Notre Dame headed south to play a Miami team that has been pacing the ACC but not been ranked all season. Unlike against Duke, the Irish showed early on that they could stick with the Hurricanes, even get an upper hand on them. While they struggled to put away the game as they did when they beat Virginia, they ultimately got it done in a 68-64 win. The loss knocked the Hurricanes out of a tie for first in the ACC standings with the Blue Devils.
After a close first half, the Irish (15-7, 8-3) found another wind in the second half to put some distance between themselves and the Hurricanes (16-6, 8-3). They went on a 22-6 run to take a 14-point lead midway through the frame. In the final two minutes, the Hurricanes cut an eight-point deficit in half as they forced the Irish into some uncomfortable offensive sequences to keep this game more competitive than any Irish fan would have liked. Though they ultimately weren’t needed, two late free throws from Cormac Ryan helped seal the deal.
Paul Atkinson Jr. lived up to his reputation as an accurate shooter by going 11 of 16 from the field for a season-high 23 points to lead all scorers. He achieved a double-double by grabbing 11 rebounds for the third time this season. Prentiss Hubb had 15 points, and Dane Goodwin bounced back from being shut out against the Blue Devils to score 14. Blake Wesley shot 20 percent or less for the fourth straight game (2 of 13 for 15.4 percent), but he led the Irish with seven assists.
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