When Notre Dame first met Georgia Tech this season, it needed overtime to pull off the victory. When the teams reconvened in South Bend, the Irish made sure from the beginning that there would be no extra basketball this time. They led the Yellow Jackets wire-to-wire in a 90-56 victory that gave them their largest margin of victory in ACC play this season. More importantly, they clinched a top-four spot in the conference, guaranteeing them one of four double byes in the upcoming ACC Tournament.
The outcome of this game never was in doubt. You had to believe it after the Irish (21-8, 14-4) shot a whopping 66.7 percent from the field in the first half and made their last seven shots of the frame. That was enough to catch the attention of Tory Jackson:
Them Irish looking like they are getting back in that top 25 ranking. Great ball movement and guys have turned their defense into offense. So good to see everyone finding their roles and flourishing. Great 1st half fellasđŞđžâď¸ @coachASlo @NDMikeBrey @NDmbb
— Tory Jackson (@ToryJ23) February 26, 2022
Meanwhile, the Yellow Jackets (11-18, 4-14) shot 34.4 percent for the entire contest. They missed eight of their final nine shots, including their last six. It was so decisive that Mike Brey felt comfortable enough to let 10 players see the floor.
Dane Goodwin led the Irish with 17 points, all of which came in the first half and were more points than he scored in the past two games combined. Blake Wesley scored 15 points, and Prentiss Hubb balanced out his 13 points with a game-high six assists.
Paul Atkinson Jr. rounded out the list of Irish players scoring in double figures with 10 points. Cormac Ryan recorded a game-high 10 rebounds and finished one field goal short of a double-double.
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