the conference, dating back to last season.
This loss marked the sixth time in the last seven Irish league games that were decided in the closing seconds.
In fact, other than an 11-point loss to North Carolina in the ACC opener, Notre Dame’s other six conference games have been decided by five points or fewer. The Irish have won only two of those six.
“We sure do provide good TV I guess,” Brey disappointedly said afterward, his fourth league loss this season by only one possession. “The ratings go up because they are always good games.”
In a “good” game that featured 16 lead changes and three ties — and Notre Dame made 13 three-point shots, recorded 23 assists and only turned the ball over seven times — Brey said, “that’s about as good as we’re going to get offensively.”
But one decisive four-minute stretch late in the game undermined all of the good offensive work Notre Dame had done.
With the game tied 70-70 and inside of five minutes remaining, the Irish went sloppy with two turnovers, and went scoreless on five straight possessions, affording Syracuse (12-7, 5-3) an 8-0 scoring that held up as the game-winning stretch.
A couple of late Irish three-pointers closed the gap but 6-of-6 foul shooting by Syracuse in the last minute, a couple of key Orange offensive rebounds, and a game-high 26 points from junior forward Elijah Hughes were too much to overcome.
“It sounds like a broken record this year but you got to tip your cap,” said Irish senior forward John Mooney, who led the Irish with 21 points and 13 rebounds. “I thought we were getting good looks, just didn’t bounce our way.”
Notre Dame enjoyed scoring balance with four players in double figures and each member of its six-man rotation recording at least six points.
Sophomore guard Dane Goodwin enjoyed another good game with 15 points. Senior guard T.J. Gibbs added 13 points and sophomore forward Nate Laszewki tossed in 11 points.
With Goodwin’s consistent play the last month and Notre Dame searching for answers, Brey said a starting lineup shuffle is likely Saturday at Florida State.
“I don’t know who we start,” he said, “but I think we gotta just do something different.”
The difference in this game compared to Notre Dame’s 88-87 win over Syracuse three weeks ago at the Carrier Dome came in the play of the Irish guards.
In the first meeting Gibbs and sophomore Prentiss Hubb combined for 12-of-20 three-point shooting and 43 points. Wednesday, the two went 5-of-16 from long range with 21 total points.
A Strong Endorsement
With his 12th straight double Wednesday — which set an Irish program record — Mooney continues to lead the nation in rebounding and double-doubles, and would be a leading candidate for ACC Player of the Year if the Irish were having a better season as a team.
Instead, Notre Dame’s go-to post player didn’t even make the 25-player finalist list for the John Wooden national player of the year award, a crime according to 44-year Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim.
“If John Mooney is not one of the top-25 players in the country,” Boeheim said, “then I don’t know anything about college basketball, literally nothing. It’s absolutely a joke that he’s not one of the top 25.”
A Final Farewell
The man who forged Brey’s basketball career as both a player and a coach died Tuesday at the age of 88.
Morgan Wootten, the legendary DeMatha High School coach and a basketball pioneer, passed away at his home in Hyattsville, Mary.
Brey — as well as Irish assistant coach Rod Balanis — both played for Whootten at DeMatha.
Brey played two years there and helped lead the Stags to a 55-9 record as a point guard.
After graduating from George Washington University, Brey spent five seasons as an assistant at his high school alma mater before moving onto the college coaching ranks as an assistant at Duke.
Brey has never been shy during his 20 years at Notre Dame to celebrate the coach that made all of this possible.
“One of the good guys, teacher coach,” Brey said. “I may get a text from Heaven tonight, ‘Mike, remember the one-on-one drills we did at DeMatha where you keep your man in front.’ I may get that tonight and God bless it, I deserve it.”
Up Next: It’s a shame the Irish didn't beat Syracuse at home because awaiting Notre Dame is a trip Saturday to Tallahassee, Fla., to play No. 5 Florida State (8 p.m., ACC Network) — one of the hottest teams in all of college basketball.
The Seminoles (16-2, 6-1 ACC) have won nine straight games and are 9-0 at home this season.
A relatively new series that only dates back to 2011 when Florida State bounced Notre Dame 71-57 in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, the Irish lead 5-4 and have won three out of the last four, but are 0-4 all-time at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center.
The Seminoles beat the Irish 68-61 in Tallahassee last season, the only meeting between these two in 2018-19.
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