Game Thread | Miami at Notre Dame
Miami (7-11, 3-10) at Notre Dame (8-10, 5-7)
Date: February 14th
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ACC Network | Wes Durham and Paul Biancardi
Line: Notre Dame -7.5
Quick Facts
- Mike Brey is 6-5 against Jim Larrañaga and 7-5 versus Miami.
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 13-12.
- Juwan Durham has shot 70.7% from the floor over the last seven games.
- Notre Dame is the only program in the nation with two players shooting over 60% from the field. (Durham and Nate Laszewski)
- Prentiss Hubb has dished out 59 assists over the last seven games.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 14.6 | 3.1 | 6.1 |
| Cormac Ryan | 10.8 | 4.1 | 2.7 |
| Dane Goodwin | 12.5 | 5.0 | 1.6 |
| Nate Laszewski | 15.2 | 7.6 | 0.7 |
| Juwan Durham | 10.1 | 5.3 | 1.4 |
Miami
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Chris Lykes | 15.5 | 4.0 | 5.5 |
| Elijah Olaniyi | 11.1 | 4.3 | 1.0 |
| Isaiah Wong | 17.4 | 5.5 | 2.4 |
| Anthony Walker | 8.1 | 3.4 | 0.7 |
| Nysier Brooks | 6.4 | 6.4 | 0.4 |
Preview
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 73.0
Miami: 66.7
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 72.4
Miami: 69.9
FG%
Notre Dame: 47.1%
Miami: 43.1%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 32.6
Miami: 35.8
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 15.2
Miami: 11.7
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 3.8
Miami: 4.1
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 4.2
Miami: 7.2
Notre Dame ran Miami out of Coral Gables on Jan. 24th 73-59 with an effective zone defense. Miami shot just 38.7 percent from the field and 13.6 percent from three-point range. It was quite the statement and the Irish will need another stellar defensive performance on Sunday evening.
“Competing, competing, they hear me say compete and compete,” stated Brey. “We’ve gotten physically and mentally tougher overall. As the teacher, to see a group grow in that area - become men and not boys, that’s rewarding. I don’t know what the end game is, but it’s rewarding.”
Mike Brey expects Miami point guard Chris Lykes to be back and that’s a significant addition to the Canes as offense has been an issue. Lykes has only played in two games this season, but he’s averaging 15.2 points per game and does just about everything else despite being listed at 5-foot-7.
If Lykes does play, it will be a matchup of two of the ACC’s best point guards and two former teammates as he played with Prentiss Hubb at Gonzaga Prep.
Miami has played four games since losing to the Irish and they’ve lost three, including to Wake Forest by 12. However, the last two games should catch the eye of Notre Dame as Miami beat Duke 77-75 and lost to Virginia Tech 80-76 in overtime on Feb. 6th.
For Notre Dame to continue its hot streak, the Irish will turn to zone at some point on Sunday and it will likely be a key factor in deciding the game.
“We got to it quickly and we rode it hard,” Brey said of the first matchup. “They had not played very well against zone. The metrics and analytics and everything leading up said stay in some zone. We ended up staying in it almost the whole game.
“It’s something you keep handy. They didn’t shoot it well and turned it over a little bit. But Duke got into their matchup zone, they made seven threes and cut them up.”
Offensively, Notre Dame needs to find Juwan Durham early and often. The fifth-year post is not only shooting over 70 percent from the floor over the last seven games, but Durham is averaging 13.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 2.1 blocks over the same stretch.
The consistency on the block from Durham has allowed things to open up on the perimeter and that’s a good thing as Notre Dame does have guys that can shoot it. Brey needs to ride Durham until he can’t, but he’s shown no signs of slowing down.
Prediction: Notre Dame 78 Miami 72