Mike Brey Notebook: Georgia Tech

Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey spoke following the first ACC loss of the season as the Irish fell 60-53 at Georgia Tech. 

On game:
“Give Georgia Tech credit. We came back and put game pressure on them. They really made some big plays, and Ben Lammers was big at key times.

“I’m proud of our group. We keep digging and scratching even though we’re short-handed. We gave ourselves a chance, but Tech made big plays at times to hold us off.” 

On second half comeback: 
“I said it was just like Saturday’s game. We were down 10 to Syracuse, and we were going to make a run to make it interesting. They made some key defensive plays, and they have a lot of length back there that bothered us at times. 

“We didn’t shoot it as great as we need to and we had some really good looks in the second half. We made a couple of them to make it interesting. We have to make a few more of those to escape with a road win. 

On Georgia Tech:
“I think Tech is playing really well. They are so much different than the team we played 10 days ago. They’re healthier and moving better. They won a three-in-a-row and beat a good Miami team.” 

On offensive adjustments:
“We were able to drive the gaps a little more and kick out instead of playing with the ball over our heads. It was similar to the game in South Bend. We had a hard time figuring out their zone, and in the second half, we got into a better flow. 

“I thought TJ (Gibbs) and Rex (Pflueger) drove it more and we got some open looks. Nik (Djogo) hit one. DJ Harvey had a tough first half and bounced back to give us a good second half. We have to keep getting him confident because he’s going to play a lot. We have eight dudes.” 

On second chance points:
“They were really good on the backboard. We couldn’t get second shots like we’ve been getting in our first three ACC games. Their key guys made big plays. Lammers, (Josh) Okogie made big shots like they’re supposed to make in an ACC game.” 

On TJ Gibbs:
“He made some unbelievable decisions to Geben and Mooney rolling down the lane. He’s been fabulous for us. He was player of the week last week. We lose Matt Farrell, and he’s stepped in and handled the ball for us for 40 minutes. He didn’t shoot it well tonight, but he has seven assists and only two turnovers. He’s talking and leading the whole way.” 

On zone defense:
“Zone helped us. We’ve been more of a zone team this year. We’re a little bigger in zone when Matt Farrell isn’t on the floor because our guards up top are a little longer. We decided at halftime that we were going to sit in zone the whole second half to make them make shots. 

“At times they got a little frustrated and tight, and you felt you have a chance. I give a lot of credit to Lammers and Okogie. When it was a big possession, they made big plays against us.

“I got eight guys. We have to rest on defense a little bit.”