Notre Dame men’s basketball, 3-11 in ACC play, and reeling from losses in six of its last seven games, carried little more than a prayer into Purcell Pavilion on Tuesday night to face No. 1 Duke. They left in a pine box.
The final score, a 100-56 disaster, is the worst loss at home in program history, and the most lopsided defeat in 128 years. Still, the Irish showed flashes that their season can be resurrected.
Immediately after tip-off, it became clear that Duke had no intentions of holding back in its play against the Irish. Notre Dame recognized early on they could not best the Blue Devils’ prowess in the paint, and they focused on utilizing their passing game in comparison to Duke’s tendency to drive to the basket. With strong shooters like Certa and freshman forward Brady Koehler, the Irish relied on plays that could create shots from distance.
The Irish searched for success by playing sticky defense and breaking up passes and screens to run the shot clock out, but their efforts resulted in nine personal fouls in the first half. Duke went 16-18 at the free-throw line; however, they yielded 11 fouls to the Irish, who went 8-12 at the line.
Throughout the first nine minutes of the game, Notre Dame was afraid to play the ball, even though they could not afford any hesitation in this game. At the 11-minute mark, the Irish found their stride and seemed a little more confident in playmaking, as demonstrated by junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry’s efforts to drive to the basket in an attempt to make deeper plays.
Duke star Cameron Boozer unsurprisingly led the team’s scoring in the first half with 20 points and 9 rebounds. Junior guard Caleb Foster ensured the visiting team went into halftime on a positive note, scoring a beautiful 3-point jumper right at the buzzer to pad the Blue Devil lead to 54-22.
Even after outscored the Irish by 32 in the first half, Duke was not playing at its fullest potential. The Blue Devils were sloppy, giving up fouls and resorting to driving to the basket, not exerting much effort to make creative plays.
As they entered the second half, it was crucial for the Irish to remain focused on the game and to take it one play at a time. The Duke offensive advantage continued, and in the last nine minutes of the game, Duke played players from deep in its bench. Notre Dame followed suit, allowing players like sophomore guard Brady Stevens and graduate forward Matt MacLellan to earn some minutes.
The Irish struggled to stay motivated to play the rest of the game, but they resorted to fundamentals to combat the brazen style of Blue Devils play. As the clock ticked closer to zero, Purcell Pavilion was alight with “Let’s go Duke” chants from the diehard Blue Devils fans in the crowd. But the Notre Dame faithful stayed for the alma mater and to cheer on their Irish team who left it on the court.
“We didn’t play the team Notre Dame came into the year with,” Duke head coach Jon Scheyer admitted after the game. “But we were really proud of their effort. [And] every conference win you can get is a big one.”
Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry, who suffered an Achilles injury at halftime, entered the press conference with a boot and an exhausted demeanor. “The season of hell continues,” he said.
“So, [we] will just embrace the next opportunity. Embrace tomorrow. And if we just keep getting chances and opportunities, we’re gonna keep fighting our way to see what happens,” Shrewsberry continued.
Koehler joined the postgame press conference, and Shrewsberry was proud of the effort he led until the final buzzer. Koehler, who was seen diving on the court despite a 44-point deficit in the last minute, caught the eye of his head coach.
“When you get down in a game like that,” Shrewsberry said, “you are still trying to build habits for what’s next. You still have Saturday to prepare for.”
With veteran players like guard Markus Burton and forward Kebba Njie riddled with injuries, the young Notre Dame team needed people to step up on and off the court. As seen tonight, Koehler rose to the challenge.
Koehler said that as a freshman, his place as a leader is unusual.
“With all the injuries that we’ve had throughout the season, I feel like I have to fill that role a little bit,” he said. “So it’s just keeping everybody in the right headspace throughout the game and not getting too hot or too low.”
With three conference games left in the regular season for the Irish, Notre Dame is still keeping its eyes on the ACC tournament. The Irish continue their play at home against North Carolina teams, taking on NC State at noon Saturday.
