Deja vu? Notre Dame closes strong for 66-62 win over Cats
Notre Dame's Cormac Ryan drove down the court in Saturday's game against Kentucky. (Matt Cashore/USA Today Sports)
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated
Managing Editor Edit
@JDrumUK
The names and faces have changed, but the final moments of Kentucky's matchup on Saturday at Notre Dame looked eerily similar to most of the Wildcats' losses last December.
Long stretches without scoring. Questionable decision-making. Crucial defensive lapses.
It all added up to Kentucky being outscored 18-9 over the final eight minutes of play as the unranked Fighting Irish broke a three-game losing streak with a 66-62 upset of the No. 10 Wildcats at Purcell Pavilion in South Bend.
Freshman guard Wesley Blake hit a pull-up jumper just inside the free-throw line to give Notre Dame the lead with 12 seconds remaining. After Kentucky's TyTy Washington missed a drive into the lane with seven seconds to go, the Irish rebounded and sealed the win with a runout dunk by senior guard Dane Goodwin.
Despite its struggles, Kentucky (7-2) had led 53-48 with 8:07 remaining.
"How are you going to win a game when you're 2-for-19 from the 3?" UK coach John Calipari said. "Two shots. And, OK, you miss them all. But we could have still won the game if we guarded. But we didn't, and we lose, so it's a great lesson.
"It just stinks that you've got to lose a game. I'd rather win a close one and say, 'Look, we've got a lot of work to do.'"
Last year, the Cats lost 64-64 to Notre Dame for the first time ever in Lexington after falling behind by 24 points in the first half. They rallied to make it close but ultimately lost when Olivier Sarr's open jumper missed the mark.
Kentucky allowed Notre Dame to shoot 46.2% from the field, including 50% (14 of 28) in the second half. The Cats, who entered the game No. 1 in the nation in rebound margin, were also beaten 33-28 on the glass by a Fighting Irish squad with modest size and athleticism.
Wesley and Goodwin each scored 14 points to lead Notre Dame (4-4). The Irish also got 12 points from senior guard Trey Wertz and 10 from grad senior forward Paul Atkinson Jr.
The Cats wasted a game-high 25-point effort from junior center/forward Oscar Tshiebwe, who went 11-of-14 from the floor. Keion Brooks Jr. added 12 points for UK. The rest of the roster made only nine of 31 attempts.
*****
In this Rapid Recap feature, we touch on some quick-hitters from the UK loss...
GAME BALL:
Wesley Blake, Notre Dame -- On a day when nobody really stood out in South Bend, I guess you have to go with the guy who drained the game-winner. It was a big-time shot for Blake. You don't see too many mid-range jumpers winning college basketball games in 2021.
BY THE NUMBERS:
2 - Three-point shots made by Kentucky on 19 attempts, both by Kellan Grady.
-5 - Rebound margin for Cats, who entered the game No. 1 in the nation at +19. UK had outrebounded every opponent by at least nine.
6 - Second-chance points by the Cats, a season-low.
15 - Lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points.
38 - Points in the paint by Notre Dame. The Irish were +12 for the game.
QUOTABLE:
"We played not to lose versus playing to win. You can't be at Kentucky and play that way. Did you see them storm the court? We were 6-100 (sic) last year, and guess what they did if they beat us? They stormed the court. It's Kentucky. You have to understand you have to play to win every game." -- UK coach John Calipari
UP NEXT:
The Cats return to action next Saturday against Ohio State in the CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The No. 21 Buckeyes (8-2) blasted No. 22 Wisconsin 73-55 on Saturday in Columbus.
