Just when it seemed like the Irish were finding their stride midseason, winning three of four games, they suffered one of their most humiliating defeats in recent program history against Miami. The Hurricanes (5-17, 1-10 ACC) had yet to win a conference game until they defeated Notre Dame 63-57. With only a three-day turnaround on their Florida road trip, head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s team was faced with the question: how will they respond?
The phrase “game of runs” is thrown around in basketball discourse quite often. But as much as it becomes an overused cliche, it did define the first half of this game. Shrewsberry got the response he would have hoped for from his team coming off the loss. The Irish opened up to a 17-7 lead, going 3 for 6 from downtown. Between high energy and mixed-in zone looks defensively, they shut down the Seminoles in the half-court.
At the 12-minute mark, however, Florida State would respond, putting together a dominant, 17-0 run. A lineup defined by its length and athleticism, the Seminoles’ run was powered by forced turnovers and live-ball opportunities in transition. Carrying much of the offensive burden through one-on-one creation, sophomore guard Markus Burton was kept at bay early in the half. The Seminole size made it challenging for him to get in the lane, leading to forced jumpers and uncharacteristic turnovers.
The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year would not be held down for long, though. After flashing open for a rare clean look, he hit a three to stop the bleeding. Minutes later, he put together an individual 5-0 run after an electric individual sequence, finishing in traffic on the drive before grabbing a loose pass in the backcourt and walking into another three. Burton’s flurry sparked a 9-0 Irish run to finish out the half with Notre Dame’s defense forcing several turnovers of its own. The consistent effort on that end of the floor helped the Irish survive the Seminole avalanche in the middle of the half and go into the break trailing by only a point.
Junior forward Tae Davis would set the tone coming out of the locker room for the Irish. He relentlessly attacked the rim, scoring 12 of his 14 points in the second half. Notre Dame also dominated on the offensive glass, securing 16 to Florida State’s six offensive rebounds. Burton continued to create off the dribble, scoring 13 points in the half and once again eclipsing the 20-point mark, ending with a game-high 25.
But despite his best efforts, the Seminoles were too much for the Irish to handle. Their smothering defense played a major role in forcing another mid-half Irish scoring drought, holding them to a 1-for-10 stretch from the field while jumping out to a five-point lead. Each time they looked to pull away, however, Notre Dame had a response. Freshman forward Garrett Sundra’s four-point play ended the drought and brought the Irish back within one. After going back up five again, Tae Davis hit a three late in the shot clock to cut the lead back down to two.
But the Seminoles just kept coming. Junior forward Malique Ewin caught fire in crunch time, scoring seven in the final two minutes including a reverse layup — one that would prove to be the dagger. His success down the stretch was a microcosm of Florida State’s offensive approach: attack, attack, attack. Not only did the Seminoles shoot six more free throws in the game, but they hit 84.2% of them (16 for 19) compared to Notre Dame’s awful 46.2% (6 for 13). The advantage in easy points would prove to be the difference in the hotly contested defensive battle.
The 67-60 loss drops Notre Dame to 10-12 and 4-7 in ACC play, with Florida State now passing it in the conference standings. Up next, the Irish will return home to face Virginia Tech in the Irish Wear Green game on Feb. 8. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. with The CW providing the broadcast.
