Notre Dame (10-6, 1-2) had a chance to make a splash on Saturday evening, but Clemson (14-3, 4-0) did everything just a little bit better in a 76-61 road win.
Jestin Porter scored 26 points on 9-of-14 from the field and had a career-high five steals for the Tigers. RJ Godfrey manned the paint all night on his way to 16 points, while Carter Welling added 14 points and six rebounds for Clemson.
Notre Dame guard Jalen Haralson once again showed up for the Irish, scoring 18 points to extend his streak to 14 straight games in double figures. Logan Imes was the only other Irish player to reach double digits, finishing with 13 points.
The Irish have won games all season by controlling the boards and being efficient in the paint. Clemson flipped that script, as its bigs dominated both areas.
Clemson won points in the paint 34-18 and the boards 31-29.
Notre Dame started fast, but Clemson’s physicality and size allowed the Tigers to slowly build a 39–31 lead. Cole Certa hit a three at the halftime buzzer to cut the deficit to five.
The Tigers quickly took control in the second half, extending the lead to 50–39 with just over 14 minutes to play, and Clemson never looked back.
Irish big man Carson Towt finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.
OUTCLASSED
Notre Dame has often been the more physical team this season, but on Saturday night, Clemson was clearly superior. The Irish struggled to handle Clemson’s big men inside and were also outmuscled by the Tigers guards on the perimeter.
Clemson forced 14 turnovers, which led to 18 points, while committing just six turnovers of its own.
Micah Shrewsberry knew his team had to be physical heading into the game and he wasn’t surprised at the outcome.
“That's what they do,” said Shrewsberry. “They're one of the best teams. If you look at KenPom, the average field goal attempt for a Division I team is six feet. Clemson's is 4.6. They want play in the charge circle the entire game.
“They rotate a bunch of big dudes that play like that. We don't play like that. We don't have a bunch of dudes that play like that. We don't have those big physical forces like that. So ours has to come through drives. Ours has to come through creating.”
Without Markus Burton, it’s no secret Notre Dame is challenged when it comes to creating offense. Haralson has shown the ability to win one-on-one, but Burton has often been able to bail the Irish out when the offense stagnates.
Outside of Haralson, Shrewsberry is still searching for someone who can create their own shot, take over a game, or come through late in the shot clock or in key moments.
“Without Marcus, there's not a lot of margin for error,” explained Shrewsberry. “Every possession matters. Every possession counts. I didn't think we handled the physicality the right way. I thought we got loose with the ball. I thought we were passing with one hand. I thought we were catching with one hand. A good amount of those turnovers turned into pick sixes.
“You're fighting every single possession in the half court, but you're giving them some of those layups and some of those points that you're not getting on the other end. The details, the discipline, like those little things are so important because your margin for error is so much smaller.”
Another concern is the lack of production from players Notre Dame was counting on to take the next step this season.
Sophomore Sir Mohammed played just six minutes, went 0-for-1 from the field, and committed two turnovers. Classmate Garrett Sundra finished 0-for-2 and recorded just two rebounds.
Junior Braeden Shrewsberry also had an off night, shooting 2-of-7 from the floor, including 1-of-4 from beyond the arc.
The bright spot was freshman Brady Koehler, who showed flashes by scoring six points and pulling down six rebounds.
Could Koehler help more? Could Certa expand his role after scoring eight points, including two three-pointers?
Those questions remain unanswered, but Shrewsberry knows his young core learned a valuable lesson.
“I think they know they need to bring it,” Shrewsberry stated. “I think there's things that they can do to help that they are doing. It's also their first time doing it. None of these dudes have played against Clemson. None of these dudes have played against that physicality.
“It's something they can put in their memory bank of the next time. It's their first time doing it. It's their first time playing against it. Now you've got to learn from it. The Miami game is going to be the same exact way, physicality-wise. You have to use this experience to grow from it.”
SHREWSBERRY’S WEEK
It’s been just over a week since Shrewsberry lost his cool following the loss at Cal. The ACC didn’t hand down a punishment nor did Notre Dame.
Shrewsberry knows he has to be better for his team, but he also learned who is in his corner over the last week.
“I’m just trying to focus on how I can be the best coach for my guys and the best coach for our team,” said Shrewsberry. “You find out who's in your corner with you. Everybody makes mistakes. Sometimes people stick with you through mistakes, and you kind of find that out, right? Sometimes in situations like what happened, you find out who's in your corner with you too.
“Unfortunately, you find out in different ways. I still got to be the best coach I can be for our group and what we need to get us ready to come back and practice tomorrow and practice Monday and be ready to play on Tuesday.”
UP NEXT
Notre Dame will host Miami on Tuesday night for a 7:00 PM tip on ESPNU.
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