Wow. That was a heart-stopper. Notre Dame looked like they were going to lose today’s ACC season opener about a dozen times. But they never quit, and led by Steve Vasturia in overtime, the Irish went into the Oakland Zoo and stole a game from the Pittsburgh Panthers.
Oddly enough, it was Notre Dame’s first win over Pitt since both joined the ACC.
Honestly, I’m exasperated from watching that one and am having a hard time collecting myself to write this. My neighbors nor my dogs are likely to forgive me for my primal screaming after Vasturia nailed the game-winner. Here is my best effort to give my thoughts from this one.
When your 1-0 in ACC.
And 6-0 in last 6 OT games.
You celebrate with the @NDMikeBrey leap pic.twitter.com/qCZmnFStmZ— Notre Dame MBB (@NDmbb) December 31, 2016
Road Dawgs
I know it’s a big day for college football, but if you’ve paid attention at all to hoops today, you know that it is pretty tough to win ACC road games. Duke got crushed by an underrated Virginia Tech team. UNC got beaten pretty easily by a bad Georgia Tech team. Any road win feels like a bonus, especially one to a decent opponent and long-time rival.
It feels even more like a steal when you come back from double-digits down in the first half. And two possessions down with about two minutes to go in regulation. And down five points late in overtime.
This team battled their butts off, and for all the flaws and frustrations, closing out a tight game with a win feels like a big sigh of relief, especially when considering the Purdue and Villanova collapses.
Onions
Bill Raftery’s oddly-graphic catchphrase was made for a player like Steve Vasturia. Vasturia scored 10 of Notre Dame’s last 12 points when it looked multiple times like all hope was lost. He did all this with four fouls but managed to avoid picking up a fifth without becoming a negative on defense. His five assists earlier when he was struggling were also key to get Bonzie and the rest of the team going, especially in the first half.
What a memorable performance from the senior guard who has had a penchant for clutch moments for this program that last few seasons. That game-winner three was pure ice water. Legendary stuff there for the now public enemy number one in the city of Pittsburgh.
VIDEO: Quick Play | Steve Vasturia OT Winner
WATCH: https://t.co/zRjnPe8f8Q pic.twitter.com/l35oBt0bPX
— WatchND by @stjoemed (@WatchND) December 31, 2016
Big time shot by a big time competitor!
Steve with the “fly by” leading to a last second game winner.
1-0 in ACC play heading into 2017! pic.twitter.com/Iv5XXSAPF7
— Ryan Ayers (@NDRyanAyers) December 31, 2016
Bonzie Colson’s All-ACC Campaign
21 points and 14 rebounds for the junior big man. More than any game up until this point, the Irish made a concerted effort to get Colson touches nearly every possession in the second half. In doing so, they avoided going cold for any long stretches and were able to ride him for awhile as well.
Bonzie’s 3 assists show that it’s tough to just double him as well because he can hurt you in so many ways. He also punished Pittsburgh’s taller interior players for 6 offensive rebounds, which led to a bunch of second-chance points. What an offensive weapon.
Vasturia was the story, but don’t forget about Bonzie and all of his awkward, efficient glory today, either. He is putting together a compelling case for all-ACC honors this season and may be a favorite for POY next year.
No Second Half Slide…Kinda
It’s not like it was a dominant second half performance or anything, but just playing equally well in the first and second halves feels like a positive development for this team.
Still, at the under-8 timeout, the Irish had cruised out to an 8-point lead and all the momentum having just dominated both ends of the court since the previous timeout. Almost as soon as they jumped out to that lead, however, they let it slip. It was really inconsiderate of them to let my blood pressure spike like that.
So while it was a far cry from the first half/second half splits we’ve seen up until now (and especially that damn Purdue game), these guys still have some work to do to close out the final quarter of games strong. Part of that is just the ebb and flow of this beautiful sport, but part of that requires more consistent execution.
Michael Young…Out of Eligibility, Right?
Please go away, Michael Young. Feels like he’s scored about 200 career points against us. He was spectacular today (as was Jamel Artis, another senior that needs to go away). Young has such a terrific, versatile game offensively; I’d be surprised if he doesn’t find some sort of niche in the NBA. A 6’9″ forward who can dribble, rebound, and shoot 46% from 3? Yes, please.
Watching Young and Colson clash back-and-forth with such different styles was a real joy to watch, college hoops at its best.
Some Other Solid Contributions…and One Big No-Show
Matt Farrell lifted the offense when it was behind by double-digits in the first half. Though he mostly disappeared late, he deserves plenty of credit for his 16 points (and 5 rebounds). TJ Gibbs turned in terrific minutes (12 unofficially). He scored 7 points, had a nice assist, and generally allowed the team to thrive while getting Vasturia some minutes on the bench with foul trouble.
Martinas Geben was the unsung hero, just one rebound away from his first career double-double. His 28 minutes were more ACC minutes than he has had in his entire career up until this point, and he did a great job controlling this paint. A perfect afternoon shooting (4-4 FGs, 2-2 FTs) was not too shabby, either.
VJ Beachem is in a bit of a slump, though. There’s no way around it. A mediocre game from him could have made this a much easier one. He was 3-10 and 0-5 from three, many of which were perfect looks in rhythm. He didn’t contribute much on the boards (just two) and sat a season-high 10 minutes. He’s got to get it going, even just regaining a mediocre three-point shot would do wonders for this offense.
Louisville Up Next
First-place Notre Dame plays host to last-place (heh) Louisville on Wednesday night at 9pm. The Cardinals are coming off a big neutral court win of their own against Indiana and represent a major test for the Irish. You can’t drop too many home games and expect to be over .500 in ACC play, so stakes are high. A big-time tournament resume win wouldn’t be a bad thing, either, after the Irish fumbled away two potential ones in December.
Brey has no ups. Great write up Alstein.
I’m still hyped! Huge win over a decent Pitt team! I agree, I’ve seen enough of Young and Artis! Wish we closed it out when we were up 8, but to claw out that win is huge! Vasturia super clutch! You forgot to mention Rex, who also made an unsung contribution. We lost that 8 point lead with Rex on the bench. When we have a lead late, Rex needs to be in the game. I’m confident that good VJ is going to show himself eventually, and we will be an even better team when he does! Let’s get Louisville!
Incredible shot by Vasturia off of a goofy/amazing play by Farrell. Vasturia was the last person I wanted shooting in overtime after his lackluster performance in regulation. Fantastic job by him to shake that off and step up in prime time. Every time I start to doubt the guy, he reminds me he’s got that amazing clutch gene.
We need Ryan or Beachem to knock down some 3s. Our spacing looks lackluster, and we aren’t going to beat many ACC squads without scoring in the high 70s or 80s.
The ACC this year is going to be wild. What an incredible first day of conference play. If the season is going to be a completely goofy ride across the conference, there could be no more perfect player to lead the season than a 6’5″ double double machine. Go Bonzie, Go Irish, lets buckle in for a wild ride.
I also believe VJ will turn it on, and when he does, we will be a very scary team come march – just got to ride the hi’s and low’s of this season and get to the big dance.
Also, according to kenpom, Geben leads our team in ORtg, with a value around 137.5. I know he scores a lot of bunnies, but I’d never expect that at this point. Great play by Geben, and great job limiting TOs after first 4 min.
In the 6 games this season versus Power 5 teams, Matt Ryan has played 45 total minutes and has had 12 points. I would not be counting on him to be knocking down treys in close ACC games.
A friendly reminder that the Big 10 has not scored a point in a playoff game since 2014.
I had to watch the game on the DVR yesterday after putting myself in a media vacuum all afternoon. I can confidently say, I haven’t swore more in a 2 hour stretch than I did watching that game. At first, it was at our start, then it was repeatedly at the officiating, then it was at Brey, and then a lot more at officiating, then it was a ended with an “Onions Mother F’er!!!” at the end. As far as ACC openers go, this is almost as satisfying as beating Jabari Parker to open the inaugural ACC season (ignore what happened the balance of that year). More importantly, it could serve as a springboard to help the Irish weather a difficult storm. On a day where other ACC programs couldn’t close, Steve Vasturia delivered in the most critical of moments. That game was like draining a long par put to scramble through a first tough hole and get your round off to a good start. The fact you were crooked off the tee and had to scramble is troubling, but make the big one, and you get to go to the next tee feeling good. The 4-factors from this one tell a really interesting story. Good shooting solves a lot of woes, but in this one, the Irish didn’t shoot the lights out to win the most important factor. The shot a fairly pedestrian 51.5% eFG, but more importantly, they held Pitt to their 2nd worst shooting performance of the year at 45.8% eFG. That’s real defense folks. Brey’s decision to live with Jamel Arctis and Michael Young going off and limiting the balance of the Panther roster worked out as the others went a combined 3-14 from deep and 5-17 from inside the arc. On the turnover front, the teams were equal at 9 a piece for a 12.7% rate. Not great, and several of those were careless vs. the result of pushing tempo productively. When the competition steps up, that number needs to drop. The Irish almost cost themselves this one with a lingering inability to clear the defensive glass. VJ Beachem logging 35 minutes with 2 defensive boards just isn’t good enough. Farrell had 4. It can’t just be Bonz and Geben on the glass. Even if his shot isn’t falling, VJ has to be active on the defensive glass. No leaking out early. The Irish managed a decent 29.3% OREB rate, while Pitt picked up a whopping 37.2% of their (many) misses. Finally, the Irish managed a paltry 14.5% FTR to Pitt’s 19.4% – both well below season averages. The disparity in FTRate doesn’t even begin to indicate how poorly this game was officiated. It should be an embarrassment to the ACC. You could create an entire tape of clear misses and wrong interpretations. The NBA-like star treatment given to Young was a full year too early, and while you expect some degree of home cooking when games don’t involve a “signature” ACC program, you’d hope… Read more »
Excellent writeup.
What a gutsy performance. Encouraged by the play of Geben and Gibbs. Bonzie is just a matchup nightmare. I’m sure VJ will come out of his slump, but it better be soon. A road win is huge, this is the deepest ACC I can remember.
I hope that VJ turns it around and he should be given some leash to do so, but in the near-term, I don’t think a slight minutes reduction would be the worst thing in the world. This is not a guy who’s playing like someone so invaluable that he needs to be out there for a minimum of mid-30’s minutes. If that three-point shot’s not falling, he’s not giving the team enough defense or rebounding to make up for it and there’s simply too many interesting players (!!!) on this year’s roster to squeeze them.
I liked that Brey was willing to roll with the lineup that gave his team an edge rather than re-inserting the seniors too quickly. Hopefully that’s a trend that continues if VJ keeps struggling.
I think on Wednesday, we are going to have to live or die by VJ’s performance. If he’s not shooting well, Louisville will be able to pack so much length into the lane and make life hell on Bonzie and anyone else in there. Then our offense turns into Farrell and Vasturia shooting off the dribble and forcing it to Bonzie 18 feet from the basket. Not a winning recipe, I’m guessing.
If VJ can knock down a few, the spacing just works so much better. It’s one thing to still operate without him against a team like Pitt, but these better defenses on our schedule need that threat from VJ otherwise it just makes things that much more difficult on everyone else.
Here’s hoping VJ just needs to be back in his home gym to get on track.
This is really good analysis, but also a big source of concern. A lot of VJ’s open perimeter looks come as a result of pushing the ball in transition. Brey’s approach to attacking Louisville’s 94 feet of fouling defense is typically to slow down and methodically break the press, or ask his PG to break it alone off the bounce. If the defense can get stops and not let Louisville set the
foulingpressure, then we can run a little. If we can’t run, VJ has to earn those perimeter looks with movement or on drive-and-kick opportunities created by others.All the numbers and instincts say that ND shouldn’t try to run with Louisville, but VJ’s effectiveness goes down in a grinding half court game, especially when he floats. If he can show a lot of energy cutting and exchanging off the weak side, that will certainly help – but it is still a very tall order.