Troy Murphy stood on the Notre Dame sideline and smiled. He was waiting, watching, anticipating the victory, enjoying the show just like any fan.
Murphy had fouled out with 47.6 remaining. Having picked up his team and carried it on its back for much of the season, Murphy, the Big East Player of the Year, watched as his teammates secured a 75-65 victory over Michigan in the first round of the National Invitation Tournament. Murphy scored 32.
The Irish play host Monday night to Xavier, which beat Marquette 67-63.
The game was closer than the final score. Both teams shot well in the first half–Notre Dame hit 44 percent, Michigan 52 percent–and went into the locker room at halftime tied at 33. In the second half, the two teams traded leads four times in the first eight minutes.
But Murphy’s eight-foot shot with 12:24 in the game gave the Irish a 50-48 lead and they jumped out 56-49. And though Michigan whittled the lead away, closing the gap to two, it couldn’t overtake Notre Dame again.
“We didn’t want the season to end. We overcame the disappointment with the NCAA snub,” said Irish coach Matt Doherty. “We’ll have to take it out on the NIT, and hopefully we’ll come out with another win Monday.”
The Wolverines were led by Big Ten Freshman of the Year LaVell Blanchard, who scored 14. Peter Vignier and Josh Asselin added 12 apiece.
The loss closes a disappointing season for Michigan, which dropped 11 of its final 14 games.
The Wolverines, as they have all season, shot well–47 percent from the field. Their defensive effort, however, was haphazard. Michigan allowed Notre Dame to shoot 49 percent, and 45 percent from behind the three-point line.
“I thought today our kids played well defensively,” Michigan coach Brian Ellerbe said. But the Wolverines are young, starting three freshmen, and “you can’t force growth.”
The last minute of the game included a flurry of physical fouls, with bodies falling every which way.
“Everybody stepping up to take a little blood for the team. It’s great,” said Irish senior guard Jimmy Dillon.
With the final seconds ticking away and Notre Dame holding a 10-point lead, the Irish players played catch, tossing the ball back and forth, waiting for time to run out.
Murphy could only watch from the bench. It didn’t seem like a bad place to be.
Georgetown 115, Virginia 111: Gharun Hester hit a three-pointer from the right corner with 31 seconds left in the third overtime as Georgetown (19-14) won a first-round game at Virginia. The Hoyas (19-14), who rallied to tie it in regulation and had last-chance shots in the first two extra periods, didn’t need one this time as Hester gave them a 112-109 lead. Anthony Perry added a free throw 17 seconds later.
Virginia (19-12), which pulled within two on Adam Hall’s putback with 6.8 seconds left, fouled Kevin Braswell with 6.2 left. The Cavaliers caught a break when Braswell missed his second shot, but they threw the ball away.
Braswell scored a career-high 40 points, 32 after the first half and five in the third overtime. Virginia was led by Chris Williams with 23 points.
Penn State 55, Princeton 41: Joe Crispin and Jarrett Stephens each scored 11 points as Penn State (16-15) held Princeton to 32 percent shooting in State College, Pa. Stephens added 16 rebounds for Penn State, which made eight three-pointers.
Xavier 67, Marquette 63: Maurice McAfee hit a three-pointer and a free throw in the final two minutes for host Xavier (21-11), which had trailed by 10 with 15:25 left. Marquette (15-14) had a shot to tie it at 66 with 5 seconds left, but Brian Wardle’s three-point attempt went off the rim.
Miss. 62, UNC Charlotte 45: Marcus Hicks scored 14 points as Mississippi held Charlotte without a field goal for seven minutes in the first half.
Villanova 72, Delaware 63: Malik Allen scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, and Gary Buchanan scored 18 for host Villanova, which is unbeaten in seven games against Delaware.
BYU 81, Bowling Green 54: Terrell Lyday scored 15 points, hitting 5-of-6 from three-point range, for host BYU (21-10).
