Blake Wesley – Page 14 – Syndication Server

Notre Dame’s 3-point shooting not enough in loss to Wake Forest

The perfect February is over.

Until it played Wake Forest, Notre Dame’s games this season in which it had shot well from 3-point range resulted in a win. Not only did the Irish’s contest against the Demon Deacons feature 14 3-pointers, but they accounted for the majority of their field goals. However, the Deacons badly outhustled the Irish as evidenced by their large advantages in offensive rebounds (16-2) and second-chance points (16-4). The result was a 79-74 Irish loss and an end to their five-game winning streak.

The Irish (19-8, 12-4) scored 12 unanswered points during one stretch of the first half and took a six-point halftime lead. The second half went better for the Deacons (21-7, 11-6), who turned it into a back-and-forth affair for a time. The Deacons took the lead for good with 4:20 left, though the Irish never fell behind by more than two possessions the rest of the way. It was not until Cormac Ryan missed a game-tying corner 3-pointer in the final seconds and two subsequent free throws from Jake LaRavia that this game was iced.

It was appropriate for LaRavia to have the last word as he played the entire game and sank 10 of 11 free throws in a 20-point, four-steal effort. Only Alondes Williams, who is projected by some to be a second-round pick in this year’s NBA draft, had more points (23) for the Deacons. Williams completed a double-double with 10 rebounds, as did Khadim Sy off the bench (15 points, 10 rebounds).

Blake Wesley was the game’s leading scorer with 24 points, and he also had three steals. Ryan scored 12 points, while 11 apiece came from Paul Atkinson Jr. and Nate Laszewski, the latter of whom came off the bench as he continues to recover from a leg contusion. Prentiss Hubb had 10 points to go with his game-high six assists.

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Notre Dame needs overtime to hold off Boston College

Have you calmed down from this one yet?

With everything that has been going well lately, many might have thought Notre Dame would cruise to victory over Boston College. As it turned out, the Eagles were bent on earning a season sweep of the Irish. The 14 lead changes and 13 ties over a game that went into overtime will tell you everything about how much this game tugged at the heartstrings. In the end, the Irish won, 99-95, to move back into a first-place tie with Duke in the ACC.

The Irish (19-7, 12-3) were on their toes the entire game as the Eagles (9-15, 4-10) came dangerously close to completing the upset. When the Irish went down by a game-high five with less than four minutes left in regulation, the worst was anticipated. Instead, they made a series of layups and free throws to force the Eagles to keep responding and eventually tie it up. Blake Wesley had a chance to keep the game from reaching overtime, but his buzzer-beating jumper missed.

When overtime started, the Irish finally looked like the better team. However, even that wasn’t enough as they only had a one-point lead with 39 seconds left. Prentiss Hubb then took command as he made a big jump shot to put his team up three. He subsequently intercepted the inbound pass and iced the game with four free throws over the final seven seconds, giving the Irish 33 made free throws for the game.

Eleven of the 15 players that appeared between both teams scored in double figures, including all 10 starters. Dane Goodwin led the Irish with a season-high 23 points and a game-high four 3-pointers. Nate Laszewski came off the bench as he continues to recover from a leg injury, but he made the most of his time with 16 points. He and three other Notre Dame players combined to go a perfect 16 of 16 from the free-throw line.

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Notre Dame looking for revenge against Boston College

The Irish will be ready for the Eagles this time.

When Notre Dame and Boston College last met in early December, the Irish suffered a humiliating defeat to open ACC play. It appeared to be the validation everyone needed that this would be another long season in South Bend. Then, the Irish upset Kentucky in their next game, and they mostly have trended upward ever since. That means a completely different Irish team will be coming to play in this rematch.

The Irish will look to see if Blake Wesley can get off to another hot start like he did at Clemson. In the first 10 minutes, he scored 18 of his 21 points and made each of his first six field-goal attempts, four of which were from 3-point range. The true freshman is one of three nationwide with 300 points, 85 rebounds, 60 assists and 25 steals.

Each of the Irish’s past seven ACC opponents have been held to 65 or fewer points. That’s the best such streak for any team in a major conference. It also brings the number of conference opponents held to no more than 65 points to a program-record eight.

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Notre Dame keeps rolling with road victory over Clemson

Another victory on the road.

As we get deeper into the season, it becomes more obvious that Notre Dame is not intimidated by anything. When Duke played and won before the Irish played their game at Clemson, the Blue Devils moved into first place outright in the ACC. The Irish had to beat the Tigers on their court to regain that first-place tie. They did just that to the tune of 76-61.

After facing a 3-2 deficit, the Irish (18-7, 11-3) never trailed again. They led by as much as 17 and had an answer every time the Tigers (12-13, 4-10) got any sort of momentum going. The Irish never let their lead shrink to less than seven points in the second half, although it never felt like they were ready to put the Tigers away until only a few minutes remained. If this is who the Irish are, they might want to work on going for the throat a little sooner before the regular season ends.

Blake Wesley was hot out of the gate, scoring 18 of his game-high 21 points in the first half. In the second half, Dane Goodwin picked up where Wesley left off with 16 of his 20 points. Together, the two shot 8 of 11 from 3-point range. Meanwhile, Cormac Ryan played a solid supporting role with 13 points.

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Notre Dame alone in first place in ACC after win over Louisville

We’re No. 1!

No one is going to remember the details of Notre Dame’s game Wednesday against Louisville. No one will care that Nate Laszewski was out with an injury. It won’t even matter that the Irish nearly coughed up an opportunity they had been waiting for. The only thing to take away is that the Irish have the outright lead in the ACC standings after beating the Cardinals, 63-57.

The Irish (17-7, 10-3) had everything in order with a 14-point lead early in the second, but the Cardinals (11-13, 5-9) hung around to show they weren’t going to just give the Irish sole possession of first place. As proof of this, the Cardinals went on a 12-3 run to turn an eight-point deficit into a one-point lead with over six minutes to go. However, the Irish decided enough was enough and scored eight unanswered points before the Cardinals made their final basket. That was the final act needed to put the Irish in a position that was unthinkable two months ago.

Paul Atkinson Jr. followed up his ACC Player of the Week honor with a double-double that featured an Irish-leading 17 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. Dane Goodwin was just behind with 16 points. Blake Wesley continued to bounce back from his recent shooting slump by shooting 5 of 10 from the field on an 11-point night.

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Notre Dame bounces back with road win over Miami

Back on track.

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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Notre Dame stinks it up in ugly loss to Duke

What can anyone really say about this one?

Notre Dame had a chance at its signature win of the season when it welcomed Duke to Purcell Pavilion. A sellout crowd was on hand hoping to storm the court in Mike Krzyzewski’s final game coaching in South Bend. Instead, the Irish were stymied by a tough Blue Devils and did themselves no favors offensively in a 57-43 loss. It was the lowest scoring output for the Irish since a 59-41 defeat at Georgetown in 2012.

The Irish (14-7, 7-3) shot a paltry 6 of 32 from the field in the first half (18.8 percent), missing from just about everywhere on the court, and never recovered. You especially can’t expect to do that when you go scoreless for the final four-and-a-half minutes of that half. Add in some big defensive plays throughout from the Blue Devils (18-3, 8-2), and this was a game that fell far short of the hype. While the Blue Devils didn’t shoot that great from the field either (39.4 percent), there was no way the Irish were going to win shooting 27.9 percent from the field against anyone, let alone a blue blood.

Paolo Banchero, expected to be one the first picks in this year’s NBA draft, led all scorers with 21 points. AJ Griffin supported Banchero well with 13 points. Both players grabbed nine rebounds, as did Theo Jon.

Paul Atkinson Jr. was the only Irish scorer to reach double figures (14 points). Although Nate Laszewski became the 67th player in program history to reach 1,000 points, his four points while shooting 1 of 5 from the field barely registered a blip on the radar. Blake Wesley shot 3 of 15, and Prentiss Hubb was 2 of 9. Worst of all, Dane Goodwin had an 0-of-7 showing and was held scoreless for the first time since his freshman season.

This was bad. Like, all of it was bad. Now, the Irish have to travel to ACC-leading Miami for a game that won’t be any easier. It’s back to the drawing board for Mike Brey and his staff.

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Notre Dame facing biggest test of season against Duke

This is a huge one.

So many storylines will be coming into play when Notre Dame hosts Duke in a game rescheduled from New Year’s Day. The obvious one is that it will be Mike Krzyzewski’s last visit to South Bend. Similarly, Mike Brey will be coaching against his former boss for the final time barring a meeting between the teams in the ACC Tournament. Most importantly, the Blue Devils are the strongest team the Irish have played so far this season, and this game comes at a time when both teams and Miami are bunched closely together in the top three of the conference.

While Blake Wesley could be a first-round pick in this year’s NBA draft, the Blue Devils might have as many four players with that distinction. Perhaps the Irish can counter that with two of the best 3-point shooters in the country: Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski. Also, the Irish hopefully will have a rabid crowd at Purcell Pavilion to back them up, and they deserve to have one with their 9-0 record in that building. So many things can topple that powerhouse from Durham.

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Notre Dame (sort of) makes ESPN Bracketology

What will Notre Dame’s record be over their three games this coming week?

Can Notre Dame make the NCAA Tournament this March? After an embarrassing loss at Boston College in early-December that seemed about as far-fetched as imaginable as the Fighting Irish fell to just 3-4 overall that Friday night.

Yet, two months later it’s certainly a possibility although a lot of work remains. Work that begins with a challenging week ahead as the Irish host Duke before playing road games at both Miami and North Carolina State.

Notre Dame was however able to erase some demons against Virginia on Saturday night as the Irish improved to 14-6 overall and 7-2 in the ACC. The victory landed Notre Dame in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology that was released Sunday morning.

Well, sort of.

Lunardi projects the 68-team NCAA Tournament field all season long and also gives his “first four out” as well as his “next four out”. It’s in the later that Notre Dame appeared Sunday morning, being the second to last team mentioned.

It’s crystal clear that Notre Dame has a lot of work left to do in order to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017. However, they’re a lot closer than just about anybody expected after that disastrous night in Boston two months ago.

Will Notre Dame ultimately be an NCAA Tournament team?

Ask me again in a week and if Mike Brey, Blake Wesley, and the Fighting Irish can muster a 2-1 record over their three games this coming week I’ll really start buying into the real possibility. 1-2 wouldn’t be the end of tournament hopes but certainly wouldn’t be preferred while an 0-3 stretch here would likely require the Irish to run the table in the ACC Tournament to gain entry.

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Watch: Highlights of Notre Dame’s victory over Virginia

A win worth celebrating – now for another one Monday night!

Notre Dame basketball was in desperate need of a win over Virginia on Saturday night. The Irish have a lot of work to do in order to earn a potential NCAA Tournament bid they’d like to have but took a big mental step this weekend in getting by Virginia with a win that will hopefully go far in erasing demons in multiple levels.

If you’re followed the Notre Dame basketball team for any amount of time you’re likely aware of a couple of their biggest struggles: closing out games and beating Virginia.

Blown leads late in the second half have been a narrative of this team for the last few seasons while Virginia has had Notre Dame’s number historically, holding a 16-2 edge over the Irish all-time before Saturday’s game.

Notre Dame held on for a four-point victory over Virginia Saturday night as they cleared the Virginia hurdle for the first time in seven years and avoided disaster in the second half despite having significant struggles.

Next up for the Irish is Duke on Monday night, a game that was previously scheduled for New Years Day. We’ll have a preview up for you in regards to the always lovable Blue Devils soon but first, enjoy a look back at the highlights from Saturday night’s much-needed victory.