Miami takes advantage of bad Notre Dame defense for ACC win

Anyone who didn’t see Miami’s victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday — members of a selection committee next month for instance — might see a 79-70 Hurricanes victory and fail to give each team the credit it deserves.

The game wasn’t that close or competitive.

No. 17 Miami completely dominated the Fighting Irish for most of the night and the score only tightened at the end when the Hurricanes knew they had another ACC win in hand. Notre Dame’s season-long inability to defend caught up to it again against a team capable to getting into the paint and knocking down perimeter shots. Notre Dame looked lost at times.

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Miami took control late in the first half and eventually extended its lead to 18 points, taking what it wanted on offense. The Hurricanes shot 56 percent in the game rebounding nicely from a disappointing road loss at North Carolina State over the weekend.

Notre Dame forward Zach Auguste was a non-factor until late in the contest when he scored eight of his 12 points. Bonzie Colson scored 17 points off the bench to lead the Irish, who made just four of 16 3-point attempts.

Miami coach Jim Larranaga said he had been seeing signs from freshman Anthony Lawrence Jr. that he was ready to contribute more. Lawrence led the Hurricanes with 18 points off the bench after scoring a total of six points in the previous 10 games combined. He needed just six shots.

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Lawrence made all four of his 3-point attempts and contributed defensively. He was the catalyst for the Hurricanes in the first half so much so that Larranaga put him in the starting lineup for the season half.

On many nights this season, the Irish have been good enough offensively to compensate for their defensive shortcomings, but Wednesday was an exception. Both of these teams are likely heading to the NCAA Tournament next month, though Notre Dame can’t afford too many more outings in which it relies too heavily on shots falling.

Miami seems to be improving, aside from its performance against the Wolfpack, and has two weeks of winnable games upcoming followed by a more difficult stretch in the final three weeks of the regular season, including a trip to South Bend for a rematch with a Notre Dame team that will want to redeem itself.

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[Kyle Ringo is the assistant editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @KyleRingo