Game Thread | North Carolina at Notre Dame
North Carolina (10-3 2-0) at Notre Dame (7-5, 1-1)
Date: Jan. 5th
Time: 9:00 PM ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ESPN2 | Anish Shroff and Jordan Cornette
Line: North Carolina -2.5
O/U: 146.0
Quick Facts
- North Carolina leads the all-time series 27-8
- Mike Brey and Hubert Davis will meet for the first time on Wednesday night.
- Notre Dame has won six straight games in Purcell Pavilion dating back to last season.
- Dane Goodwin has scored in double figures in 12 straight games.
- Blake Wesley’s 13.3 ppg is third-best in the ACC for a true freshman.
- Notre Dame is shooting 77.8 percent from the free throw line, which is No. 1 in the ACC.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 7.8 | 2.4 | 3.0 |
| Blake Wesley | 13.3 | 2.9 | 2.2 |
| Dane Goodwin | 14.9 | 5.6 | 0.9 |
| Nate Laszewski | 7.6 | 7.2 | 0.7 |
| Paul Atkinson Jr. | 12.2 | 6.5 | 1.0 |
North Carolina
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Caleb Love | 15.6 | 3.9 | 3.5 |
| RJ Davis | 13.3 | 3.6 | 3.5 |
| Leaky Black | 4.2 | 4.8 | 2.2 |
| Brady Manek | 12.7 | 5.8 | 1.2 |
| Armando Bacot | 15.3 | 9.9 | 1.8 |
Preview
| Category | North Carolina | Notre Dame |
| Points | 79.5 | 70.1 |
| Opponent Points | 70.9 | 65.4 |
| FG% | 48.2% | 44.2% |
| Rebounds | 40.1 | 34.1 |
| Assists | 14.8 | 13.4 |
| Blocks | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| Steals | 5.4 | 5.1 |
It’s another big night in Purcell Pavilion as North Carolina comes to South Bend. The Tar Heels look different with Hubert Davis taking over for Roy Williams, but they still play fast and attack the glass.
“They’re really scoring and shooting," Mike Brey said on Tuesday. They’ve made 10 threes in their league games. It’s a new North Carolina. They’re playing a little more 4 around 1 and not playing the two big guys. They're kind of stretching you and playing four guards a little bit - kind of like how we play. They still play fast. We have to control tempo. It’s kind of like the Kentucky game plan. We want to run, but not a total track meet."
The good news for Notre Dame is the Tar Heels could be without a key piece in Dawson Garcia, who suffered a head injury early last week. The 6-foot-11, 235-pounder is averaging 10.0 ppg and 5.5 rpg in 12 starts this season.
Oklahoma grad transfer Brady Manek will likely get the start for Garcia and might be the better player as he's averaging 12.7 ppg and 5.8 rpg. Manek has played Notre Dame before as he went for 17 and 8 in 2018 against the Irish at Madison Square Garden in the Jimmy V Classic.
Brey also noted Davis has played a smaller rotation this season, but rebounding will be a major key for the Irish.
“Less guys," Brey said of changes under Davis. “Under Roy (Williams) and Dean (Smith), it was 10 guys. They're going to play two bigs inside the arc most of the time. I think the only time Roy adjusted was against us. They downshifted and played smaller.
“They still run their break and feed the post with Bacot. They still pound the offensive boards, which we’ve gotten better at. I've been encouraged how we're keeping people one-and-done. It'll be a challenge tomorrow.”
Notre Dame will also be looking to put the last meeting behind the program as the Irish fell 101-59 in the ACC Tournament a year ago to the Tar Heels. It was a game where the Irish simply quit and a black mark on the program.
The series between the two programs has traditionally been close as nine of the 15 matchups since Notre Dame joined the ACC have been single-digit games, including six decided by two points or less.