It counts as just one win on the resume. But Notre Dame's victory in five overtimes Saturday feels like it's worth a whole lot more!
Somewhere between 11:00 Saturday night... and 1 am Sunday morning, Mike Brey's team put the fight, back in the Fighting Irish!
Nothing about the first 39 minutes of regulation against 11th ranked Louisville suggested the Irish would walk-off the court victorious on Saturday. They shot the ball so poorly, that at one stretch in the 2nd half, they went ten full minutes without a single basket!
So trailing the 11th ranked team in the country by 8-points with less than a minute to play, it would be easy to give up, and move on to the next one.
But they didn't.
Jerrian Grant hit a three pointer. Then another. Then a third! And then with the game suddenly within reach, he scored a fourth basket in a span of 23 seconds, drew a foul and hit the free throw. If there's ever been a better single minute by one player in college basketball history, I can't remember it.
12 points in less than 25 seconds... and the Irish had overcome incredible odds to send the game to overtime!
But it was just starting to get good.
Grant fouled out in overtime, and little used Garrick Sherman came in off the bench, only to have the game of his life, all in overtime!
One overtime turned to two. Two turned to three. Three to four. Sherman's unlikely tip-in at the end of overtime number four, sent us to FIVE!
Through it all, MIke Brey's demeanor was fascinating. Which coach would you rather play for as a 21 year old kid? Rick Pitino, who was constantly berating his players as chance to end the game continually slipped through their grasp?
Or Mike Brey, who enthusiastically spurred his players on, never once giving any less than the message that he fully believed in his steam?
Right now, this team believes too.
Notre Dame won a game that started on Saturday night, and ended Sunday morning. They won, because they refused to lose. And in the process, may have found the formula, that can that can take them far this year.
