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Notre Dame was withing striking distance throughout the entire game. It could have been the most impressive performance to date. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish went on the road to face the North Carolina Tar Heels — and held their own. It was a tossup game with five minutes to go. The Tar Heel star power proved to be too much as North Carolina closed out Notre Dame by a score of 75-69. This is what we learned:
Still Fighting
Notre Dame will be a competitive basketball team this ACC season. They will not give in to anyone. It seems like a confident bunch and Mike Brey will always have the Irish ready to go. This game further proved my thought that Notre Dame will upset someone they have no business beating this year. The three ball went cold in the second half and prevented this upset from happening, but it will come soon.
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Hubb Is Improving
I loved what I saw from Prentiss Hubb. He is a freshman point guard who has low lows but he also shows flashes of high potential. Hubb played calm and under control. The hostile environment of North Carolina was not too much for him. He finished the game with 18 points and 6 assists. It was by far the best game against the best competition that Prentiss Hubb has had in a Notre Dame uniform.
Mooney Can Hang
Talk about a one man wrecking crew. My goodness, John Mooney. North Carolina has been known for their rebounding and toughness down low under Roy Williams. You better not tell that to John Mooney. A casual 16 point and 19 rebound performance for Mooney. It seemed like North Carolina never got on a roll offensively. This was because John Mooney was always waiting at the rim and rebounding missed shots. Minimizing the easy, second chance points. North Carolina threw three different big men at Mooney to try and take advantage of having a fresher body. Mooney proved to be too much for all of them.
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It is another loss for the Irish, dropping them to 11-6 overall and 1-3 in ACC play. Even after a loss I am coming out optimistic about what is ahead. Notre Dame has no quit in them. They are going to play tough and not give in to any opponent. A home game against NC State is looming next for Notre Dame.