Game Thread | No. 22 Ohio State at Notre Dame

No. 22 Ohio State (3-0) at Notre Dame (1-1)  

Date: December 8

Time: 7:30 p.m. ET

Where: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.

TV:  ESPN2 | Karl Ravech and Dan Dakich 

Line: Ohio State -4.5

Quick Facts 

- Mike Brey is 1-0 against Chris Holtmann, but 0-2 against Ohio State. 

- Ohio State leads the series 8-5. 

- The Irish are taking part in their eighth ACC/Big Ten Challenge and have a 4-3 record in the event. Notre Dame is 3-0 at home in the Challenge with wins over Iowa, Michigan State and Illinois.

- Notre Dame is 277-237-1 all-time against Big 10 programs. 

THE STARTERS

Notre Dame

Ohio State 

Preview

Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 75.0
Ohio State: 81.7

Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 75.0
Ohio State: 58.3

FG%
Notre Dame: 40.8%
Ohio State: 44.4%

Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 39.0
Ohio State: 42.3

Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 16.0
Ohio State: 14.0

Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 4.5
Ohio State: 3.3

Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 3.5
Ohio State: 7.0 

Notre Dame needed to play a game over the weekend and just got lucky enough to get Detroit Mercy on Sunday night. Why did Mike Brey’s squad need a game? Notre Dame will host No. 22 Ohio State on Tuesday night and will travel to Kentucky on Saturday. 

Brey was pleased his team got some game pressure in the second half against a pesky Detroit Mercy squad and hopes it will pay off as the schedule gets tougher. 

“The game pressure thing is really neat for this group to have some pressure on them and have to make some plays and get some big defensive rebounds,” stated Brey. "I thought our offensive efficiency - we need five guys in double-figures. Those starters have to get double-figures and maybe we can get a guy off the bench to double figures and we're into a nice offensive rhythm."

Offense will be key on Tuesday as the Buckeyes can score and score in a hurry. Ohio State averages 81 points a game and will test the Irish on both ends with athleticism and length. 

Points in the paint might be hard to come by on Tuesday, but that might favor the Irish as the 3-ball is the great equalizer. The Irish are shooting 43.2 percent from beyond the arc, while Ohio State has struggled shooting the three at just 32.3 percent. 

Notre Dame played a ton of zone on defense on Sunday night using a 1-3-1 trap and some 2-3, but it was more to save legs than defensive strategy. Brey will likely have to do much of the same on Tuesday as Notre Dame will be without guard Nik Djogo as he deals with an ankle injury. 

Ohio State goes nine deep, while the Irish have a bench of seven, but Brey only played freshman forward Matt Zona two minutes against Detroit Mercy. 

The bright news off the bench for Notre Dame was freshman guard Tony Sanders Jr., who scored five points with both buckets coming at the end of the shot clock. 

"I'm really excited about what I saw out of Tony tonight,” Brey said. “More importantly, the starters are really excited. He made two shots at the end of the clock. He didn't force anything, but he was active defensively. He was moving. He's been really smart about playing with the older guys and he's an athletic guy. 

"I think we have something blossoming as far as coming off the bench as an energy guy." 

Energy shouldn’t be a factor for junior guard Dane Goodwin as he grew up 10 minutes from the Ohio State campus and was committed to the Buckeyes at one point in his recruitment. 

“I have a lot of respect for that program,” said Goodwin. “I’ve been around it a lot in my high school years and growing up. It’ll be a cool game for me just getting to be able to experience that. I’ll have my family there. I’m really excited for the game and I have a relationship with most of those guys. I think it will just be a cool atmosphere and I’m looking forward to playing the game.” 

Sunday was a step in the right direction for Notre Dame, but I’m not quite sure they are going to be deep enough to handle the Buckeyes. 

Prediction: Ohio State 78 Notre Dame 69