Game Thread | Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame | Maui Invitational
Texas A&M (5-1) vs. Notre Dame (3-1) | Maui Invitational
Date: Nov. 24
Time: 11:30 p.m. ET
Where: Michelob Ultra Arena | Las Vegas, Nev.
TV: ESPN2 | John Schriffen and Cory Alexander
Line: Notre Dame -4.0
O/U: 129.5
Quick Facts
- Notre Dame and Texas A&M will meet for the first time on Wednesday evening.
- Mike Brey holds a record of 9-5 head-to-head against Buzz Williams.
- Brey is 10-11 against the SEC.
- Nate Laszewski recorded 15 points and 15 rebounds against Chaminade on Tuesday and it was the 50th 15/15 game of the Brey era.
- Paul Atkinson Jr. has scored in double-figures in 34 straight games.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 6.3 | 2.3 | 3.5 |
| Cormac Ryan | 10.3 | 3.5 | 2.0 |
| Dane Goodwin | 14.3 | 5.3 | 0.5 |
| Nate Laszewski | 7.8 | 11.5 | 0.3 |
| Paul Atkinson Jr. | 16.0 | 6.0 | 1.0 |
Texas A&M
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Marcus Williams | 9.8 | 2.2 | 3.0 |
| Andre Gordon | 8.0 | 3.0 | 1.8 |
| Tyrece Radford | 9.8 | 6.0 | 1.5 |
| Javonte Brown | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.2 |
| Henry Coleman III | 11.0 | 6.2 | 0.7 |
Preview
| Category | Texas A&M | Notre Dame |
| Points | 69.8 | 71.8 |
| Opponent Points | 58.2 | 59.8 |
| FG% | 42.7% | 45.1% |
| Rebounds | 36.2 | 38.5 |
| Assists | 14.0 | 12.0 |
| Blocks | 3.8 | 3.3 |
| Steals | 9.2 | 4.8 |
Notre Dame bounced back on Tuesday night as the Irish used a strong second half to run Division II Chaminade out of the building.
It was a slow start for Notre Dame, but the result was what most expected and Mike Brey was able to get his seven-man rotation rest over the final two minutes.
Brey will likely have to dive into his bench a little more on Wednesday as it will be the third game in three games. Forward Elijah Taylor seems like a potential option to get a few minutes as Paul Aktinson Jr. and Nate Laszewski could use a few more breathers to be fresh for the home stretch.
It will also be interesting to see how freshman Blake Wesley plays as Texas A&M will be the biggest and most athletic team he's faced to date. Wesley hit 6-of-12 shots for 14 points against Chaminade and the Irish offense will need his offensive spark against the Aggies.
Notre Dame also found Atkinson on the block in the second half and that’s when things started rolling. Can Brey find a way to get Atkinson going earlier?
“I thought we really shared it a lot better, played out of the post a good amount too, playing through Paul (Atkinson Jr.) and Nate (Laszewski),” said senior guard Dane Goodwin. “It really gave us some good looks and I think taking the ball out of our hand and passing it more, getting some good movement off the ball helped us. We talked about that in shoot around today and it's nice to see it carry over to the game.”
The loss to St. Mary's wasn't what Notre Dame wanted, but Brey's team will have a chance to finish strong in the fifth-place game against an SEC program before heading to Illinois on Monday.