The Irish men’s basketball team traveled to Chapel Hill Wednesday as the Irish battled No. 22 North Carolina and earned their fifth-straight loss 69-91 against the tough ACC opponent, with a 1-5 record in conference play.
Before heading into the matchup, Notre Dame lost their last four games, with their last win Dec. 30 against Stanford. The Irish had their most recent loss at Virginia Tech Jan. 17, putting forth a strong offensive effort but ultimately falling short 89-76.
Although the Tar Heels lost their last two games to Stanford and Cal in an unsuccessful road trip out west, the Tar Heels play their best game at home, with an 11-0 record when playing in Chapel Hill.
Both teams were desperate for a win to break their losing streak, and from the moment the teams took the court, Notre Dame seemed to struggle with confidence in their style of play.
North Carolina led the first half, Notre Dame managing a tie only once but never taking the lead. The Irish prioritized steady bench rotations to preserve energy and ensure their style of play did not go stale scoring 16-of-33 points off the bench. The Tar Heels, despite having the same amount of substitutions as the Irish, only managed 11 points off the bench. In recent seasons, North Carolina has gravitated towards a heavy dependence on their starters and powerful players. But under Notre Dame's head coach Micah Shrewsberry, the Irish have excelled at maintaining a strength along the bench.
Sophomore guard Cole Certa and freshman guard Jalen Haralson led the Irish scoring for the first half with seven points each. Sophomore forward Garrett Sundra secured three rebounds and Haralson added on with four.
North Carolina star freshman forward Caleb Wilson led his team with 14 points in the first half, but junior center Henri Veesaar dominated the paint with seven rebounds. The visible lack of energy was evident in Notre Dame’s play, and North Carolina capitalized on their slow start as they led the game 42-33 heading into halftime.
The Tar Heels took control of the score early into the second half as well, and Notre Dame could not seem to shake the point deficit following them. Due to North Carolina’s prominent presence in the paint, the Irish were forced to consistently shoot from distance but struggled to score.
Throughout the game, both teams relied on their core group of younger players to score and be the difference-makers of the game. The behavior was unusual for veteran players such as graduate forward Carson Towt and junior guard Markus Burton for the Irish and senior guard Seth Trimble and senior forward/guard Elijah Davis for the Tar Heels, who led their respective teams on and off the court. Both the Irish and the Tar Heels are relatively younger teams, but the Irish seemed to struggle under the unequal distribution of age and experience.
The Irish offense depended on Towt to battle in the paint for rebounds, but his hands were full with the North Carolina centers, especially 7-foot Veesaar who recorded 12 rebounds and 15 points, earning a double-double.
The Irish are not typically a team ridden with fouls, but they could not seem to get foul calls to go their way, giving up 16 points from the free-throw line to the Tar Heels. North Carolina’s defense was notability less physical tonight, only giving the Irish the chance to go 7-for-13 on their free throws.
There was extra pressure for Irish sophomore guard Sir Mohammed’s play, the North Carolina native hailing from just down the road in Charlotte. Mohammed was the top performer of the game and shone brightest in the second half, where he worked alongside freshman forward Ryder Frost to keep the Irish mentality focused on the game until the final play. Mohammed led Notre Dame’s scoring with 14 points and four rebounds working creativity to aid playmaking for the Irish.
North Carolina played strong, consistent basketball throughout the entirety of the game, and their efforts were evident. Not only did the Tar Heels secure a win to maintain their undefeated status at home, but they also tied their program record for most different players with a 3-pointer in one game with eight players contributing.
Despite the outcome, Notre Dame still has strong aspects of their play they must continue to develop in order to find success on the court. The Irish are a creative team when it comes to playmaking, and if they can manage to not let the pressure of the game get to them, the Irish can recreate the success they produced at the start of the season.
The Irish travel back to South Bend as they prepare to host Boston College Saturday, Jan. 24 in Purcell Pavilion with a 6 p.m. tipoff and continue their attempt to secure their first win of the new year.
