SAN DIEGO – — It’s possible that Notre Dame might benefit by playing weary. The 11th-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish defeated the sixth-seeded Alabama Crimson Tide 78-64 on Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Cormac Ryan scored a career-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, to lead the Fighting Irish.
Notre Dame had to recover from a taxing win in the First Four and a late-night flight. “I guess you could say I was just letting it all hang out. When you get the ball going, you really get the ball rolling. Therefore, I would say that you selected a nice night for it “Ryan answered. “To be able to grit one’s teeth and power through it; many were warning that there would be double overtime, a lengthy journey, and tired legs.
We were firing on all cylinders, and we were all set to go.” Ryan shot 10 for 13 from the field and made a career-high seven of his nine attempts from beyond the arc for Notre Dame (24-10), which defeated Rutgers in double overtime on Wednesday night in Dayton, Ohio, to earn a trip to San Diego.
- Rutgers was eliminated from the tournament as a result of Notre Dame’s victory.
- Ryan suggested that the cross-country travel and the fact that Notre Dame had to play two games in a span of less than 48 hours may have been to the team’s advantage, despite the fact that the Fighting Irish use just a seven-player rotation.
“That emptiness accompanied us as we made our way to California. And I believe that the short excursion ended up being beneficial for us because we were still hungry. It was as if we had only recently stepped off the court; put us back on, we’re prepared, “he added.
- While Paul Atkinson Jr.
- Scored 13 points and eight rebounds, Blake Wesley led the team in scoring with 18 points.
- After missing six of their first seven shots, the Fighting Irish went on to make 28 of 47 shots for the rest of the game.
- According to Nate Oats, the head coach of Alabama, “I mean, gotta give Notre Dame a lot of respect to play in a play-in game and go double overtime, fly in here as late as they did, play on one-day rest, and give it the intensity they had.” “In college, we talk about guys who played before in college.
I believe that it became clear today.” Both Keon Ellis (16 points) and Jaden Shackelford (13 points) contributed to Alabama’s (19-14) victory. Junior point guard Jahvon Quinerly went out of the game after suffering an injury to his left knee early on and did not return.
When he returned to the Crimson Tide bench, the injured knee was encased in a brace that would keep it immobile. Oats described the injury as “serious,” and he added that an MRI will be performed on Quinerly once the team got back to Tuscaloosa. “He plays a significant role in what we do. The effect of his passing was unquestionably felt by all of us “Ellis remarked.
In the second round of the West Region tournament, Notre Dame will face off against Texas Tech on Sunday. On Friday morning, the third-seeded Red Raiders easily defeated the sixty-second-seeded Bobcats of Montana State, 97-62. At the break, the Irish had a lead of 41–36 over their opponents.
- Soon after the start of the second half, Alabama scored six consecutive points to go within 44-42, but Notre Dame responded with a 17-5 run to pull away and win.
- During the run, Ryan, Wesley, and Atkinson each scored six points, and Atkinson added five of his own.
- The final 3-pointer of the game for Ryan was an off-balance attempt from the corner that rolled around and went in as the shot clock ran out, giving the Irish a 66-55 lead with 4:55 left to play.
When there were less than two minutes left in the game, Notre Dame’s greatest advantage was 16 points (76-60). Coach Mike Brey, who is participating in his 13th tournament with Notre Dame and his 15th overall, complimented his team’s changes in the second half for its success in limiting Alabama’s field goal attempts to 12 of 32.
- There were two scoring dry spells for Alabama that each lasted for more than three minutes.
- We really just defended for the last half an hour.
- We were unable to provide early protection for them.
- And without a doubt, when Quinerly goes down, they become a very different squad.
- It looked terrible, and I really feel awful for him because he’s such a good guard “Brey stated.
“I’m ecstatic with our ability to bounce back from adversity and our confidence that we want to continue competing and advance in this tournament.” In the first 18 minutes of play, no side had a lead of more than four points. However, with just 40 seconds remaining in the first half, Notre Dame outscored their opponent by a count of 9-0 to take a 41-33 edge.
- In the beginning of the run, Nate Laszewski scored the first five points for the Irish, including the layup that put them in the lead.
- At the halftime break, Alabama was only behind by five points thanks to a 3-pointer made by Juwan Gary.
- QUINERLY’S INJURY Within the first three minutes of the game, Quinerly looked to suffer a knee injury when he was driving for the hoop.
The junior guard was in obvious discomfort as he clutched his knee and moaned his complaints to the trainers who were examining him. After that, he was transported to the changing area without having to put much weight on his left leg. “I feel for Jahvon.
I had the impression that he was prepared to play. He put in a lot of work during the past few weeks of practice, “Oats stated. With an average of 13.8 points per game, Quinerly was the second leading scorer for the Crimson Tide. JD Davison, a freshman, took over at point guard and scored 11 points while playing for 36 minutes.
BIG PICTURE The Irish of Notre Dame shot ten 3-pointers, marking the sixth time in the last 11 games that they have reached double digits in 3-pointers made. The Alabama Crimson Tide earned back-to-back berths in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2006, however they finished their season with a losing streak of four games in a row.
How did Alabama beat Notre Dame in the Rose Bowl?
Alabama will compete in the College Football Playoff national title game for the sixth time in the last seven years. In the Rose Bowl Game, the Crimson Tide prevailed against the fourth-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish by a score of 31-14; nevertheless, this final score does not accurately reflect the degree to which Alabama controlled the game.
- If not for a touchdown scored in the last seconds of garbage time late in the fourth quarter, Alabama would have earned a win and covered an outrageous 20-point spread.
- Mac Jones, Najee Harris, and DeVonta Smith, the “Big Three” of Alabama’s basketball team, were at it again.
- Friday: Jones had a completion percentage of 75%, throwing for 297 yards and four touchdowns while attempting 30 passes.
Three of those touchdowns were scored by Smith, who also had seven catches for 130 yards in addition to his three touchdowns. Harris had 15 carries for 125 yards, including a high-flying hurdle-and-run that helped set up a score for the Tide. Despite the fact that Harris did not rush for a touchdown, he still had a productive day.
- FURTHER: fuboTV is the place to watch live college football games (7-day free trial) At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, Notre Dame performed brilliantly, but they were unable to compete with Alabama, who had an obvious edge in both size and talent.
- Despite Notre Dame’s best efforts, they were unable to beat Alabama.
The quarterback, Ian Book, had 27 of his 39 passes completed, for a total of 229 yards, with one interception. Additionally, he scored a touchdown by rushing for 1 yard. Running back Kyren Williams carried the ball 16 times, gaining 64 yards and scoring one touchdown.
Who is the all-time series between Alabama and Notre Dame?
After their most recent matchup, which took place on New Year’s Day 2021 in the Rose Bowl, Notre Dame and Alabama will have faced each other a total of eight times. in the Texas city of Arlington. How successful have the Irish been against Alabama throughout history? Here are the eight outcomes that have occurred whenever the Fighting Irish and the Crimson Tide have competed against one another throughout history.12-31-1973: Notre Dame defeated Alabama by a score of 24 to 23 in the Sugar Bowl 1-1-1975: Notre Dame defeated Alabama by a score of 13 to 11 in the Orange Bowl 11-13-1976: Notre Dame defeated Alabama by a score of 21 to 18 in South Bend 11-15-1980: Notre Dame defeated Alabama by a score of 0 in Tuscaloosa 10-4-1986: Alabama 28, Notre Dame 7 in South Bend 11-14-1987: Notre Dame defeated Alabama by Rose Bowl, and the Playoffs The all-time series between Notre Dame and Alabama is currently won by Notre Dame, 5-3.
What is the difference between Alabama and Notre Dame football?
Alabama ranks fifth in total offense, while Notre Dame ranks 20th in total defense, so the Fighting Irish will be tasked with trying to slow down Heisman Trophy contenders in Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, wide receiver DeVonta Smith and running back in Najee Harris.
When does Alabama play Notre Dame in the 2021 College Football Playoff?
On Friday, January 1, 2021, the first game of the College Football Playoff semifinals will take place in the Rose Bowl between the top-ranked team, Alabama, and the fourth-ranked team, Notre Dame. Check out the following for a preview, a prediction, and more, including results from previous games between the Irish and the Crimson Tide.