Dec. 5, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – All along critics of Notre Dame basketball knew that in order for the Irish to make it anywhere, someone besides Troy Murphy would have to step up.
In the game against Vanderbilt, their criticism was answered.
Sophomore forward David Graves played the best game of his career but it still was not enough as the Irish lost their second straight overtime game to Vanderbilt, 87-85.
Graves appeared strong not only in his inside game but also in his outside game. He finished with 33 points. The sophomore appeared unstoppable from the three-point circle as he shot five-for-six. He also finished with a career-high 12 rebounds. Not to mention, he led the team in steals with four but it all meant very little to him without a victory for his team.
“I would rather score zero points and win,” Graves said about the game. “No matter how many points I had, we still lost.”
At the conclusion of the game, the crowd chose to boo, not the teams but the officials as they sprinted off the court. Fans felt that the officials missed numerous calls. Others felt that they made bad calls in the final minutes of play.
“Unbelievable,” Murphy said about the charging foul which squashed Notre Dame’s final offensive opportunity. “It should have a been a no-call if anything.”
Irish head coach Matt Doherty also showed his disgust with the call on the floor. He jumped up and down and grabbed his head in anger. Like a true gentleman after the game, he chose not to comment on it.
“I don’t want to take anything away from Kevin [Stallings],” Doherty said after the game against one of his closest coaching colleagues. “There might have been calls that went against us.”
For the first time this season, Murphy finished with less than 20 points. The Commodores held him to 17 well-earned points as the big men banged inside.
“We did not stop or quit and so we got in some overtime and a chance to win,” Graves said. “The chips fall where they do.”
Besides Graves, freshman Matt Carroll turned in a career-high performance. He scored 18 points in his first start of his college career. He saw 28 minutes of actions.
Notre Dame can not afford to dwell on Saturday’s game for too long. The Irish are set to face Valparaiso on Wednesday.
“We have a hell of a stretch coming up,” Doherty said. “Valpo is going to be very good.”
One thing Irish fans have learned is that Doherty does not let his team dwell on past games. After losing to Indiana in overtime, his team appeared fired up and ready to play the Commodores. The fans can rest assured that he will bring an inspired team to face Valpo on Wednesday.