"We have three games left, and we have to win them" - Matt Farrell

 Notre Dame’s 77-74 loss to Miami wasn’t an easy one to take for Notre Dame as hopes for the NCAA Tournament decreased. Several players were emotional after the game, including captain Matt Farrell.

“It sucks,” stated Farrell. “It is what it is. We lost. I don’t make excuses. Whoever is on the floor is on the floor, and we lost.

“This one sucks. This one is going to hurt all week.”

The senior point guard has watched his team battle injuries all year, which included him being sidelined for a significant portion of January. 

Miami used an aggressive defense on the perimeter to take the ball out of Farrell’s hands, but the Hurricanes also hit timely shots over the Irish defense at crucial moments of the game. 

“They did a really good job hanging around on ball screens,” explained Farrell. “The big guy was staying with me or staying with TJ (Gibbs). They hit big shots. They hit tough shots that were big shots. We were there in the end, and it’s been that way all year.

“We just can’t finish it, and it’s a terrible feeling.” 

Farrell won’t be hanging his head for long as the Irish have three regular-season games remaining.

“We come in tomorrow, and we will get better,” stated Farrell. “We have some good mojo coming with Bonzie (Colson) coming back. We have to keep fighting. We have three games left, and we have to win them.

“We have good opportunities, and we have to win them.” 

Notre Dame sits at 6-9 in the ACC, but could very well be 8-9 in the ACC heading into a March 3rd road game at No. 1 Virginia. 

“Every single game we had left was a must win,” said Farrell. “We know for sure these three are a must win. We have to get all three.

“We have tough guys, and we’ve been through a lot. We’ll be alright.”