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No. 11 Notre Dame Defeats No. 19 North Carolina; Claims First Tournament Championship In School History

By Nicholas D. Blazek

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HISTORY MADE: Irish claim first tournament championship in school history

It can be mostly attributed to many years as an independent. But in 18 years in the Big East, Mike Brey got his Notre Dame team to the semi-finals six times, but never to a Saturday final. After being the first to leave last year, they decided to be the last to leave in 2015.

The Irish did what no one thought possible. They went into Greensboro–in the heart of Tobacco Road–and in consecutive nights defeated two blue bloods, two pillars of the ACC to claim their first championship.

The Irish didn’t get lucky, this was earned. Duke and North Carolina gave their best shots, as did Miami–and they remained the last team standing. Brey feels it’s the biggest win in the school’s history. He’s probably right. But no one did it mean more too than senior Jerian Grant. After missing most of last season due to academic issues, this was sweet redemption.

"”Just to know where I was last year, sitting in the stands watching, and now I’ve got this (championship) shirt, this hat and this trophy, it means a lot,” Grant said."

The Irish (29-5) had to survive a second half barrage from the Heels, including a superb effort from Marcus Paige. He scored 22 of his 24 on the second half, and seemingly couldn’t miss, hitting shots with a hand right in his face. 

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The Tar Heels (24-11) bullied the Irish on the offensive boards, and used that to turn the tide on the Irish, taking a 63-54 lead. The pro-Carolina crowd was vocal. You could see sparse green in the crowd, but you couldn’t hear it.

Brey took a timeout, and you could see he was still calm and cool. That apparently rubbed off, as the Irish went on a huge run to take an 80-66 lead with 2:54 left to play. The “lightning strike” run as Brey called it took advantage of poorly timed Tar Heel turnovers, and a fast-paced Irish offense.

"”There’s been a special vibe about this group since we came to town Monday night,” Brey said on the court as his players cut down nets. ”I felt great about tonight. I felt good about last night. And for us to do it, through Duke and Carolina, on Tobacco Road, it’s just amazing.”"

Grant was named Tournament MVP. And it was well deserved for all he has been through, and what he’s meant to this team. And that says a lot, on a night when every starter for the Irish was in double figures, and it seemed every one of them could be pointed to for making a kep play.

Irish eyes are smiling, and hopefully they’ll keep smiling deep into the NCAA Tournament.