Prentiss Hubb Shining for Notre Dame
Folks can say Prentiss Hubb plays reckless at times and takes bad shots at crucial points, but few are playing as well as the Notre Dame guard as we hit mid-February.
Notre Dame has won five of its last seven games and Hubb is a big reason for the Irish turning a corner.
Since the Boston College game on Jan. 16th, Hubb is averaging 15.8 points and 8.4 assists per game, while also shooting 48 percent from three-point range.
On Tuesday, the junior point guard hit 30ft three at Duke to give the Irish a five-point lead with 38.2 seconds left in the game.
"We've seen that story before," stated head coach Mike Brey. "I think what he's learned to manage the game and use the weapons around him. But nobody can close out like him. He's a fearless guy. He's a big-time winner and he wants to make the big decisions and the big plays. He's unafraid of the bright lights. That's why I love coaching him and his teammates love playing with him.
"He sensed it like the end of the Kentucky game. He went for the jugular. That's a little bit of an assassin."
It wasn't just the big three in Cameron Indoor. Hubb controlled the last 10 minutes of the game as the Irish faced game pressure in a one-possession game.
Hubb completely shredded the Blue Devils defense, as the South Bend Tribune's Tom Noie documented on Twitter.
Here's how the final 9:03 went down.
9:03 - Hubb defensive rebound
8:51 - Hubb hits two free throws
6:32 - Hubb step-back jumper
6:00 - Hubb assists to Nate Laszewski
3:54 - Hubb defensive rebound
3:30 - Hubb assist to Juwan Durham
2:06 - Hubb assist to Juwan Durham for a dunk
:37 - Hubb 30ft three-pointer
0:00 - Swaggy P.
"I think my mindset stayed the same throughout the whole game," stated Hubb. "It was just coming down to pressure and I think hitting shots and finding my teammates was bound to happen.
"We started off down 20-8 and I knew for a fact me and my teammates were going to get rolling."
Hubb might not have admitted it, but he knew he had to step up after Cormac Ryan went off in the first half to keep the Irish in the game.
"Cormac held us down in the first half," said Hubb. "He had 21 points in the first half and he played really big. As the other lead guard, I had to step up and make plays for my teammates."
It might not have been shown itself on Tuesday, but Notre Dame's defense has improved over the seven-game stretch and it's led to a more confident offense.
"Our defense fuels our offense," explained Hubb. "When we play hard on defense, it makes everything easier on offense because we're not walking the ball up the court. Everyone is playing with that intensity and pace we all need."
Intensity and wins are great, but Notre Dame is becoming confident at the right time.
" It just feels great to get a win," said Hubb. "Seeing everybody happy when we come into the locker room - we were kind of crushed after the Georgia Tech loss. Seeing everyone happy and playing to their best ability can keep us rolling and help us through the rest of the season."