Even with how well Notre Dame had played lately, even the most ardent members of the fan base knew this year’s team only could go so far. Getting to the second round of the ACC Tournament against Wake Forest was more than anyone could have hoped for at the start of the season. A year many will call a success ended with a 72-59 Irish loss to the Demon Deacons.
The Irish (13-20), never led in this contest or even tied it, but that shouldn’t have been a surprise. The Deacons (20-12), once considered a lock for the NCAA Tournament, now are fighting to get in and had a lot more to lose here. Losing in South Bend recently didn’t help their cause, and falling to the Irish again would have killed their March Madness dreams.
This game showed which team is more season right now, and you can see it in the various scoring stats. The Deacons held considerable advantages in points in the paint (38-14), fast-break points (15-5), second-chance points (16-7) and points off turnovers (15-7). All of that meant a team that knew how to hustle and find easy shots. The Irish might get there more consistently one day, but that wasn’t going to happen this year.
Kevin Miller led the Deacons with 17 points. Hunter Sallis, the ACC’s minutes leader, scored 12 of his 14 points in the first half. Andrew Carr achieved a double-double of 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Cameron Hildreth added 10 points.
[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] finished his ACC Rookie of the Year campaign with a game-high 21 points, which included make all 12 of his free throws on a day he shot 4 of 16 from the field. [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, and [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag] got nine of his 11 points, all in the first half, on three 3-pointers.
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