Wow. That was a heart-stopper. Notre Dame looked like they were going to lose today’s ACC season opener about a dozen times. But they never quit, and led by Steve Vasturia in overtime, the Irish went into the Oakland Zoo and stole a game from the Pittsburgh Panthers.

Oddly enough, it was Notre Dame’s first win over Pitt since both joined the ACC.

Honestly, I’m exasperated from watching that one and am having a hard time collecting myself to write this. My neighbors nor my dogs are likely to forgive me for my primal screaming after Vasturia nailed the game-winner. Here is my best effort to give my thoughts from this one.

 

Road Dawgs

I know it’s a big day for college football, but if you’ve paid attention at all to hoops today, you know that it is pretty tough to win ACC road games. Duke got crushed by an underrated Virginia Tech team. UNC got beaten pretty easily by a bad Georgia Tech team. Any road win feels like a bonus, especially one to a decent opponent and long-time rival.

It feels even more like a steal when you come back from double-digits down in the first half. And two possessions down with about two minutes to go in regulation. And down five points late in overtime.

This team battled their butts off, and for all the flaws and frustrations, closing out a tight game with a win feels like a big sigh of relief, especially when considering the Purdue and Villanova collapses.

Onions

Bill Raftery’s oddly-graphic catchphrase was made for a player like Steve Vasturia. Vasturia scored 10 of Notre Dame’s last 12 points when it looked multiple times like all hope was lost. He did all this with four fouls but managed to avoid picking up a fifth without becoming a negative on defense. His five assists earlier when he was struggling were also key to get Bonzie and the rest of the team going, especially in the first half.

What a memorable performance from the senior guard who has had a penchant for clutch moments for this program that last few seasons. That game-winner three was pure ice water. Legendary stuff there for the now public enemy number one in the city of Pittsburgh.

 

Bonzie Colson’s All-ACC Campaign

21 points and 14 rebounds for the junior big man. More than any game up until this point, the Irish made a concerted effort to get Colson touches nearly every possession in the second half. In doing so, they avoided going cold for any long stretches and were able to ride him for awhile as well.

Bonzie’s 3 assists show that it’s tough to just double him as well because he can hurt you in so many ways. He also punished Pittsburgh’s taller interior players for 6 offensive rebounds, which led to a bunch of second-chance points. What an offensive weapon.

Vasturia was the story, but don’t forget about Bonzie and all of his awkward, efficient glory today, either. He is putting together a compelling case for all-ACC honors this season and may be a favorite for POY next year.

No Second Half Slide…Kinda

It’s not like it was a dominant second half performance or anything, but just playing equally well in the first and second halves feels like a positive development for this team.

Still, at the under-8 timeout, the Irish had cruised out to an 8-point lead and all the momentum having just dominated both ends of the court since the previous timeout. Almost as soon as they jumped out to that lead, however, they let it slip. It was really inconsiderate of them to let my blood pressure spike like that.

So while it was a far cry from the first half/second half splits we’ve seen up until now (and especially that damn Purdue game), these guys still have some work to do to close out the final quarter of games strong. Part of that is just the ebb and flow of this beautiful sport, but part of that requires more consistent execution.

Michael Young…Out of Eligibility, Right?

Please go away, Michael Young. Feels like he’s scored about 200 career points against us. He was spectacular today (as was Jamel Artis, another senior that needs to go away). Young has such a terrific, versatile game offensively; I’d be surprised if he doesn’t find some sort of niche in the NBA. A 6’9″ forward who can dribble, rebound, and shoot 46% from 3? Yes, please.

Watching Young and Colson clash back-and-forth with such different styles was a real joy to watch, college hoops at its best.

Some Other Solid Contributions…and One Big No-Show

Matt Farrell lifted the offense when it was behind by double-digits in the first half. Though he mostly disappeared late, he deserves plenty of credit for his 16 points (and 5 rebounds). TJ Gibbs turned in terrific minutes (12 unofficially). He scored 7 points, had a nice assist, and generally allowed the team to thrive while getting Vasturia some minutes on the bench with foul trouble.

Martinas Geben was the unsung hero, just one rebound away from his first career double-double. His 28 minutes were more ACC minutes than he has had in his entire career up until this point, and he did a great job controlling this paint. A perfect afternoon shooting (4-4 FGs, 2-2 FTs) was not too shabby, either.

VJ Beachem is in a bit of a slump, though. There’s no way around it. A mediocre game from him could have made this a much easier one. He was 3-10 and 0-5 from three, many of which were perfect looks in rhythm. He didn’t contribute much on the boards (just two) and sat a season-high 10 minutes. He’s got to get it going, even just regaining a mediocre three-point shot would do wonders for this offense.

Louisville Up Next

First-place Notre Dame plays host to last-place (heh) Louisville on Wednesday night at 9pm. The Cardinals are coming off a big neutral court win of their own against Indiana and represent a major test for the Irish. You can’t drop too many home games and expect to be over .500 in ACC play, so stakes are high. A big-time tournament resume win wouldn’t be a bad thing, either, after the Irish fumbled away two potential ones in December.