Game Preview/Thread: Boston College (15-7, 5-4 ACC) vs Notre Dame (13-10, 3-7)
Boston College (15-7, 5-4 ACC) vs Notre Dame (13-10, 3-7)
Date: February 6th
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ACC Network
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 19-10.
- The Irish have nine straight games against the Eagles.
- TJ Gibbs has scored in double-figures for 11 consecutive games.
- Notre Dame's seven-game losing streak is the longest since 2009 when the Irish lost seven straight.
- The Irish have shot below 40 percent in the last eight games.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Matt Farrell | 15.7 | 2.3 | 5.1 |
| TJ Gibbs | 15.7 | 2.9 | 3.2 |
| Rex Pflueger | 8.5 | 4.3 | 3.0 |
| John Mooney | 5. | 3.9 | 0.5 |
| Martinas Geben | 9.9 | 7.9 | 1.2 |
Boston College
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Ky Bowman | 16.8 | 7.0 | 5.0 |
| Jerome Robinson | 19.0 | 3.6 | 3.4 |
| Jordan Chatman | 13.2 | 2.3 | 1.3 |
| Steffon Mitchell | 7.0 | 8.0 | 1.8 |
| Nik Popovic | 9.3 | 6.2 | 1.3 |
National Rankings
| Category | Notre Dame | Boston College |
| Scoring Offense | 75.3 (133) | 75.7 (126) |
| Scoring Defense | 67.3 (59) | 71.9 (165) |
| Rebound Margin | 2.3 (116) | 2.2 (128) |
| Assist Per Game | 14.1 (147) | 14.9 (153) |
| FG% Offense | 44.6% (180) | 44.9% (160) |
| FG% Defense | 42.0% (86) | 42.4% (104) |
| Three-Pointers Per Game | 8.3 (115) | 8.9 (73) |
| Three-Point Percentage | 36.4% (111) | 37.2% (80) |
| Free-Throw Percentage | 75.8% (39) | 73.2% (100) |
| Assist-Turnover Ratio | 1.34 (39) | 1.08 (165) |
Preview
Notre Dame needs to simply win a game.
The Irish have lost seven games in a row and the last win came exactly a month ago at Syracuse. Boston College presents a chance for the Irish to get back on track, but it won't be a walk in the park as the Eagles aren't a team full of freshmen as they were a year ago.
Boston College is far from an experienced team but point guard Ky Bowman will be the key on Tuesday night. The 6-foot-1 sophomore was a four-star athlete coming out of high school and turned down Alabama to play hoops.
Bowman is a guy that could register a triple-double on any given night and it will be a tough test for Matt Farrell. It's clear Farrell is on the mend, but he's not 100 percent and Bowman is a guy that can present many problems if the Irish can't stop him.
Jerome Robinson is the leading scorer for the Eagles and Notre Dame can't let both players get shots and get into a rhythm if they want to win as Notre Dame simply can't score the basketball right now.
Getting Farrell back into the flow helps but it might still be another game before his conditioning is where it needs to be. Sophomore Nik Djogo needs to have a big game as he's been quiet since the North Carolina game on January 13th.
A healthy John Mooney could easily be the difference in a win or loss for the Irish as Mike Brey can't afford to sit a scoring threat when his team hasn't shot over 40 percent from the field in a game for over a month.
Prediction: Notre Dame 68 Boston College 61