Notre Dame Downs Wichita State 81-70; Earns First Trip To Elite Eight Since 1979
The first two rounds of this tournament weren’t always pretty for Notre Dame. At times, they looked nothing like the offensive force they had been all season. But they were able to buckle down in wins over Northeastern and Butler, and earn a shot against seventh seed Wichita State.
And immediately the Irish were the underdog. Clearly they weren’t listening.
The Irish (32-5) came out of the gate fast, as Zach Auguste got an early layup, followed by three consecutive three’s, including two from Demetrius Jackson. Suddenly Notre Dame looked like the team that they were supposed to be, not one hanging on for survival en route to an 81-70 win in the Sweet 16.
They would eventually push the lead to 18-5, and looked to have Wichita State on the ropes early. But this is a team with a recent Final Four appearance, and with a talented backcourt of Fred VanVleet, Ron Baker and Tekele Cotton–no lead is safe.
But it was the inside game for the Shockers (30-5) that would help them chip away at the big Irish lead. Darius Carter went right at Auguste, scoring seemingly at will. For once they were on a level playing field in height, and took advantage of it.
The Shockers would go on an 7-0 run to cut into the Notre Dame lead, and would eventually cut it t0 33-30 at the half.
After the hot start, the Irish lost their way on the offensive end, but coach Mike Brey was confident they’d find their rhythm in the second half. Unfortunately, it was the Shockers who caught fire to start the second half.
The Wichita State defense finally had the opportunity to press, and it paid off quickly. VanVleet picked Jackson’s pocket, earning a trip to the line, where he hit both free throws. After a missed Steve Vasturia three, Carter hit a jumper on the other end, and the Shockers took their first lead of the game at 38-37.
Then the Irish found something. That rhythm.
The Irish went on a 23-10 run, beating Wichita State at its own game with great guard play. Four players scored in double-figures for Irish. Wooden and Naismith Award finalist Jerian Grant wasn’t one of them.
Grant was the epitome of a team player–dishing off to his teammates, creating opportunities–simply orchestrating his teams victory. That’s what great players do. He only scored nine points on night, but dished out 11 assists, proving why he’s one of the best overall players in the nation.
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There was a lot of talk about “unfinished business” for the Shockers. In the last four years, they made two Sweet 16’s and a Final Four. They were the experienced group, and after losing as a No. 1 seed two seasons ago–they did have something to prove.
But counting out this Irish team has proven to be a bad idea. They were the “sweethearts” of the tournament coming in. One of the “hottest” teams in the nation. Maybe the only team that can be Kentucky some said, due to their offensive capability.
But two rounds of struggle left the bandwagon lighter than what it was coming in. “Oh there a good team, but Wichita State has great guards.” Great guard play you say?
Wichita State, meet Jackson and Grant.
Now, there’s no place in March for “teams of destiny”, or any of that stuff. You can make correlations between things, and it may sound good, but it means nothing. But Pat Connaughton chose to come back after being drafted by the Baltimore Orioles. Grant could have tucked his head in the sand and transferred. Jackson could have let the pressure of last year’s struggles bring him down.
But they didn’t. Brey doesn’t build that kind of character in his team. He builds winners. He’s been knocked as a coach that couldn’t get it done in March. Now, this team–the men he helped build–want to win it not just for themselves, but coach Brey who’s pressing through the loss of his mother.
The Irish have punched their ticket to the Elite Eight, and now await the winner of the Kentucky/West Virginia game.