Notre Dame basketball: 3 takeaways from the 79-74 loss to Wake Forest
By Brad Weiss
The Notre Dame basketball team went on the road to take on Wake Forest on Saturday, losing a hard-fought battle, 79-74 against the Demon Deacons.
The Notre Dame basketball team went into their road matchup against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons as the underdog, as they were getting six points in this ACC battle per WynnBet. Early on, it looked like the Irish would pull off the upset victory, as they took a six-point lead into halftime, and were holding the Wake Forest offense in check.
However, with the Irish up by 12 with over three minutes left in the first half, the game started to swing towards the Demon Deacons, as they cut the lead in half before the break. From there, it was a seesaw battle the rest of the way, proving how close these two teams are going into March.
Notre Dame basketball: 3 takeaways from the 79-74 loss to Wake Forest
No. 1: Irish had a chance late
Late in the game, the Irish had a chance to tie it up at 77, as Blake Wesley drove the lane and found Cormac Ryan in the corner for a three-pointer. Unfortunately, Ryan would miss the wide-open look, and that proved to be the deciding moment of the game for Notre Dame, as Prentiss Hubb fouled Jake LaRavia a few seconds later.
LaRavia made both free throws, extending the Demon Deacons lead to the eventual five-point differential.
No. 2: Notre Dame basketball continues to dominate from three
It was another dominating day from beyond the three-point line for the Irish, and while Ryan missed the biggest three-pointer of the day, the team still was money from the outside. All told, the Irish hit over 45 percent of their three-pointers, an incredibly high mark, as all but two players who stepped on the court for the team buried one from three.
No. 3: Blake Wesley bolstering draft resume
It is getting harder and harder to believe that Blake Wesley will be back for another go-around in South Bend, as he went off against Wake Forest. Hitting 6-of-11 from three-point land, Wesley finished with 24 points, matching his season-high, while also racking up three steals.
This was a tough loss for the Irish, but one that they can build on, as they look to continue their trek towards March Madness. Wake Forest is one of the better teams in the ACC, and this was a postseason environment, so look for this Irish team to learn and build off of this loss.