Aa Tournament Notre Dame Mens Basketball Loses To Texas ...
Notre Dame's heartbreaking loss to the Texas Longhorns in the Tournament
On Thursday night, the Texas Longhorns overcame the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 76-65 in the NCAA Tournament. Despite putting up a good fight, Notre Dame came up short in the end. It was a hard-fought game, but Texas' superior defensive strategies proved to be too much for Notre Dame's offense.
Recap of the Game
The game started off well for Notre Dame as they took an early 6-2 lead, but Texas fought back and took a 10-9 lead at the 13:34 mark of the first half. The game remained close throughout the first half as Notre Dame stayed within striking distance of Texas. The score at halftime was 40-37 in favor of Texas.
Texas came out strong in the second half and built an 11-point lead at the 11:49 mark. Notre Dame tried to make a run, but Texas' defense held strong and they were able to maintain their lead throughout the rest of the game.
Guard Javan Felix led the Longhorns with 16 points, while forward Connor Lammert had 15 points and 7 rebounds. For Notre Dame, forward Pat Connaughton had a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds.
What Went Wrong for Notre Dame?
Notre Dame struggled with turnovers throughout the game, committing 14 in total. They also had a hard time penetrating Texas' defense, which held Notre Dame to just 38% shooting from the field. In addition, Texas out-rebounded Notre Dame 34-26, which led to the Longhorns having more second chance opportunities.
Despite these struggles, Notre Dame fought hard and never gave up. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to overcome Texas' strong performance.
What's Next for Notre Dame?
Even though this loss is a tough pill to swallow, Notre Dame still had a successful season. They finished with a 32-6 record and made it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1979. The Fighting Irish should be proud of what they accomplished this season, and they'll be back next year ready to compete once again.
As for Texas, they advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2008. They'll face the winner of the Duke/UCLA game in the next round.