Game Thread | Notre Dame at Syracuse
Notre Dame (9-10, 6-7) at Syracuse (12-6, 6-5)
Date: February 20th
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Carrier Dome | Syracuse, N.Y.
TV: ACC Network | Dave O’Brien and Danny Manning
Line: Syracuse -2
Quick Facts
- Mike Brey is 9-18 against Jim Boeheim and Syracuse.
- Syracuse leads the all-time series 22-30
-Notre Dame is the only team in the nation with two players shooting over .600 from the field with at least 125 field goal attempt this season - Nate Laszewski (.652) and Juwan Durham (.602).
- The Irish lead the country with just 11.8 fouls per game.
- Prentiss Hubb has dished out 406 assists in his career and is just one of two major conference players with over 400 assists and 160 three-pointers made in a career.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 14.0 | 3.2 | 6.0 |
| Cormac Ryan | 10.3 | 3.9 | 2.7 |
| Dane Goodwin | 12.4 | 5.3 | 1.6 |
| Nate Laszewski | 15.2 | 7.5 | 0.7 |
| Juwan Durham | 10.2 | 5.3 | 1.4 |
Syracuse
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Joe Girard III | 10.8 | 3.1 | 3.5 |
| Buddy Boeheim | 14.3 | 2.1 | 3.1 |
| Alan Griffin | 15.8 | 6.8 | 2.1 |
| Marek Dolezaj | 10.8 | 5.4 | 3.4 |
| Quincy Guerrier | 15.5 | 9.1 | 0.9 |
Preview
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 72.9
Syracuse: 76.6
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 71.8
Syracuse: 70.4
FG%
Notre Dame: 47.0%
Syracuse: 44.2%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 33.3
Syracuse: 36.3
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 15.3
Syracuse: 15.6
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 4.0
Syracuse: 4.9
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 4.1
Syracuse: 9.2
The challenging 2020-21 basketball season rolls on as Notre Dame hasn’t played a game since Sunday and Syracuse hasn’t played a game since Saturday. The Orange are winners of three of its last four games, while Notre Dame has won six of its last eight games.
Notre Dame has definitely turned the corner in the last month, but Syracuse will be a different challenge as the Irish have yet to face a pesky 2-3 zone in ACC play.
The good news is Notre Dame has done a great job all year of keeping turnovers low and have shot the three-ball well in conference play. Notre Dame is No. 3 in ACC play with a field goal percentage of 47.8 percent and also No. 3 in the conference at 36.8 percent from three.
Something will need to give as the Orange have limited ACC opponents to just 30.3 percent from three and lead the conference in blocked shots per game at 5.1. In fact, Syracuse hasn’t allowed a team to shoot over 40 percent from deep in eight of its last 11 games.
The key for Notre Dame will be getting Nate Laszewski involved early and consistently. Laszewski has disappeared in the first half of games recently and the Irish can’t afford a slow start from its leading scorer on Saturday.
Another interesting piece for the Irish offense will be how Juwan Durham is involved. Durham has scored in double-figures in eight of the last nine games. The 2-3 zone will present a challenge inside for the Irish, but Durham getting a couple baskets inside could lead to Jim Boeheim making adjustments to his zone defense, which benefits Notre Dame’s perimeter shooters.
Defense will be key as always for the Irish as Syracuse can score quickly. Notre Dame will also need to compete on the boards. The Orange enter the game -5.0 in rebounding margin in ACC play, while the Irish are a touch better at -4.0.
Second-change buckets have proven to be the difference in past games and Notre Dame will need to get a couple more than usual on Saturday afternoon.
I think the difference in this game is Syracuse has a couple players who can create their own shot and in a close game, it will likely be the difference as Notre Dame has struggled to find someone to score down the stretch not named Prentiss Hubb.
Prediction: Syracuse 74 Notre Dame 69