Same Script, Notre Dame Basketball Loses Another Top-25 Game
In what was easily the most disappointing defeat of this season — among many to choose from — Notre Dame lost its composure, a 13-point lead in the final 10 minutes, all the good mojo, and a 73-71 heartbreaker to No. 7 Florida State late Wednesday at Purcell Pavilion.
The loss extends the Irish losing streak versus ranked teams to 21 games, and snuffs out even the slightest hopes Notre Dame (18-12, 9-10 ACC) held of landing an at-large bid in the NCAA Tournament.
In a game Notre Dame led for all but 20 seconds, Florida State (25-5, 15-4 ACC) managed the only advantage that ever matters in a game after Seminoles senior guard Trent Forrest broke a 71-71 tie with a game-winning put-back at the 3.8-second mark that gave FSU the two-point win. That bucket gave the Seminoles their first lead since 5-4.
Irish head coach Mike Brey frustratingly admitted afterward that his group just couldn’t hold up late to the depth and talent of the Seminoles when his Irish were outscored 38-29 in the second half.
“There were 15 NBA scouts here, they weren’t here for any of our guys,” Brey said. “They were here for their guys. I love our guys.”
Led by Prentiss Hubb with 24 points, Notre Dame had three players in double figures. Sophomore guard Dane Goodwin came off the bench and scored 16 points, while senior forward John Mooney had 16 points and 11 rebounds. For Mooney, it marked his 25th double-double of the season and his 16th in ACC play this year, breaking Tim Duncan’s single-season conference record — though Mooney played in more games than Duncan did.
The final numbers for Hubb and Mooney look impressive, but considering the two scored 35 of their 40 combined points during a terrific first half for the Irish, the final numbers become diminished.
Hubb and Mooney led Notre Dame to one of its best first halves of the season in building a 42-35 lead at the break.
The two combined for all but seven of Notre Dame’s 42 first-half points, but managed only five points between them in the second half. Mooney suffered through a 12-minute stretch to start the second half without even attempting a shot and didn’t score a point in the second half. Hubb scored five points after the break on 2-of-6 shooting.
The Irish shot 7 of 15 three-pointers in the first half and 4 of 17 in the second half.
Player Of The Game: Though not very good in the second half, Hubb finished with a game-high 24 points and six assists. The Irish guard was amazing to start the game, at one point he had made each of his first nine shots: two two-pointers, four three-pointers, three free throws. Hubb had 19 points in the first half.
Turning Point: Up 61-48 and seemingly in control of the game, Notre Dame choked down the stretch, quit moving the ball, settled for quick shots and allowed a 15-2 FSU run — including 13 straight scored by Seminole junior guard M.J. Walker — that tied the game at 63-63 and turned this into a dog-fight that the deeper FSU team was better equipped to handle, finishing the game on a 5-0 run after Notre Dame led 71-68.
Up Next: In another series without much of a history beyond 11 meetings as Big East and ACC opponents, Notre Dame welcomes Virginia Tech to Purcell Pavilion Saturday (2 p.m., EST) for Senior Day and the 13th meeting between the two schools.
This will be the final ACC and regular-season game for Notre Dame, though a future NIT contest at Purcell Pavilion is likely.
Before the Irish swept three meetings with the Hokies as Big East foes from 2001-04, the schools had played only one other time. That was in 1973 when the Hokies knocked off the Irish 92-91 in overtime in the championship game of the postseason NIT, the second-year of the two-decade fabled coaching career of Notre Dame’s Digger Phelps.
Even in the loss from 47 years ago, that tourney run breathed some momentum into the Irish program, which Phelps led to eight straight NCAA Tournament appearances starting the following season.
Virginia Tech is coming off an impressive 70-58 home win Wednesday on its Senior Day over Clemson.
Notre Dame holds a 5-3 advantage in eight ACC meetings, though the Hokies have won three out of the last four, including a 67-59 victory last season at Purcell Pavilion.
Overall, the Irish lead the series 8-4.
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