Game Thread | Notre Dame at Georgia Tech

Notre Dame (7-9, 4-6) at Georgia Tech (8-6, 4-4) 

Date: February 6th

Time: 8:00 p.m. ET

Where: McCamish Pavilion | Atlanta, Ga.

TV:  ACC Network | Jay Alter and Dan Bonner

Line: Georgia Tech -4.5

ACC Standings 

Quick Facts 

- Mike Brey is 6-3 against Josh Pastner and 10-6 versus Georgia Tech.

- Notre Dame leads the all-time series12-11

- Notre Dame leads the NCAA in fouls per game at 11.8.

- The Irish have shot 54.7 percent from three-point range over the last two road games.

- Juwan Durham now has 160 career blocks and passed Torin Francis (157) to move into fourth place at Notre Dame all-time.  

THE STARTERS

Notre Dame

Georgia Tech

Preview

Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 71.3
Georgia Tech: 76.3

Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 70.8
Georgia Tech: 71.6

FG%
Notre Dame: 45.8%
Georgia Tech: 45.7%

Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 33.4
Georgia Tech: 32.4

Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 14.9
Georgia Tech: 16.4

Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 3.8
Georgia Tech: 3.9

Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 4.1
Georgia Tech: 9.1

Notre Dame has won four of and it has been the Irish defense that has led to the momentum. Mike Brey's team will have its hands full on Saturday night as they'll face a Georgia Tech offense that can score in multiple ways. 

Point guard Jose Alvarado seems like he's been at Georgia Tech for 20 years, but he's back and piecing together a phenomenal senior year averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. The Irish will need to keep Alvarado off the three-point line as he's shooting 41.7 percent from deep this season. 

At the other guard spot, junior Michael Devoe is another quality scoring threat and can create his own shot. A year ago, Devoe averaged 16.0 points per game, so he's taken a small step back, but Notre Dame will need to find a way to slow him down. 

Finally, Georgia Tech also has a threat inside the paint in Moses Wright, who is averaging 16.9 points and 7.7 rebounds a night. The 6-foot-9 senior also is taking almost two threes a game and shooting a modest 36.4 percent.

Juwan Durham has stepped up for Notre Dame during the last five games and will need to do so again this weekend. On Tuesday, the fifth-year senior scored 18 points and pulled down nine rebounds against Wake Forest. 

Brey hopes his big man can continue to duplicate the performance moving forward, especially on the defensive end against a player like Wright. 

"He's done a great job playing behind big guys and making them take tough shots over him," Brey said of Durham. "When we're out playing defense on the perimeter with good stances and getting out on people and he can be a bit of a goaltender back there - now you're talking about a really cool defense. We've kind of done that a lot the last two weeks." 

Durham has also found consistency on the offensive end as he's scored in double-figures in five of the last six games. 

"It's fun to watch," Brey stated. "We've seen that and we've seen it a lot in practice. I think what's been neat is seeing him do it game after game—stacking them on top of each other. He should be confident. He's a heck of a player. His teammates know we need him to win in this league. I love his frame of mind right now." 

Brey has also found success bringing junior Cormac Ryan off the bench the last two games. The 6-foot-5 guard has scored 32 points combined against Pitt and Wake Forest and shot 8-of-11 from three. 

Ryan's emergence will be tested on Saturday as Georgia Tech will have guards who can match up with him and go bucket for bucket. 

"It's working," said Brey. "There's no question about it. He's given us a great lift. He's always defended. He's always worked defensively. I think we've gotten our other guards up to his level of a defensive stance, intensity and taking charges. He's a good role model for Hubb, Goodwin and Wertz. 

"I think he's slowed down on offense and he's taking the first good shot. He feels like he's in a good rhythm on the offensive end."

Notre Dame could very well be staring at a season-defining game at 8:00 pm. If the Irish can get a win, it moves them to 5-6 in ACC play and a chance to make a late move up the conference standings, but a loss would push them potentially back into the bottom three of the ACC.

Prediction: Georgia Tech 74 Notre Dame 70