COLUMBUS, Ohio — Down a quiet hallway of an arena where the program had not been for 26 seasons, behind a gray door and inside a cinder-block room, a group of guys gathered and stewed for a few minutes Sunday afternoon.
Members of the Notre Dame basketball team were not happy. Losing tends to do that to a college basketball team that believes it let a win — let a road win — get away.
In Value City Arena against Ohio State. In a nice non-conference clash in the middle of November. In other seasons for other Irish teams, there would have been plenty for the Irish to feel good about before hopping a quick charter flight back to Northern Indiana.
Notre Dame competed in ways it hasn’t always competed away from home. It built big leads against Ohio State, twice by as many as 11 points. It took punches. It landed some. In the end, it fell short (64-63) when a potential game-winning Markus Burton 3 didn’t fall.
“We’re a good team and we were right there in a close game against a good team,” said guard Braeden Shrewsberry. “We’re angry right now, but we’ve got to build off the good things and get better at the bad things and come out and win the next close game.”
There were plenty of reasons for Notre Dame (3-1) to feel satisfied. Hey, the Irish gave it a good shot. Hey, they showed something away from home for the first time this season. They played a team that many believe can be an NCAA Tournament team and nearly won.
They didn’t win. That’s why the mood inside that locker room wasn’t good. They were quiet and they were angry and they believe that down the line, they’ll be better for it. An angry locker room on a Sunday in November in central Ohio can be good in January and February somewhere along the Atlantic Coast Conference road.
“This shows how good we are and can be,” said graduate student Carson Towt. “A pissed off locker room shows there’s a lot of care.”
Two years ago, even last year, Notre Dame would’ve been absolutely ecstatic with the way it played. The Irish once had no business being in games like this, much less having a chance of winning them.
Think back to the game at Marquette during Micah Shrewsberry’s first season when Notre Dame trailed 16-0 before many in Fiserv Forum had a chance to grab a beer and grab their seat. In over their heads that night, then well above water for stretches on Sunday.
This season, with this group, they have business not only being in these games. They just have to take care of business. On Sunday, they didn’t, and that’s what was frustrating. What, in many ways, was aggravating. Notre Dame did everything right, but not enough right for a key non-league road win.
Too many turnovers (13). Too many fouls (21). Too many missed layups (nine). Same old Irish, some say after a season in which much the same group let six one-possession games get away in the ACC. Still can’t win the close ones. Still can’t close.
On Sunday, the skeptics were proven right. Can’t close. What did Sunday show about what Notre Dame can be?
“Whatever we want to be,” Micah Shrewsberry said. “I’m not afraid to take this team anywhere or play anybody.”
This one was set up for another storybook ending for Notre Dame, a game that many would remember for seasons to come, just like the last time the Irish were in Value City Arena. That night — 26 years to the day, November 16, 1999 — ended with a David Graves basket at the buzzer to beat then-No. 4 Ohio State.
On Sunday, at the same end of the court where Graves worked his shot-making magic, Notre Dame had the ball and a chance to repeat some of that history. Burton had the ball and the look and the green light from Shrewsberry to go get something instead of calling timeout and allowing the Ohio State defense to set up.
“In that moment, you’re always second-guessing what you want to do,” Shrewsberry said. “You’re probably going to get a better shot against an unset defense (and no timeout). We got a chance. We got a switch.
“It was a good shot. It was a good look. It might have been a better shot than had we called timeout and tried to run something.”
Burton’s shot with one second remaining bounced away. Like feeling happy with the near-miss, Notre Dame also is beyond just giving the ball to Burton and saying, here, take us home. There are others on the roster who could do it. Maybe, when Burton’s 3-for-14, who should do it.
Burton took — and missed — the last three Irish shots in the final 74 seconds. Let someone else try.
Have freshman Jalen Haralson go and do something. Run something for Braeden Shrewsberry. Hand the ball to Sir Mohammed, who was a wizard for much of the day around the rim. This team is beyond moral victories, and this team is beyond expecting one guy to go and save them.
It will be different next time, and there will be a next time. This season’s different. This team is different.
“We gotta close it out,” Braeden Shrewsberry said. “We’ve got to prove we’re a different team.”
You can feel it. You can see it. We just have to have it there at the end.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame basketball found itself in another close game. Could it close?
