Notre Dame scored only 13 points in the last 16 minutes of the second half Monday night as the Irish lost to the 5^th ranked Pittsburgh Panthers 72-55. Matt Carroll netted 31 points on the night, but Chris Thomas scored only 5 points on 2-15 shooting and 4 turnovers with Danny Miller only adding 6 points.

The game started out slow and physical, a style of play the Panthers prefer, however it did not seem to hurt the Irish as they took an early lead. Chris Thomas and Danny Miller struggled from the outset, but Matt Carroll hit a couple of three pointers to help Notre Dame maintain a slight lead midway through the first half. Late in the first half the Irish committed four straight turnovers and this enabled Pittsburgh to tie the game 30 a piece at halftime.

The 2^nd half started much of the same for Notre Dame as Thomas and Miller failed to get on track, but Carroll continued to carry the Irish while they went on a 5-0 mini-run without Thomas in the game. But from the 16-minute mark and on it was all Pittsburgh. Led by the inside presence of 6’6" junior-college bruiser Ontario Lett, and the steady play of Co-Big East player of the Year Brandin Knight, the Panthers went on a 16 to nothing run over the next 8 minutes and Pitt never looked back.

Thomas tried to rally the Irish late in the 2^nd half, but he never could find an open shot with Knight’s tough man-to-man defense and quick hands as Pitt closed out the Irish 72-55. This was the biggest game so far in Pittsburgh’s brand new state-of-the-art Peterson Event Center and Dickey V’s attendance added to the electricity. Notre Dame weathered the storm the early, but the crowd helped Pittsburgh maintain an intensity level throughout the game that the Irish were just unable to match down the stretch.

This was a game Notre Dame will put behind them as I am sure the Irish will play Pitt a lot tougher when the Panthers come to the Joyce Center. But here are some observations I took from the game. Chris Thomas is one of the top ten point guards in college basketball, but he is so much better when he lets the game and his scoring come to him instead of vice-versa. He is so good when he sits back and uses his vision and feel for the game to create opportunities for his teammates that in doing so, creates possibilities for himself. He needs to learn (and it will come) that when you are a point guard that plays nearly 40 minutes a game, scoring opportunities will present themselves, and there is no need to force anything.

Matt Carroll has improved his game immensely since last year, and outside of Duke’s JJ Reddick, you won’t find a finer outside shooter in college basketball. But Carroll can do more than just shoot. He reminds me a lot of Kent State’s Trevor Huffman of last year. He too has a quicker than you think first step, and when that is coupled with a nice feel for the game and physical contact, it enables him to create open midrange jumpers and opportunities to get into the lane. Right now he could be more valuable to the Irish than Thomas.

As far as Notre Dame’s inside game is concerned, Torin Francis will end up being a pretty good basketball player before his Notre Dame career is over, but he is very raw at this stage in his career. You can see the athleticism and the body, but he lacks a feel for the double team and any true down-low post move. With that said, the Irish cannot afford to lose him because he provides the only post threat. Timmermans works hard, but he is a role-player whose job is to rebound and eat up space.

I think Notre Dame has the potential to go deep into the NCAA tournament. If they can get some offense possibly from Quinn or from the development of Francis, they have a shot to reach the Final Four. They may not be as athletic as your Arizona’s, Texas’, or Oklahoma’s, but they are more athletic than they look, and it is obvious that they have a great knowledge and feel for the game. Miller, Thomas, and Carroll are really the only consistent offensive threats Notre Dame has. It is imperative that another player or two step up offensively to relieve the Irish when 1 of those 3 is struggling, especially in tonight’s case, when 2 of them are. The Irish struggled a bit tonight, but there will be many wins ahead.