Three takeaways from Notre Dame’s 71-70 victory at North Carolina …
Yes, Notre Dame’s offense is that good. The Fighting Irish has put up gaudy numbers all season, largely against an uninspiring set of nonconference opponents. Even its first two league opponents, Florida State and Georgia Tech, appear headed for the bottom third or so of the league.
So the Irish’s 1.16 points per possession against a stout North Carolina team? And a 10 of 23 performance from 3-point range against a Tar Heels defense that is downright miserly on the perimeter. Those are indications Notre Dame (15-1, 3-0 ACC) is a product of its own talent moreso than the quality (or lack thereof) of its November and December opposition.
From North Carolina’s perspective, the Fighting Irish was just a bit better. Think about all the things that have bit the Tar Heels (11-4, 1-1) at times this season. Foul shooting? They were 72 percent at the line against Notre Dame. Rebounding? They controlled the boards and had a 21-8 edge in second-chance points.
Carolina wasn’t efficient from the floor, which reinforces the observation that the progress of the Tar Heels’ offense is going to determine how much success Roy Williams’ team enjoys this season. But Monday wasn’t a trainwreck either. It was, simply, a tossup game that didn’t fall Carolina’s way. Nothing more, nothing less.
Monday went a long way to counteracting Notre Dame’s nonconference strength of schedule problem. When you play a soft nonconference schedule like the Irish did, there is an onus to make some statements to the NCAA tournament committee in league play. Notre Dame provided one in Chapel Hill.
If the Irish is back to making South Bend a miserable place for opponents and if it handles business against the ACC’s bottom-feeders, it will only need a couple standout road victories to make a clear-cut case. It now has one, and this victory is going to be a major asset moving forward for Mike Brey’s bunch.
Virginia Tech at Florida State (7, YES): Justin Bibbs and the Hokies (8-6, 0-1 ACC) head south for their first conference road game as they visit Leonard Hamilton’s Seminoles (8-6, 0-1).
Pittsburgh at Boston College (9, YES): The Panthers (10-4, 0-1) visit Conte Forum to take on the Eagles (7-5, 0-1) in a matchup of old Big East schools. Pittsburgh won last year’s late-season matchup 66-59, but Olivier Hanlan scored 25 for Boston College.
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