Syracuse, NY – Notre Dame failed to score for a six-minute period in the second half of Saturday’s game against Syracuse, and it cost them.
Fighting Irish turned the ball five times during that offensive drought due to Orange’s aggressive full court pressure.
Notre Dame coach Mike Brey told his team to slow down to regain control of the game, but Syracuse’s defense was overwhelming and reminiscent of the pressure the Irish faced a few weeks ago against Georgia Tech.
Brey’s team turned the ball eight of their ten times in the second half and wasted a 20-point lead in the 75-67 loss at the Carrier Dome.
“It’s disappointing,” said Brey after the game. “I knew they were going to come after us. They always run in this building and are offensively talented. The twists against the pressure of the entire court, as in Atlanta, changed the whole appearance, so I’m disappointed by our guys because I thought we were ready to play. “
Notre Dame opened 17 points in the defeat to the Yellow Jackets on February 6. Similar to Saturday’s game against Orange, Fighting Irish threw the ball extremely well in that game, but failed to figure out how to break the press.
That same press haunted Brey’s team again in its collapse on Saturday. He tried to calm his players during breaks with encouraging messages like, ‘Hey, we’re fine’, but at this point, Syracuse found his pace in the attack.
“I would say that probably what happens is that when a team is harmed (by the press), there is a small mental obstacle in that,” he said.
Notre Dame striker Juwan Durham dominated Syracuse’s frontline players to start the game. Four of his first five baskets were buried. It looked like his inside advantage would continue, but Durham ended the game with the same 10 points he scored in the first seven minutes.
“He tried to make some moves he made in the first half – which we wanted him to do – and then he made some turns,” said Brey. “You can’t blame him because he was in attack mode.”
When asked how difficult it is to keep his team mentally strong when he continues to give up great advantages in the second half, Brey challenged his players.
“I don’t know. You’ll have to ask our leadership,” said Brey. “It’s hard to figure out how to recover and play in Louisville. I told you after the Georgia Tech game, I don’t have any big ‘rah-rah’ speeches at this time of the year. “
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