Notre Dame’s Painful Pattern Continues in Gut-Wrenching Loss to Florida State
If you were in Purcell Pavilion on Saturday, you got your money’s worth in terms of drama. Two clean looks from three before the buzzer, a crowd of over 6,000 on its feet, and a game that came down to the final seconds.
But for Notre Dame, it was another night where the story ended the same way it has far too often this season-with a loss. This time, an 82-79 heartbreaker to Florida State.
Let’s be clear: this wasn’t just another game. This was one Notre Dame had to have.
Coming into the matchup, the Irish had dropped eight of their last nine and were staring down the possibility of missing the ACC Tournament altogether. Florida State, under first-year head coach Luke Loucks, isn’t the same juggernaut it once was.
No Leonard Hamilton. Not the same length or athleticism that used to define the Seminoles.
This was a winnable game against a rebuilding opponent.
And yet, Notre Dame never gave itself a real chance.
The Irish were flat from the jump. Before fans had even settled into their seats, they were down 10.
Less than eight minutes in, the deficit had ballooned to 17. Eventually, it reached 18.
It was the kind of start that makes you shake your head, especially given the stakes.
“I’ll take full responsibility for how we started the game,” head coach Micah Shrewsberry said afterward. “I’ve got to have us ready to play from the start.
I thought we were way too casual. We’ve got to play with urgency from the start and that’s my fault.”
That honesty is appreciated. But at this point in the season, it’s not about saying the right things. It’s about doing them.
Because here’s the thing: despite that brutal opening stretch, Notre Dame didn’t roll over. As they’ve done throughout this tough stretch, the Irish fought back.
They played with grit. They clawed their way back into it, giving themselves a real shot to steal one late.
The fans got loud. The energy shifted.
You could feel momentum building.
But then came the moments that have defined this season.
A turnover here. A bad shot there.
A defensive lapse. And then, the decision that left everyone scratching their heads: with 36 seconds left and Notre Dame down two, Carson Towt-who was 0-for-5 from the free throw line at that point-was still on the floor.
Florida State knew what was coming. They’d talked about it all week.
If Towt’s on the floor, they’re fouling him. And they did.
Twice. Towt finished 0-for-7 from the line.
Now look, Towt brings plenty to the table. He’s tough.
He rebounds. He plays hard.
But in that moment? In crunch time?
With the game hanging in the balance? That’s not the role you ask him to fill.
Yet not only was he on the floor-he was the guy inbounding the ball to. After a timeout.
“There’s only a couple of guys that we have that can make contested catches in traffic, up in the air, wherever that may be,” Shrewsberry explained postgame. “Towt is one of them.”
The other, Jalen Haralson, had fouled out. So Towt was the choice. But even Shrewsberry acknowledged the misstep.
“Maybe I should have directed it somewhere else,” he said.
Maybe? That’s a tough pill to swallow for a team that’s now lost nine of its last ten and five of its last six at home.
This was the game where Notre Dame needed to turn the corner. Instead, it was more of the same: a slow start, a furious rally, and a gut-wrenching finish. The kind of loss that lingers.
And it’s not just about this one game. It’s about the pattern.
The missed opportunities. The mounting frustration.
The sense that no matter how hard this team plays, it can’t seem to get over the hump.
Yes, the Irish showed fight. Yes, there were stretches where they looked like the better team.
But moral victories don’t count in the standings. Not in February.
Not when your postseason hopes are hanging by a thread.
What’s left now is a road trip to SMU, a team that won’t be doing Notre Dame any favors. The path forward is only getting tougher.
This season isn’t over yet. But if the Irish don’t find a way to clean up the mistakes, tighten the decision-making, and bring urgency from the opening tip, it’s going to feel like it is-long before the final buzzer sounds.