To start, I think ND played about as good a first half as we could. We passed well; we played solid defense; we hit some nice shots. We have talent from point to swing/3.
Second half, we were in the game. This is the #1 team (although I think there are better teams) and we hung in there with them.
Josh Hart went off (37ish?) and was getting auto-whistles on some drives....free throws add up.
ND does not have much height nor much baseline talent. That will be our Achilles heal this season. We need Mooney to develop and contribute in a hurry.
Beach had a horrible shooting game. We were in it to the last five minutes and I expected VJ to hit a big shot, as did the team, because they set plays for him. Didn't happen.
Farrell is vastly improved. He is stupid quick and his shot is above average. I am pleasantly surprised at his speed and court vision.
Again, you could say that Brey didn't call a good game last 5 minutes, but we didn't play the burn. We just didn't hit key shots. Against the top ranked team on the road.
It will be another fun year to watch, as we have 9-10 deep, so we'll compete well in the ACC. we won't beat Duke and NC, but we'll fare ok.
Go Irish.
Not raining on the outcome of the game, but Villanova, in my opinion is more like a #10 team than #1. ND plays UCLA or Kentucky, I think they lose by 20. But, at this point another NCAA appearance and a sweet 16 would be very good with this team. And, the future does look bright with Brey's recruiting.
I checked, they are still undefeated.
The difference between us and and an elite team is that we are happy with a close game and accept losses. No pressure to win and that is why Brey loves the underdog role. Great for job security. I would love to see him coach Duke or UNC and go under the microscope. His end of the game coaching would not sit well with those fanbases.
We should have won the game by at least 10 points but Brey had terrible substitutions that cost us. Ryan should not be on the court if he plays like this.
They are far more talented than we are, and our guys were missing shots left and right.
Face facts, we are not a top tier program. ND is not a "One and done" school, never has been and never will be.
Brey is the anti-Kelly; gets far more out of far less talent
just a silly statement.
are a better team that we could maybe beat 1 out of 5 times. We got a little tight at the end and unfortunately VJ had his first bad game in a while. This not an acceptable loss, but it is not a critical loss.
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did you think of their guy uniform #2? I thought he was a little bit of a punk and he will cost them sometime this year.
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