Notre Dame (5-2) earned a 68–63 win in Las Vegas on Tuesday, but it also let what should have been a comfortable victory over Rutgers (4-3) get far too interesting.
The Irish jumped out to a commanding 31-13 lead with 4:05 to play in the first half and then Micah Shrewsberry’s team did everything it could to lose.
Nine of Notre Dame’s 16 turnovers came in the second half, including three in the final four minutes, combined with four missed free throws during the same timespan.
If Notre Dame were playing a team with a pulse, the outcome would likely be different. Rutgers failed to take advantage of Notre Dame’s mistakes in the final minutes despite shooting 7-for-15 from three and 10-of-13 from the foul line in the final 20 minutes.
Markus Burton led the way for the Irish with 21 points on 9-of-13 from the field, six rebounds and five assists, but he also had a team-high six turnovers.
Jalen Haralson added 15 points and Braeden Shrewsberry scored 13 points on 3-of-6 from deep.
The Irish did outscore Rutgers 36-16 in the paint, but it didn’t come from the bigs. Notre Dame’s front line managed just seven points and three of those came on a Garrett Sundra three. Carson Towt finished the game with two points and six boards.
RUTGERS IS BAD
If you’ve watched Notre Dame over the last few years, you have seen some offensive struggles. Rutgers topped that on Tuesday as the Scarlet Knights had zero flow on offense and a lack of skill.
Notre Dame held Rutgers scoreless for over seven minutes in the first half as they built a 20-9 lead. Was it good defense? To a point, Rutgers had 11 first-half turnovers, but the Scarlet Knights simply couldn’t hit a shot or get to the rim.
The Scarlet Knight shot just 39 percent for the game, but did shoot 41 percent from three and 12-of-17 from the line. Notre Dame’s inconsistent play factored into the comeback, but the three-pointer kept Rutgers within striking distance in the second half.
SAME CONCERNS
Notre Dame has made a habit of relying on Markus Burton at the end of games over the last two years. Yes, you want your best player taking big shots and having the ball in his hands, but there also has to be help.
Burton was efficient in shooting the ball, but had key turnovers at the end of the game that were all too familiar. Perhaps the most concerning was he let himself get trapped and into a held ball situation while never using his dribble.
The staff has repeatedly stated they want Sir Mohammed to handle some of the load in handling the ball. Mohammed hasn’t proved to be trustworthy at this point in his career. Tuesday was an example as Mohammed had five turnovers in just 23 minutes of action.
Jalen Haralson has shown flashes of being a playmaker, but they come in spurts. I think he’s more than willing to drive in the final minutes of a game, but he has also made freshman mistakes. There’s hope there for him as those freshman mistakes will get cleaned up as he gets used to the speed of the game and gains comfort in game situations.
That said, Notre Dame is still looking for someone to step up in game situations without the last name Burton.
GROWING PAINS
The Irish returned a quality core to build around, but there are going to be growing pains as the bench is extremely young. Tuesday was one of those days where the bench didn’t show up as Notre Dame managed just 11 points from its reserves.
Garrett Sundra led the bench with five points and four rebounds. Brady Koehler and Logan Imes both added threes in the second half.
The good news is the Irish bench provided 11 rebounds and five of Notre Dame’s 11 assists, so they were far from non-productive.
Shrewsberry does need to find a way to get Cole Certa going. The 6-foot-5 guard was held scoreless for the third time this season after going 0-for-4 from the field. Certa did have quality shots for the most part and it doesn’t appear to be a lack of confidence. Notre Dame needs Certa to get going as the competition ramps up in December.
THE GOOD
This is easily a game Notre Dame would have lost in the past. They certainly tried to give it away, but finding a way to win is a step in the right direction for this program.
Slow starts have been a common theme and that wasn’t necessarily the case today. The game was a grind-it-out affair early, but the Irish then got hot and built a 19-point lead at one point.
Every team is going to let off the gas a little bit when they have a 31-13 lead and that’s where this group needs to take the next step.
With 2:26 left in the first half, Notre Dame was up 19 and then let Rutgers pull within 12 at halftime and gain some confidence. Notre Dame could have easily jumped on Rutgers coming out of the break, but they didn’t.
The other positive was Notre Dame might have let Rutgers cut the lead to five early in the second half, but they answered with an 8-0 run and only two points came from Burton.
This team is showing flashes of what it can be, but it also needs to grow up and avoid the same mistakes of past years. Burton fouling on a three-point shot late in the second half - seen that before. No one wanting the ball in game situations - seen that before.
But at the end of the day, Notre Dame put itself in position to leave Las Vegas 2-1 after losing all three games a year ago in the Players Era Festival.
Notre Dame’s next opponent and when they will play is to be determined.
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