NC State falls flat in 88-58 loss at Notre Dame

NC State’s first eight minutes at Notre Dame were fine—not necessarily ideal, but something the Wolfpack could work with. After that? The less said, the better. The bottom fell out at the offensive end, Notre Dame kept making jumpers, and the Irish barely had to sweat over the final 30 minutes on the way to an 88-58 victory.

This was not quite the response Kevin Keatts was looking for after a rough performance at Clemson. NC State was somehow worse on Wednesday, completely losing the plot in the second half amid an atrocious shooting start. NC State played poorly in the first half; in the second, it hardly played at all. It’s amazing how difficult basketball can look on nights like these.

Nothing worked early in the second half for either team, but while the Irish eventually found composure, State played a strained brand of idiot hero-ball that came with predictable results. The shot selection was poor, and as Notre Dame’s lead expanded, State’s interest in actually running offense hit zero.

NC State mostly didn’t look prepared to play this game, and it gifted Notre Dame far too many easy transition scores with utterly moronic turnovers. That’s an easy way to spark a shorthanded team, and the Irish took full advantage to bury the Pack over the last 30 minutes. So it goes.