Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
One Notre Dame representative on this list.
Christmas is over, which means ACC teams finally can look forward to the conference schedule in earnest. Now is the time for teams to size up the players they most have to plan for. Here they are, at least as far as statistical leaders:
One Notre Dame player is on this list.
As the ACC heads towards Christmas, teams are getting one final look at what they have before the holiday. It’s the least that can happen as conference play gets ready to take over for the rest of the season. Here are the conference players currently standing out statistically:
That 6-1 start is feeling more like a distant memory.
After Notre Dame lost to Syracuse in its ACC opener, Orange coach Jim Boeheim said that the Irish don’t really have a post presence. While we don’t know if Georgia coach Mike White read or heard that quote from the Hall of Famer, he opted to exploit that deficiency in the Irish’s makeup when his team played them during Holiday Hoopsgiving in Atlanta. The plan worked, and a 77-62 loss means the Irish have dropped three of four so far in December.
The Irish (7-4) saw the Bulldogs (8-3) start a three-guard lineup, but it was the two starters down low that did the most damage. Center Braelen Bridges and forward Matthew-Alexander Moncriffe combined to go a perfect 15 of 15 from the field and score 18 and 15 points respectively. That undoubtedly contributed to the Bulldogs’ 40-22 advantage in points in the paint. If that wasn’t enough, the Bulldogs won the rebounding battle, 35-25.
The post wasn’t the Irish’s only kryptonite in this game. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag]’s decision to have only seven players in his rotation once again became a disadvantage. Five of the six Bulldogs who came off the bench played at least 10 minutes, and they made of the most of their time on the floor. Jabri Abdur-Rahim had 12 points to go with a game-high 11 rebounds, and the Bulldogs’ reserves outscored the Irish’s, 27-4.
[autotag]Nate Laszewski[/autotag] led all scorers with 20 points, including four 3-pointers. [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag] scored 15, and [autotag]JJ Starling[/autotag] added 14.
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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89
Goal!
The Syracuse men’s soccer team found the most dramatic way possible to bring home a national title.
During penalty kicks, senior midfielder Amferny Sinclair kicked in a beautiful game-winning goal on junior Indiana goalie JT Harms for the Orange’s first-ever NCAA Men’s College Cup.
The 7-6 decision undoubtedly cleared the Syracuse bench with players joining Sinclair to celebrate the monumental victory.
Sinclair hails from Alajuela, Costa Rica, and made the play of the season for his team. It’ll be one Syracuse fans will play back in their heads over and over in the years to come.
The goal was like something out of a movie.
— raybaker3030 (@raybaker3030) December 13, 2022
Check out the reaction from Syracuse fans watching in the school’s basketball arena.
The Syracuse fans at the Dome react to the game-winner in the NCAA soccer final pic.twitter.com/hiolYVcSJ8
— Mike Waters (@MikeWatersSYR) December 13, 2022
National Champs! 🍊⚽️🏆 pic.twitter.com/uLKcczQfbJ
— Syracuse Athletics (@Cuse) December 13, 2022
Talk about a special night for Syracuse. What’s long been a basketball school will now get to proudly boast that it’s got the best collegiate men’s soccer team in the country. That’s not too shabby.
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One representative from Notre Dame this week.
With Notre Dame taking final exams, now seems like a good time to look at the best of the Irish’s conference. If the Irish are to have success this season, these are players who are most likely to challenge that prospect. Specifically, here’s who leads major categories:
No one from Notre Dame is on this list.
We don’t know how exactly this season will turn out. All we know is that Notre Dame figures to be a big part after beating UConn in front of a network TV audience. Regardless, here are the ACC players worth watching at the moment:
Notre Dame has one player on this list.
ACC play is underway, at least partially. While we we’ll have to wait a few more weeks to see conference teams going at it on a nightly basis, if this past weekend was any indication, there is some thrilling basketball in store. Here’s who leads the conference in the major categories after that preview:
Hear the coach’s thoughts on the tough loss.
SOUTH BEND — Notre Dame hung with Syracuse the entire time during its ACC opener. In the end, it wasn’t enough as the Orange squeaked out a 62-61 victory. [autotag]Mike Brey[/autotag] spoke with the media afterwards to talk about the loss. Here is some of what he had to say:
Not a great way to begin conference play.
SOUTH BEND — Coming into its ACC opener, Notre Dame had to know 6-foot-11 Syracuse center Jesse Edwards would be a problem. After all, he entered Saturday’s game as the conference’s leading rebounder and shot blocker. However, the Irish also needed to take his scoring ability into account. Even if they did, it didn’t matter as Edwards dominated in what became a nail-biting 62-61 Orange victory.
[autotag]Marcus Hammond[/autotag], making his Irish debut in a leg brace, capped a 6-0 run for the Irish in the final minute with a layup that just fell through the basket with 29 seconds left. Having also drawn a foul on the play, he hit a free throw to give the Irish a 61-60 lead, erasing what had been a five-point deficit moments earlier.
Out of a timeout, the Orange’s Judah Mintz, who mostly had been held in check, made a go-ahead basket with 14 seconds left. The Irish took a timeout and then saw the Orange use up their fouls to give. Ultimately, a [autotag]Dane Goodwin[/autotag] corner shot at the buzzer missed, and the Irish had their first home loss of the season.
Neither team led by more than five points the entire game, but it was the Irish (6-2, 0-1), who ended up making the more costly mistakes. They committed 10 turnovers and shot only 38.3% from the field. Edwards was happy to take advantage of that as he dominated the paint during a 22-point, 14-rebound afternoon at Purcell Pavilion. Equally volatile was Joseph Girard III, who scored 20 for the Orange (4-4, 1-0).
Goodwin was the top player for the Irish with 16 points and nine rebounds. Together with [autotag]Cormac Ryan[/autotag], who had 14 points, the two combined for seven 3-pointers. [autotag]Ven-Allen Lubin[/autotag] was a potent threat off the bench thanks to 10 points and eight boards.
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Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.
Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89
What a Friday it was from start to finish…
Welcome to college football’s championship weekend. If you missed Friday night then you missed a fun one. Utah went on a 44-7 run to beat USC. 47-24. The loss certainly ends USC’s hopes for the College Football Playoff while Ohio State appears back in. We’ll know more as Saturday progresses.
Friday was a huge day for the future of Notre Dame, however. The big news came early in the afternoon when Drew Pyne announced he was entering the transfer portal. No, not after the bowl game. Right away.
Pyne’s decision along with USC’s loss are just a two of the five things you need to know for Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022.
