First thoughts after Notre Dame’s victory over Northwestern in the finals of the Legends Classic.
By PAUL GOTHAM
Matt Farrell and Steve Vasturia netted 18 pieces apiece while Bonzie Colson notched a double-double as the Notre Dame Fightin’ Irish rallied late to defeat Northwestern’s Wildcats, 70-66 in the finals of Legends Classic played at the Barclays Center. Scottie Lindsey paced Northwestern with 18 points on six of eight shooting including three of three from behind the arc.
Decisive Run
Trailing by six with 6:08 remaining in the game, Notre Dame closed the game on a 12-2 run. In what could be a telling detail, four different Irish tallied during that span. Vasturia finished a layup. Farrell led Colson for two. V.J. Beachem converted one of two free throws before Farrell found the senior guard ahead of the defense for a flush in transition. Farrell gave ND a lead it would not surrender when he completed an and-one for a 68-66 edge. Farrell iced the contest with two more from the charity stripe. Notre Dame is about the whole being greater than the sum of the parts.
Play of the Game
Clinging to a one-point lead with 20 ticks left on the clock, Northwestern had a dead ball inbound on their own baseline. Worth noting the Wildcats had two timeouts remaining. It appeared Farrell tipped the pass, and Vasturia stole the ball to set up Farrell for the eventual game winner. One expects Northwestern to have a better inbound play next time the situation presents itself.
Picking His Spots
Farrell finished the night hitting five of 11 from the floor and two of four from behind the arc. More importantly, the junior guard dished out six assists while committing just one turnover. That miscue came in the lane after Farrell beat his defender off the dribble and tried to force the ball through a pair of defenders. Even in making the mistake, Farrell’s decision to take a chance showed discretion because the Wildcats secured the ball deep in their defensive end and could not get out in transition. The ND point guard is also making wise decisions as to when to push the ball in transition or to pull it out and run offense. At first glance, it appears the Irish are slowing the pace more this season. Not true. Per KenPom, ND’s average possession length thus far this season is 17.8 seconds or nearly a second and half faster than last year’s 19.2. Overall efficiency has dropped from 119.5 to 115.5, but it is early and the Irish are still figuring out their roles.
Disruption? Or Fatigue?
The Irish finished the game with 13 assists on 22 made field goals (59 percent). This is consistent with Notre Dame’s numbers. Coming into the contest, ND handed out dimes on 58.1 percent (per KenPom) of their makes. But the Irish assisted on eight of their first 11 buckets while dropping off in the second half to five of 11. Did Northwestern find a way to get ND out of rhythm? Or was this the result of two games in less than 24 hours? Notre Dame beat Colorado 89-83 on Monday.
Get That Junk Out Of Here
Northwestern’s Dererk Pardon recorded a career-high six blocks.
Home Sweet Home
The Irish have won four straight at the Barclays Center including wins over Michigan (70-63) and the Thomas Walkup-led Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks (76-75) in the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Valuing the Ball
Notre Dame finished with seven turnovers. The Irish have not committed double-digit turnovers in any their five games this season. This is nothing new for Mike Brey’s squad. ND finished top ten in the country last year with 9.9 mishandles per game.
Is This The Year?
Beating the Irish would have looked very good on the Northwestern resume come tournament selection time. That opportunity slipped through their hands. The Wildcats’ remaining non-conference schedule includes a game with Wake Forest in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge and a meeting with Dayton on a neutral court. Northwestern will get plenty of chances in Big Ten play. They finished 8-10 in conference play a year ago. They will need at least nine wins against conference opponents this year.
Up Next
Northwestern (3-2) hosts Bryant on Friday. Notre Dame (5-0) will welcome Chicago State to the Purcell Pavilion on Saturday.
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