Photo by Rick Kimball/ISD
Notre Dame Basketball
Date: December 17
Where: BankersLife Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
- The Irish and Boilermakers will meet for the 43rd time and it will be the first time both teams are nationally ranked.
- Notre Dame holds a 22-20 advantage in wins in the series and are 10-4 at neutral sites.
- The Irish have lost back-to-back game just once in the last three seasons.
- Matt Farrell is a perfect 24/24 from the free throw line in 2016.
- Rex Pflueger has yet to record a turnover in nine games and is playing 20 minutes per game.
Notre Dame
Matt Farrell: 13.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg and 5.5 apg
Steve Vasturia: 16.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.1 apg
VJ Beachem: 15.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.0 apg
Bonzie Colson: 16.5 ppg, 10.8 rpg and 2.1 apg
Martinas Geben: 3.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 0.7 apg
Purdue
PJ Thompson: 7.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 2.9 apg
Dakota Mathias: 10.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.9 apg
Vincent Edwards: 10.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.9 apg
Isaac Haas: 14.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 0.7 apg
Caleb Swanigan: 15.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg and 3.4 apg
Scoring Offense: Purdue: 83.7 ppg (28) – Notre Dame: 86.6 ppg (16)
Scoring Defense: Purdue: 64.7 ppg (57) – Notre Dame: 64.7 ppg (57)
Rebound Margin: Purdue: 8.5 (21) – Notre Dame: 4.2 (94)
Field-Goal Percentage: Purdue: 50.4% (12) – Notre Dame: 38.8% (42)
Three-Point Percentage: Purdue: 44.1.0% (4) – Notre Dame: 40.1% (36)
Three-Pointers Made: Purdue: 10.8 (6) – Notre Dame: 10.5 (8)
Free-Throw Percentage: Purdue: 69.4% (164) – Notre Dame: 86.4% (1)
It’s time for test number two of the season for Notre Dame, as the Irish head to Indianapolis to take on Purdue on Saturday in the Crossroads Classic. Last week, Notre Dame fell to top-ranked Villanova in New Jersey 74-66 and will get a chance to redeem themselves against the Boilermakers with state bragging rights on the line.
Purdue presents a challenge that Notre Dame will likely see in ACC play and that is height down low. Swanigan (6’9) and Hass (7’2) present a tough challenge for the smaller Irish. After Geben (6’10), the Irish get significantly smaller as Colson (6’5) and Torres (6’7) will need to play well on the boards for the Irish to have a shot to win on Saturday afternoon.
On the offensive end, the Boilermakers are going to have to stop Vasturia, as he is putting together a big senior season. Over the last seven games, Vasturia is averaging 18.3 ppg, but shooting 52 percent from the floor, including 45 percent from behind the arc.
The battle of the game will be which team will have to cave with their lineups. Purdue would love to stay big and not go small, while the Irish would love to get away with playing small ball, as they have all season. Heading into the game, I think Notre Dame is at a small disadvantage with the fact there still isn’t a consistency from Geben on the defensive end.
The junior big man has been productive, but if he gets into early foul trouble for the Irish, then that could spell disaster against Swanigan. If Geben can stay out of foul trouble and provide around 16-18 minutes of quality basketball, then Notre Dame’s chances of winning increase dramatically.
Both teams shoot the ball extremely well, so it will likely come down to who is hitting shots from three-point range in the the long run. The three-ball is the great equalizer and can allow the smaller Irish to compete with a dominant inside game of Purdue. VJ Beachem will need to hit shots on Saturday in his final Crossroads Classic game after an off game against Villanova.
Hoops Preview: #15 Purdue vs #21 Notre Dame
December 16, 2016
2,927
# 15 Purdue (8-2) vs #21 Notre Dame (9-1)
Date: December 17
Where: BankersLife Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Quick Facts
- Notre Dame has a 3-2 record in the Crossroads Classic.- The Irish and Boilermakers will meet for the 43rd time and it will be the first time both teams are nationally ranked.
- Notre Dame holds a 22-20 advantage in wins in the series and are 10-4 at neutral sites.
- The Irish have lost back-to-back game just once in the last three seasons.
- Matt Farrell is a perfect 24/24 from the free throw line in 2016.
- Rex Pflueger has yet to record a turnover in nine games and is playing 20 minutes per game.
The Starters
(Per Game Averages)Notre Dame
Matt Farrell: 13.0 ppg, 1.6 rpg and 5.5 apg
Steve Vasturia: 16.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 3.1 apg
VJ Beachem: 15.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg and 1.0 apg
Bonzie Colson: 16.5 ppg, 10.8 rpg and 2.1 apg
Martinas Geben: 3.6 ppg, 5.0 rpg and 0.7 apg
Purdue
PJ Thompson: 7.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg and 2.9 apg
Dakota Mathias: 10.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.9 apg
Vincent Edwards: 10.8 ppg, 4.7 rpg and 3.9 apg
Isaac Haas: 14.8 ppg, 5.3 rpg and 0.7 apg
Caleb Swanigan: 15.9 ppg, 11.2 rpg and 3.4 apg
How They Matchup
(National Rank)Scoring Offense: Purdue: 83.7 ppg (28) – Notre Dame: 86.6 ppg (16)
Scoring Defense: Purdue: 64.7 ppg (57) – Notre Dame: 64.7 ppg (57)
Rebound Margin: Purdue: 8.5 (21) – Notre Dame: 4.2 (94)
Field-Goal Percentage: Purdue: 50.4% (12) – Notre Dame: 38.8% (42)
Three-Point Percentage: Purdue: 44.1.0% (4) – Notre Dame: 40.1% (36)
Three-Pointers Made: Purdue: 10.8 (6) – Notre Dame: 10.5 (8)
Free-Throw Percentage: Purdue: 69.4% (164) – Notre Dame: 86.4% (1)
It’s time for test number two of the season for Notre Dame, as the Irish head to Indianapolis to take on Purdue on Saturday in the Crossroads Classic. Last week, Notre Dame fell to top-ranked Villanova in New Jersey 74-66 and will get a chance to redeem themselves against the Boilermakers with state bragging rights on the line.
Purdue presents a challenge that Notre Dame will likely see in ACC play and that is height down low. Swanigan (6’9) and Hass (7’2) present a tough challenge for the smaller Irish. After Geben (6’10), the Irish get significantly smaller as Colson (6’5) and Torres (6’7) will need to play well on the boards for the Irish to have a shot to win on Saturday afternoon.
On the offensive end, the Boilermakers are going to have to stop Vasturia, as he is putting together a big senior season. Over the last seven games, Vasturia is averaging 18.3 ppg, but shooting 52 percent from the floor, including 45 percent from behind the arc.
The battle of the game will be which team will have to cave with their lineups. Purdue would love to stay big and not go small, while the Irish would love to get away with playing small ball, as they have all season. Heading into the game, I think Notre Dame is at a small disadvantage with the fact there still isn’t a consistency from Geben on the defensive end.
The junior big man has been productive, but if he gets into early foul trouble for the Irish, then that could spell disaster against Swanigan. If Geben can stay out of foul trouble and provide around 16-18 minutes of quality basketball, then Notre Dame’s chances of winning increase dramatically.
Both teams shoot the ball extremely well, so it will likely come down to who is hitting shots from three-point range in the the long run. The three-ball is the great equalizer and can allow the smaller Irish to compete with a dominant inside game of Purdue. VJ Beachem will need to hit shots on Saturday in his final Crossroads Classic game after an off game against Villanova.
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