It’s been a long time since Notre Dame has been able to hold its own against a ranked opponent throughout. Ending that drought by denying your opponent a chance to clinch the ACC championship is a good way to do so. That happened Saturday as the Irish led No. 11 Florida State throughout an 83-73 win on Senior Day. The Irish’s last win over a ranked team came against No. 6 Wichita State during the Maui Invitational in 2017.
The Irish (10-14, 7-11) led by as much as 20 and never fully let control of the game get away. There was concern when the Seminoles (15-5, 11-4) got to within four with two-and-a-half minutes to play. However, the Irish came up with some key steals and rebounds while also being able to milk the clock. When it was over, the Irish were locked into the 11th seed of the ACC Tournament and will open play Tuesday against Wake Forest, the 14th seed.
Prentiss Hubb had a rough shooting day at 6 of 17 from the field, but he scored the 1,000th point of his collegiate career and led everyone with 22 points and five assists. Dane Goodwin came within a rebound of a double-double while scoring 15 points off the bench. The Irish got 11 points apiece from Nikola Djogo and Nate Laszewski. Juwan Durham also was consistent, totaling nine points and nine boards in his final game at Purcell Pavilion.