When Trey Wertz transferred to Notre Dame from Santa Clara, even the most ardent Irish supporters probably didn’t know what to think of him. Would he make a major impact right away, or would he need time to adjust to a new system? The answer appears to be the latter as his numbers have declined almost across the board. But if nothing else, he’ll be remembered this season for hitting the buzzer beater that beat Wake Forest, 80-77, in the first round of the ACC Tournament on Tuesday:
🚨 GOOOOOOOOOT IT 🚨@NDmbb’s Trey Wentz drains the buzzer beater to down Wake Forest at the #ACCTourney!#GoIrishpic.twitter.com/dM3OZWi6X7
— The Fighting Irish 😷 (@FightingIrish) March 10, 2021
Wertz had a great game, scoring 16 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field, including 4 of 5 from behind the 3-point line. The Irish (11-14, 7-11) also had a nice performance from Juwan Durham, who recorded his first double-double of the season (16 points, 10 rebounds). Prentiss Hubb and Cormac Ryan both scored 14.
Notre Dame losing to the lowly Demon Deacons (6-16, 3-15) would have raised serious questions about the program’s future. Most notably, the calls for Mike Brey’s ouster would continue to grow, and there would be doubts about the Irish’s ability to recruit. While those concerns might persist when the season ends, a 17-2 run to finish this win at least kicked the can down the road, if only for 24 hours. Best of all, Jack Nolan now has the chance to say his career ended when the Irish lost to a better program like North Carolina, their second-round opponent:
Wertz for three…….GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTTTT
ITTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT— Jack Nolan (@NDJackNolan) March 10, 2021