Game Thread | UCLA at Notre Dame
UCLA (7-3) at Notre Dame (7-3)
Date: December 14th
Time: 3:00p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ABC - Dave Pasch, Bill Walton and Digger Phelps
Quick Facts
- Notre Dame and UCLA will meet for the 50th time on Saturday.
- The Bruins hold a 29-20 edge in the series. Notre Dame is 12-11 at home against UCLA.
- Mike Brey holds a 7-3 advantage head-to-head against Mick Cronin.
- John Mooney leads the nation in rebounds per game at 13.2.
- Notre Dame leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.73.
- Juwan Durham sits in 12th place all-time at Notre Dame in career blocks.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 10.4 | 2.3 | 4.6 |
| TJ Gibbs | 12.4 | 3.1 | 4.0 |
| Rex Pflueger | 6.1 | 3.5 | 3.3 |
| John Mooney | 14.9 | 13.2 | 2.2 |
| Juwan Durham | 8.9 | 6.7 | 0.9 |
UCLA
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Jamie Jaquez Jr. | 6.8 | 3.7 | 1.1 |
| Tyger Campbell | 7.9 | 2.0 | 3.9 |
| Prince Ali | 10.6 | 3.4 | 1.6 |
| Jalen Hill | 11.4 | 4.3 | 1.8 |
| Cody Riley | 11.6 | 5.9 | 1.2 |
Preview
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 76.1
UCLA: 74.4
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 64.4
UCLA: 65.6
FG%
Notre Dame: 42.2%
UCLA: 46.2%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 40.9
UCLA: 38.0
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 18.0
UCLA: 13.9
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 4.0
UCLA: 3.6
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 6.9
UCLA: 7.3
Notre Dame almost left UCLA last year with a win, but UCLA hit a buzzer-beater to win 65-62. The loss has stuck with the Irish over the last year and Saturday afternoon Notre Dame will get its chance to get revenge on the Bruins.
“We were right there," stated Notre Dame captain TJ Gibbs. “It was a barn-burner, one that hurt a little bit, especially since it was going home for Rex. We know that; we’ve just got to play how we play. And we’re going to be ready for any surprises that they throw at us and just know that they’re a tough team, and we have to bring our ‘A’ game.”
For Notre Dame, it’s going to start on the offensive end of the floor as the Irish will need to score to win and that’s something Brey’s team hasn’t done against Power Five competition this year.
UCLA will hold a major advantage in size and athleticism in this game, which has been the Achilles heel for Notre Dame over the last 13 months. The Irish have struggled to get into an offensive rhythm against bigger and more athletic teams, but also have had tough times even getting into offensive sets.
Notre Dame must be able to execute halfcourt sets and hit shots, which they haven’t done all season against Power Five programs.
Now, it’s not all bad news for the Irish as the UCLA athleticism and length will be young. Can Notre Dame take advantage of the lack of experience?
Saturday will be UCLA’s first true road game of the season. The Bruins did play three games in the Maui Invitational going 1-2 with losses against BYU and Michigan State.
The Bruins are also adjusting to first-year head coach Mick Cronin. There have been some growing pains, but Brey has seen signs of Cronin’s touch already.
“That kind of hand-to-hand, grinding; they’re going to switch a lot of stuff defensively with length and a lot of bodies,” Brey said. “And they’re going to grind you. It’s not like they’re really relying on shooting the jump-shot. They’re relying on pounding you.”
Notre Dame needs a win on Saturday for confidence and to prove they can beat a team that holds advantages athletically as the Irish need to dig out of the 0-2 hole in the ACC.
However, until the Irish prove they can do just that, it makes it hard to pick them to win.
Prediction: UCLA 74 Notre Dame 69