Game Thread | Capital University at Notre Dame
Capital University at Notre Dame
Date: October 29th
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: Watch ESPN - Link
By The Numbers
1.39 - Final assist-to-turnover ratio for the Irish in 2019-20, third in the ACC and 18th in the country. Notre Dame dished out 423 assists compared to just 305 turnovers. Of the top 25 teams in the country in A/T ratio, no other team committed less than 321 turnovers.
2.33 - Forward Juwan Durham averaged 2.33 blocks per game in 2018-19.
3 - Notre Dame finished the season third in the country in turnovers per game (9.2), behind National Champion Virginia (9.0) and Michigan (9.1) last season.
11.2 - John Mooney led the ACC with 11.2 rebounds per game, becoming the third Notre Dame player (Zach Auguste – 2016, Bonzie Colson 2017) to lead the league in rebounds.
1,110 - Prentiss Hubb logged 1,110 minutes in his rookie season with the Irish – becoming just the third true freshman in program history to participate in over 1,000 minutes (Chris Thomas – 1,255; Jerian Grant – 1,232).
Preview
Hoops season is here!
Notre Dame will host Capital University on Tuesday evening to kick off the exhibition season at 7:00 p.m.
The Crusaders are a Division III program and the head coach is Damon Goodwin, the father of Notre Dame sophomore guard Dane Goodwin. Goodwin is the winningest coach in Capital history and is a six-time OAC (Ohio Athletic Conference) Coach of the Year.
Mike Brey and the Irish will be looking to get last year’s bad taste out of their mouth and gain some momentum heading into next week’s season opener at North Carolina.
Senior forward John Mooney headlines the Irish roster as the preseason First-Team All-ACC selection averaged 14.1 points and 11.2 rebounds per game a year ago
Mooney, it’s anyone’s guess who will raise their game. Senior guard TJ Gibbs seems the most likely along with sophomore point guard Prentiss Hubb.
Sophomores Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski were key players in the rotation a year and will need to step up this season if Notre Dame wants to improve on its last place finish in 2019-20.
My eyes will be on senior big man Juwan Durham and sophomore guard Robby Carmody.
Durham flashed at times last year, but battled a few injuries which slowed his early momentum down. The 6-foot-11, 223-pounder recorded 63 blocks a year ago and had his moments on the offensive end.
“Juwan has been impressive these first 10 days,” Brey said at Media Day. “I feel like we’re turning the corner where we can depend on him on a daily basis. He’s physically feeling better. We’ve addressed the feet, the bone bruise and all of that. I like where he’s at. It’s confidence for him and that’s why I brought him to Media Day. He was walking around with Johnny. We’re invested and that’s how we’ve been going with it.”
Now, Tuesday won’t be declaration Durham will be an All-ACC player, but it can give him a confidence boost heading into the season-opener in Chapel Hill.
Shoulder surgery ended Carmody’s year in December and Notre Dame missed his gritty play. At 6-foot-4, the Pennsylvania native isn’t the biggest guard, but Carmody brings a physical style of play to the floor and an edge Notre Dame didn’t have last year.
“I’ve seen out of (Robby) Carmody what I remember before the injury – the explosiveness, toughness and physicalness,” explained Brey. “He’s shot the ball well through 12 practices. When he’s a downhill physical driving making plays tough kind of guy, I forgot his game because it’s been so long. It’s been great to have him back. He’s been ready to roll.
Tuesday will be an opportunity to see a healthy Carmody, but also how Brey plans to utilize him within the rotation.
Prediction: Notre Dame 82 Capital 64