Game Thread | Detroit Mercy at Notre Dame
Detroit Mercy (1-7) at Notre Dame (6-3)
Date: December 10th
Time: 7:00p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
Quick Facts
- Tuesday will mark the 54th meeting between the two programs.
- Notre Dame leads the series 41-12 and holds a record of 19-4 at home.
- John Mooney is tied for fifth in the country with six double-doubles in 2019-20.
- Notre Dame is averaging 10.1 turnovers per game, the sixth-best mark in the nation as of December 9.
- Juwan Durham now sits in 13th place all-time on the Notre Dame career blocked shots list.
- Notre Dame leads the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.62.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 10.1 | 2.6 | 3.9 |
| TJ Gibbs | 11.8 | 3.1 | 3.6 |
| Rex Pflueger | 6.4 | 3.7 | 3.2 |
| John Mooney | 14.9 | 13.5 | 2.1 |
| Juwan Durham | 8.1 | 6.4 | 1.0 |
Detroit Mercy
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Antoine Davis | 23.8 | 3.4 | 4.9 |
| BJ Maxwell | 2.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Marquis Moore | 5.3 | 4.6 | 0.8 |
| Alonde Legrand | 1.3 | 2.8 | 0.5 |
| Boe Nguidjol | 3.5 | 4.4 | 0.0 |
Preview
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 72.3
Detroit Mercy: 64.5
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 63.7
Detroit Mercy: 80.0
FG%
Notre Dame: 40.1%
Detroit Mercy: 34.4%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 41.0
Detroit Mercy: 34.5
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 16.4
Detroit Mercy: 8.8
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 3.8
Detroit Mercy: 2.5
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 6.9
Detroit Mercy: 7.3
There is good news on the horizon for Notre Dame and it comes Tuesday night as Detroit Mercy comes to Purcell Pavilion. The Irish struggled last week with bad losses to Maryland and Boston College, but the cure will be to play one of the worst offensive teams in the country.
Yes, the 34.4 percent from the field Detroit Mercy shoots is the second-worst in college Division I basketball.
If you were wondering, there are 350 basketball teams in Division I, so that puts Detroit Mercy at No. 349 in field goal percentage.
For Notre Dame, it will be a game to find itself when it comes to rotations, lineups and everything else following back-to-back losses.
Now, the Irish defense has been consistent for most of the season, so there isn’t much concern there, so the majority of the tinkering comes on the offensive end.
Prentiss Hubb continues to struggle on the offensive end and it’s crucial for Mike Brey to get him going as the Irish have Indiana and UCLA in the next two weeks. Hubb is one of the few players who can create his own shot at any time and the Irish need his scoring as no one else is scoring.
Notre Dame also needs to find a spark on the offensive end.
It’s anyone’s guess where that spark comes from as Brey is working with eight scholarship players, but someone needs to rise up. Last year, the youth of the team was a valid “excuse” as freshmen littered the floor but a year later, the inconsistencies still remain.
A win might not sound like much considering Detroit Mercy’s record and offensive problems, but any positive heading into Saturday’s game against UCLA is much-needed for the Irish.
Prediction: Notre Dame 81 Detroit Mercy 64
Fun Fact: Brad Calipari is on the roster for Detroit Mercy. The senior guard is the son of Kentucky head coach John Calipari and grad transferred into the program over the summer.