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No. 8 Notre Dame Drops First Road Game, Loses To Pittsburgh, 76-72

By Nicholas D. Blazek

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A fear that a coach always has after a big win came true for Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey on Saturday. His team came out a little flat, looked lethargic at times, and even with a late run couldn’t survive on the road against Pittsburgh as they dropped their first game on the road, 76-72.

The Irish (20-3, 8-2 ACC) looked lost on defense for much of the first half as the Panthers got one open look after another, and didn’t miss on many. Jamel Artis seemed to always have enough space to fire off a jumper, and more often than not was on target. He finished with 20 points to lead the Panthers.

After trailing by eight, the Irish rallied to take a one-point lead with 31 seconds left, but this time they wouldn’t get that needed to stop to pull out the victory. Jerian Grant started slow but finished with 14 points, most in the second half give them hope in the second half. But when Steve Vasturia missed a three from the corner on a similar play to how they put away Duke, it was clear the Irish wouldn’t sneak this one out.

"“The way we’ve been winning, I’m thinking we may steal another one,” Brey said. “We’ve had two thefts this week already. We’re 2-1 in thefts.”"

Pittsburgh (14-8, 4-5) needed the win to keep their postseason hopes alive, and this will serve as a quality win for the Panthers. The win helped break a three-game losing streak, and shutting down Grant and Pat Connaughton was a big part of that. After having big games against Duke, both were held in check by the Panthers defense.

I can’t help but feel this was a game that the Irish beat themselves more than they lost. Pittsburgh played the game it needed to, but Notre Dame didn’t seem to have that fire that they’ve showed recently. Uncharacteristically bad passing, with the last pass of the game that was stolen a prime example. Soft defense was an issue, as the Irish didn’t have the defensive intensity they needed to slow Pitt down.

No doubt Brey will share some thoughts on the matter with his team before they face Boston College on Wednesday. Winning on the road in the ACC is never easy, but this was a game the Irish gave away.