Notre Dame will need to have a better showing against ACC competition than it had in its first game with Pittsburgh. The Irish came dangerously close to dropping this road contest against the only team in the conference with a record below .500. In the end, Prentiss Hubb’s go-ahead shot with 5.6 seconds left gave the Irish a 68-67 victory.
After the Irish (7-5, 1-1) found themselves in a 30-all tie at halftime, a 6-0 run by the Panthers (5-8, 0-2) looked like it would be enough of a catalyst to spark the hosts to a win as the Irish struggled with their shooting. Instead, an 8-0 Irish run later in the second half tied it back up, and they held a slim lead going into the final minute.
Femi Odukale scored on a layup and foul with 33 seconds remaining to put the Panthers back up. After he missed the ensuing free throw, Dane Goodwin got the rebound to begin the possession that ended with Hubb’s heroics. After taking a timeout, Jamarius Burton got a layup opportunity but missed it. The cliche that the Irish had escaped by the skin of their teeth definitely applied here.
Paul Atkinson Jr. led the Irish with 16 points, making all eight free throws, before fouling out late. Hubb was just behind with 15. Blake Wesley scored 12, and Dane Goodwin added 11, nine of which came on 3-pointers.
It was quite the maddening game to wrap up 2021. Now, the Irish will get Duke on New Year’s Day. A lot of improvement will be needed fast to pull off the upset. Do they have enough time to pull it off though?