Game Thread | Boston College at Notre Dame
Boston College (9-14, 4-9) at Notre Dame (18-7, 11-3)
Date: Feb. 16
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ESPNU | Anish Shroff and Jordan Cornette
Line: Notre Dame -9.0
O/U: 130
Quick Facts
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 24-13.
- Mike Brey is 0-1 against Earl Grant.
- Prentiss Hubb’s assist to turnover ratio is 5.7 in ACC play.
- With 11 wins in their first 14 ACC games, the 2021-22 team has matched the 2014-15 squad for the best start to ACC competition in program history.
- Notre Dame has held its last seven ACC opponents under 65 points or less.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 8.4 | 2.8 | 3.6 |
| Blake Wesley | 14.2 | 3.5 | 2.6 |
| Dane Goodwin | 14.8 | 5.0 | 1.3 |
| Cormac Ryan | 7.3 | 4.6 | 1.8 |
| Paul Atkinson Jr. | 12.4 | 7.0 | 1.4 |
Boston College
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Jaeden Zackery | 9.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
| DeMarr Langford Jr. | 10.9 | 4.4 | 2.2 |
| Makai Ashton-Langford | 12.4 | 3.8 | 3.1 |
| TJ Bickerstaff | 7.3 | 7.8 | 1.3 |
| James Karnik | 8.5 | 5.0 | 0.5 |
Preview
| Category | Boston College | Notre Dame |
| Points | 64.9 | 70.0 |
| Opponent Points | 66.5 | 65.0 |
| FG% | 40.9% | 45.5% |
| Rebounds | 35.7 | 33.8 |
| Assists | 11.4 | 13.7 |
| Blocks | 3.3 | 2.1 |
| Steals | 6.6 | 5.4 |
Boston College beat Notre Dame 73-57 on December 3rd. It’s almost stunning to think two and half months ago this Irish team would drop a road game much less to Boston College. It happened and Mike Brey’s team will be looking for revenge without looking for revenge on Wednesday night.
“I'm almost trying to get away from the whole revenge thing,” Brey said on Tuesday. “First of all, give them credit. I thought they played really hard and well. They beat us up.”
Notre Dame not only got beat up, but they were outplayed in almost every aspect of the game. Boston College outrebounded the Irish 38-27 and held Notre Dame to just 38.2 percent from the field.
Forward TJ Bickerstaff scored 14 points and pulled down six boards, while on the other side of paint his teammate, James Karnik, recorded 17 points and 13 rebounds.
"They remember the ugliest night of the season,” stated Brey. “We all do. That was a long flight."
The battle in the paint has to be a concern for Brey as forward Nate Laszewski is still recovering from a contusion and was still in a hefty leg brace during Tuesday's practice.
"Nate is still recovering and he'll play," Brey said. "I thought Nate gave us unbelievable minutes defensively the other night. I think we'll start the same with (Cormac) Ryan."
The good news for Notre Dame is they've found an identity on offense and have made defense a priority.
Success has come from slowing it down on offense and trusting Blake Wesley, while incorporating timely zone defense and leaning on the experience of veterans.
"We have some guys that are older and have played together," explained Brey. "I do think we have been able to handle when people get up athletically and pressure us defensively. We've been better with the ball and more poised instead of getting anxious or trying to make a play and turning it over.
"Probably some of the things we've done offensively helps us with that. The tempo is a little more under control. I give a lot of credit to the veterans guys who have seen a lot through their career."
Boston College Last Five
Duke - 72-61 L
Syracuse - 73-64 L
@ Virginia - 67-55 L
Pitt - 69-56 W
@ North Carolina - 58-47 L
Notre Dame Last Five
Clemson - 76-61 W
Louisville - 63-57 W
@ NC State - 69-57 W
@ Miami - 68-64 W
Duke - 57-43 L