Notre Dame had a pretty good 2001-02 season. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] was in his second year at the helm and on his way to coaching the Irish to their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance. One reason they got that far came when they visited Pittsburgh, then a Big East rival.
The Irish were down five late before scoring the game’s final eight points and winning, 56-53, thanks to a late 3-pointer by [autotag]David Graves[/autotag], whose 12 points tied [autotag]Ryan Humphrey[/autotag] for the second-most on the team. [autotag]Matt Carroll[/autotag] was the Irish’s big player with game highs of 15 points and nine rebounds.
ESPN recapped the game after it was over as such:
Notre Dame vs #25 Pittsburgh (2002) pic.twitter.com/GYFNgrue1L
— College Basketball Classics (@ClassicsCBB) August 26, 2024
The loss temporarily knocked the Panthers out of the rankings, but they bounced back to where they became co-Big East champions and ultimately placed ninth in the season’s final poll. Needless to say, this was a highlight for the Irish in a season full of them.
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