Game Thread | Howard at Notre Dame
Howard (0-2) at Notre Dame (1-1, 0-1)
Date: November 12th
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
QUICK FACTS
- Tuesday will be the first meeting between the two programs.
- John Mooney recorded the 22nd double-double of his career and first of the season on Saturday against Robert Morris.
- Rex Pflueger and T.J. Gibbs have joined an exclusive Notre Dame men’s basketball club. They are the 12th and 13th players since 1996-97 to post 200 assists and 100 steals in a career. Pflueger has 244 assists and 106 steals, while Gibbs has posted 287 assists and 101 steals.
- Sophomore Dane Goodwin led Notre Dame with 18 points off the bench against Robert Morris, which is the most points scored off the bench by an Irish player since...Goodwin scored 19 against Jacksonville on December 20, 2018.
- Former Notre Dame guard Eric Atkins will return to Notre Dame as he's in his first season as an assistant coach at Howard.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 17.5 | 2.5 | 5.0 |
| TJ Gibbs | 17.0 | 2.5 | 4.5 |
| Rex Pflueger | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.0 |
| John Mooney | 10.0 | 9.0 | 1.0 |
| Juwan Durham | 5.0 | 4.5 | 1.5 |
Howard
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Khalil Robinson | 7.5 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Charles Williams | 20.0 | 3.5 | 0.5 |
| Kyle Foster | 11.5 | 2.5 | 3.0 |
| Andre Toure | 4.0 | 5.5 | 1.5 |
| Zion Cousins | 7.5 | 8.0 | 2.0 |
Preview
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 78.5
Howard: 65.0
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 66.5
Howard: 73.5
FG%
Notre Dame: 45.1%
Howard: 36.6%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 36.0
Howard: 39.0
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 17.0
Howard: 11.5
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 2.5
Howard: 2.0
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 7.5
Howard: 4.0
Tuesday will be the second of six-straight home games for the Irish and while there isn't a sexy opponent coming to Purcell Pavilion, it's a crucial stretch for Notre Dame.
The Irish were tested at North Carolina to open the year and Notre Dame is now working on the little details to be ready for a road trip to No. 7 Maryland on December 4th.
Head coach Mike Brey has been pleased with what he's seen through two games and Tuesday will be a chance to show consistency.
"I'd love to see us continue to play the right way," explained Brey. "We're talking on defense. We're unselfish defensively. We rotate and help my partner, come over and take a charge. I like how we're throwing the ball down the court and getting into it. We want to play fast.
"We'd rather not play against as many set defenses and walk it up. I'd like to see us continue those habits in our building."
Last season ended with Brey looking frustrated on many occasions, but there is a pep in his step again as his team has shown some good things early in the year.
"I think we're really joined at the hip defensively," stated Brey. "We're invested there. We talk about as a group wanting to guard. We've been good with the ball. We just haven't really made a shot until the other day.
"Moving it, sharing it and juice coming off the bench, we're pleased with playing well in our building. Hopefully, it's something to build on. I love the fact we have a lot of games coming at us."
Howard shouldn't give Notre Dame much of a game, but there are a few areas to watch.
Can Notre Dame get forward Juwan Durham a little more involved on offense? Now, Durham won't be counted on to score as Prentiss Hubb and TJ Gibbs are off to hot starts, but can he be counted on for more than 5.0 points per game?
The other area to watch is Nate Laszewski. The sophomore forward was 3-of-5 from the field on Saturday and the Irish need him to see the ball go in the basket. Laszewski has shown he is stronger and has done very well on boards averaging 7.5 rebounds per game, but if he can get his three-ball to start going down, it could be the missing piece for Brey's squad.
Prediction: Notre Dame 85 Howard 61