WASHINGTON - The BB&T; Classic was supposed to be nothing more than an opportunity for Notre Dame coach Mike Brey to see family and friends, and a chance for senior forward Dan Miller to quiet those who questioned why he transferred from Maryland after three years.
It turned out to be quite a bit more for all of the Fighting Irish.
Completing a remarkable, if not quite unprecedented, week in which it defeated three ranked teams, soon-to-be ranked Notre Dame shocked No. 2 Texas, 98-92, in a thrilling championship game yesterday at MCI Center.
The victories followed Saturday's upset of No. 9 Maryland and Monday's win over No. 13 Marquette. It marked the third time in recent memory that an unranked team beat three ranked teams in the same week. Arizona did it last year and Kansas did so in 1989-90.
Freshman forward Torin Francis led Notre Dame (8-1) with 21 points, 10 rebounds and eight blocked shots, while Miller and senior guard Matt Carroll each scored 20. Texas guard T.J. Ford finished with 21 points and 12 assists, and was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
"I told our guys I can't quite digest it yet," said Brey, a former Duke assistant who started his coaching career as an assistant to the legendary Morgan Wootten at DeMatha High School. "It's been a fabulous stretch for us. I think the older guys were very focused, with a chance to make some noise, and we did do that."
Francis made the most. Though his strength around the basket helped keep the Irish competitive with the bigger and more athletic Longhorns, it was his ability to hit late free throws that helped keep Texas (5-1) from completing a second-half comeback.
"I knew I had to step up and hit my shots," said Francis, who made seven of eight free throws.
Texas made some shots, too, many of them from long range. But it seemed as if every time the Longhorns made a three- pointer - they were 14-for-25 - the Irish answered with one. Notre Dame finished 13-for-27 on threes, including one by sophomore guard Chris Thomas that erased an 83-82 deficit with 2:06 to play.
After two free throws by Francis put the Irish ahead by four, Miller buried a three from the corner to put Notre Dame ahead 90-83 with 1:20 left. Texas hit three three-point shots but never got closer than two, 94-92, with 26 seconds left. Thomas and Francis made two free throws each to secure victory.
"It was certainly a game of runs," said Texas coach Rick Barnes, whose team overcame a 61-49 deficit early in the second half and led 83-78 with a little over four minutes remaining. "We showed a lot of character coming back. We never flinched."
NOTRE DAME-Miller 6-14 4-5 20, Francis 7-12 7-8 21, Timmermans 1-1 0-0 2, C.Thomas 6-18 3-3 19, Carroll 8-17 1-2 20, Quinn 2-5 0-0 6, Cornette 1-2 0-0 2, Jones 2-3 4-5 8. Totals 33-72 19-23 98. TEXAS-Mouton 3-11 0-0 7, Erskin 4-8 0-0 8, J.Thomas 1-6 4-4 6, Ford 8-17 3-5 21, Ivey 2-7 2-2 7, Paulino 0-3 0-0 0, Harris 9-11 1-2 25, Buckman 1-7 0-0 2, Ross 1-3 0-0 2, Boddicker 5-9 0-0 14. Totals 34-82 10-13 92.
Half-Notre Dame, 51-44. 3-point goals-Notre Dame 13-27 (C.Thomas 4-6, Miller 4-8, Carroll 3-9, Quinn 2-4). Texas 14-25 (Harris 6-6, Boddicker 4-5, Ford 2-4, Ivey 1-2, Mouton 1-6, Paulino 0-1, Ross 0-1). Fouled out-none. Rebounds-Notre Dame 45 (Francis 10), Texas 46 (Buckman 9). Assists-Notre Dame 19 (Thomas 8), Texas 21 (Ford 12). Total fouls-Notre Dame 14, Texas 24. A-13,209.