Rush The Court

Midway through the second half of Thursday afternoon’s second ACC quarterfinal, a Duke-UNC rematch looked like destiny. Duke led Notre Dame by 16 with 11 minutes to play. To that point, the game had strongly resembled North Carolina’s earlier win over Pittsburgh: Notre Dame and Duke were matched in strengths (offense); Duke struggled out of the gate but Grayson Allen kept the game close; and a second half Fighting Irish drought looked fatal. And then the Blue Devils ran out of gas.

The Notre Dame comeback began in earnest with just under eight minutes left when Notre Dame grabbed three straight offensive boards before scoring. Soon after VJ Beachem rediscovered his shooting stroke, while Zach Auguste continued his relentless assault of the backboards. Auguste would finished with 22 rebounds on an afternoon when he was easily the best player on the floor.

Make no mistake about it: The story here is Notre Dame, not Duke. The Blue Devils are very much who we thought they were — a flawed but extremely capable offensive team who will have a chance to make some noise in the NCAA Tournament. But on the other side, this game was a reminder that Notre Dame is still built around the foundation of last year’s ACC title squad that almost knocked off Kentucky in the Elite Eight. It’s a team with veterans like Auguste, Demetrius Jackson (who struggled en route to a 13 point, four assist afternoon) and Steve Vasturia (12 points, six assists) who are ready for another shot at an ACC title. Despite wins over North Carolina, Duke (now twice), and Louisville, the Fighting Irish are still looking for national respect. The guy at the helm certainly has a good deal of that, as Mike Brey is now 5-1 in his last six games against Duke and his mentor, Mike Krzyzewski.

Now it’s North Carolina‘s shot at revenge against the Irish. Brey has the last three wins (stretching back to last season) versus Roy Williams, so you can expect the experienced Tar Heels to be seeking payback. On paper, North Carolina appears to be Notre Dame’s foil: just as much experience, more roster depth, and with more athleticism and length. To have a chance at winning, Notre Dame will need another herculean performance from Auguste and certainly more out of Jackson, who struggled to find his way against Duke. Much more importantly, Brey’s team will have to at least break even on the defensive glass. For much of Thursday’s game Duke dominated the boards; a similar struggle could lead to a field day for All-ACC first-teamer Brice Johnson. But mismatches go both ways. As valuable as UNC’s size advantage will be, Kennedy Meeks and Joel James also won’t feel comfortable chasing Auguste or Bonzie Colson around. If Brey can find a way to maximize those edges and his veterans play to up to their potential, Notre Dame may be in the beginning stages of another memorable March.