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Notre Dame Survives Late Georgia Tech Rally in ACC Tourney

By Chase Eyrich

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Indiana Hoosiers during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 80-77 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - DECEMBER 16: Head coach Mike Brey of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts against the Indiana Hoosiers during the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 16, 2017 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Indiana won 80-77 in overtime. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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Last in the ACC heading into the conference tournament, it was easy to count Notre Dame out.

The Irish finished the regular season on a seven-game losing streak. Most of those games came down to the last few possessions, wrecking the confidence of a young Notre Dame team. Today, Georgia Tech saw the Irish team that we had waited all season for – at least for a half.

Notre Dame did everything they wanted to in the first 20 minutes of play.

Scoring 52 first-half points, we saw a glimpse of what could be next season.

Being the third meeting of the season between Notre Dame and Georgia Tech, a common theme was the Irish’s struggles against GT’s zone. Tuesday, the story couldn’t have been more different.

Instead of trying to get John Mooney into the middle of the zone, it was Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski. The two freshmen had no problem reading and reacting to the defense.

Their quick decision-making not only gave the Irish plenty of open shots, but also created a rhythm that they could run with.

Their success led to 58-percent shooting and 64-percent from beyond the arc in the first half.

With just a couple of minutes before heading into the locker room for halftime, Laszewski went up of an offensive rebound. Undercut, the freshman’s legs were knocked from under him as he landed on his back.

X-rays came back negative, but he would not return for the second half — a time when he was needed.

The offense never recovered after losing him.

On the other end of the court, Georgia Tech made their push, shooting 60-percent in the second half. The Yellow Jackets looked like they would deliver another close loss that the Irish are more than familiar with.

GT’s Khalid Moore hit a three with 1:06 left in the game to cut Notre Dame’s lead down to three.

The Irish — who have lacked experienced players all season — were able to lean on John Mooney to make the biggest play of the day. Posted near the block, Mooney squared up with the basket and nailed the jumper.

With the extra push, the Irish made the most of their free throw opportunities to ice the game. The win marked the first time a 15-seed won in the ACC Tournament.

Next. Notre Dame Hoops: The Irish Are Right Where They Should Be. dark

Their season is now extended into Wednesday to take on Louisville with a 7 p.m. tip.