Despite a huge comeback in the second half and scoring a season high 85 points, the Irish lost on the road at Syracuse 88-85. Jim Boeheim day for Syracuse brought out a packed arena for the Orange and a fast and dominant start. The Irish trailed by as many as 28 points throughout the first half but never stopped battling. Led by freshman guards Markus Burton with 29 points and Braeden Shrewsberry with 18 points all in the second half, the Irish gave themselves an opportunity to comeback a seemingly insurmountable lead. However Burton’s missed three pointer in the final seconds fell short as the Irish return to South Bend to take on Wake Forest on Tuesday.
Once again, the Irish struggled to score in the first half. They scored nine points in the first 10 minutes and turned the ball over six times. Judah Mintz led the Orange in scoring with 21 through the game and was lights out in the first half. Following the slow start by the Irish and dominant defense by the Orange, Notre Dame trailed 29-49 at halftime. The outcome certainly looked bleak for the Irish who trailed by as many as 28. However, the Irish emerged with a new halftime intensity as the cut the lead to to points 55-45 with 15 minutes left in the second half.
The Irish have consistently started the second half with different lineups and built momentum off of energy and hustle plays. This game was energized by junior guard Julian Roper off of the bench who had eight points on 3-3 from the field. Finding consistent scoring and taking care of the basketball allowed the Irish to slowly but surely close in on the 20 point Syracuse lead. A sophomore forward Tae Davis dunk brought the score to 45-55 with 15:04 left. Then battling back and forth the Irish inched closer to the lead, outsourcing the Orange throughout the half. Shrewsberry led the Irish with 18 points off of six threes in the second half, and the last one cutt the score to 86-80 with 2:03 left in the game. Roper’s next three-point shot cut the lead to 86-83, the closest the Irish had been since the start of the game. After the Orange made two free throws, Burton made a layup with 16 seconds left to bring the lead back to 88-85. After a missed free throw from the Orange, Burton had a chance at a last second three pointer that fell short of sending the game to overtime. Ultimately, the Irish were unable to overcome the 28 point deficit in the first half. With 17 turnovers, this team struggled to handle the ball and find offense in the first half. Once the shooting heated up, the defensive intensity helped Notre Dame go on a 56-39 run in the second half. Impressively, the Irish scored their season high in a game that first appeared to be a blowout. However, it was too little too late against a consistent Syracuse team who is eighth in the ACC.
The Irish will take on Wake Forest on Tuesday after losing the win streak to Syracuse. Following an emotional home upset against No. 6 Duke, Wake has an opportunity to tie for third place with Virginia in the ACC Standings if they beat the Irish. Despite the Saturday loss, the Irish have averaged 72 points and outscored their opponents by an average of five points over the last four games. More importantly, last three victories came in part by winning the turnover battle. Notre Dame is second in the ACC and top 30 in the country in scoring defense at 65.6 points per game, which they have built their young team’s identity on.
Wake Forest guards Hunter Sallis and Kevin Miller are averaging 34 points together per game. The Irish have had success defending opposing forwards with their defensive versatility and size. The question in Tuesday night’s game will be similar to Saturday’s. Can the Irish limit their turnovers and find offensive rhythm early enough in the game? It will certainly be a challenge to slow down the offense and prolific scoring from a Wake Forest team that just shot 53% from the three against Duke. Wake is coming to South Bend after a difficult part of their schedule that saw Duke twice, Virginia and Pittsburgh in a two week stretch. A victory against one of the top teams in the conference, Wake Forest, would require taking care of the basketball and continuing the scoring momentum over the last four games, specifically the scorching hot second half against Syracuse. The Irish will have their hands full with an experienced and battle-tested team in the second to last home game of the season on Feb. 27 against the Demon Deacons.
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