GREENSBORO, N.C. – In the first round of the ACC Tournament, Notre Dame (11-21) led Virginia Tech (19-13) from 10:09 to 1:02 in the second half and then later had a chance to tie the game twice – both with 12 seconds on the clock and on the final second. The Irish showed a lot of fight and toughness throughout but found themselves on the wrong end at the final buzzer, 67-64.
The loss brings an end to the 2022-23 season and the conclusion of the Mike Brey era after 23 years at the helm.
What a great ACC Tournament game, amazingly physical,” Glenn & Stacey Murphy Head Coach Mike Brey said. “I’m proud of our guys. We came down here with a clean slate after a really tough regular season, and we emptied the tank to try and get over the hump. I think Virginia Tech is really good, really good.
And yeah, I’m disappointed for them because it’s been a great group of young men, even though we haven’t won like we’ve wanted to. They’ve hung in there. This guy here has been an unbelievable leader (referencing Cormac Ryan). Anybody can lead when you’re winning. When you’re getting your butt handed to you a lot — he just was fabulous. I’m thrilled for Marcus Hammond. Finally got him healthy, and we had our chances, but Tech made big plays.”
For the Irish, it was a tough season of close losses. Today marked their sixth ACC loss which was decided by one possession or ninth by five points or less.
Marcus Hammond certainly went on a high note, pouring in a season high 23 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Cormac Ryan spearheaded the offense in the second half where he scored 11 of his 18 final points. Matt Zona was also a bright spot for the second game in a row, connecting on a career high three treys for nine points.
How It Happened
Virginia Tech jumped on the Irish early and opened up a seven-point lead at 11-4. Next, Notre Dame responded with three made consecutive field goals to cut it to one possession at 12-14 at 12:37.
The Hokies then took advantage of an ND scoring drought in which the Irish missed seven straight, recording a 9-0 run over a slow four minutes and 30 seconds. Eventually, Virginia Tech built a lead as large as 12.
That’s when Notre Dame started to click from beyond the arc, firing off three consecutive three-pointers all from three different players – Goodwin, Hammond and Zona. The 9-0 run was over a swift two-minute stretch, prompting a VT timeout.
Zona was feeling it from deep and hit…