FSU coach praises Irish intellect
Hamilton: Notre Dame’s smart play helps No. 15 team close out wins
Leonard Hamilton didn’t mince words.
The coach of No. 12 Florida State was asked about No. 15 Notre Dame’s ability to finish close games and the fine line between being 5-0 vs. perhaps 3-2.
“Notre Dame has to be the most intellectual basketball team that I’ve seen in a long, long time,” Hamilton said Monday on the Atlantic Coast Conference coaches teleconference.
He then delved into a lengthy list of what he thinks the Fighting Irish (16-2, 5-0 ACC) do right.
“They make very few mistakes,” he said. “They make the extra pass. They’re so unselfish, and they move the ball so well. They create opportunities and high-percentage shots for their players. But they also don’t turn the ball over.
“They’re an excellent threepoint shooting team. And if you foul them, they knock down all their free throws. At the end of the game where most of us make 15-20 poor decisions, they’ve only made 10, and so the residual effect of them not losing possessions and shooting a high percentage from the free throw line and from the three and taking care of the ball gives them opportunities to finish games.”
The Irish lead the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.85) and free throw shooting (82.8%) and are second in fewest turnovers per game (9.4).
A week ago, Notre Dame was preparing for a daunting threegame road trip. Two of those games — against Miami (Fla.) and Virginia Tech — are off the books as victories, and the Irish are back in South Bend preparing for Florida State. The Irish travel to Tallahassee for Wednesday’s showdown between two of the top teams in the league — the Seminoles (16-2, 4-1) got their first conference loss Saturday at North Carolina.
Notre Dame has trailed with less than three minutes remaining in four of their five league games and was tied in the other, but it has pulled out all five games:
Pittsburgh led 75-70 with 2:25 to play in overtime, but Notre Dame scored eight of the final 10 points for a 78-77 victory.
Tied with Louisville 68-68 with two minutes remaining, the Irish finished the game on a 9-2 run.
Notre Dame trailed Clemson by one with 2:17 to play but scored eight of the final 10 points for a 75-70 victory.
Miami led 61-57 with 2:53 left, but the Irish finished on a 10-1 run for the win.
Virginia Tech was up 67-66 with 1:52 to play, but Notre Dame scored 10 of the final 14 points for a 76-71 victory.
“You think about what they’ve done to finish games,” Hamilton said. “But the reality is it’s what they’re doing over their whole body of work that kills you that you don’t really see and don’t think about because the free throw or the tough shot they make at the end, you think it helps them win.
“But it’s the whole body of work, the great execution that they do for the whole 40 minutes that’s allowing them to be in that position to win those close games.”