Game Thread | No. 20 Michigan State at Notre Dame
No. 20 Michigan State (5-2) vs. Notre Dame (5-1)
Date: November 30th
Time: 9:15 PM ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | South Bend, Ind.
TV: ESPN2 | Brian Custer and Jordan Cornette
Line: Michigan State -2.0
O/U: 137.5
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 60-37.
- The Spartans won the last matchup 80-70 in November 2020.
- Notre Dame 4-5 all-time in the ACC-Big 10 Challenge
- Nate Laszewski’s 18.2 ppg ranks No. 2 in the ACC.
- JJ Starling’s 12.8 ppg ranks No.3 amongst ACC freshmen.
- Notre Dame is 5-0 this season when leading at the half.
- The Irish are No. 2 in the nation in free throw percentage (82.7 percent)
PROJECTED STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| JJ Starling | 12.8 | 3.3 | 0.8 |
| Trey Wertz | 11.8 | 2.5 | 4.3 |
| Cormac Ryan | 10.0 | 4.5 | 2.0 |
| Dane Goodwin | 14.3 | 4.7 | 1.3 |
| Nate Laszewski | 18.2 | 8.7 | 1.5 |
Michigan State
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| AJ Hoggard | 11.0 | 4.0 | 6.6 |
| Tyson Walker | 15.6 | 3.1 | 4.6 |
| Pierre Brooks | 8.4 | 2.9 | 0.6 |
| Joey Hauser | 13.9 | 6.6 | 1.7 |
| Mady Sissoko | 8.0 | 5.6 | 0.7 |
Preview
| Category | Michigan State | Notre Dame |
| Points | 73.9 | 74.7 |
| Opponent Points | 70.7 | 70.2 |
| FG% | 44.5% | 48.9% |
| Rebounds | 38.0 | 31.0 |
| Assists | 16.4 | 11.2 |
| Blocks | 2.9 | 2.8 |
| Steals | 4.7 | 4.5 |
When looking at Michigan State and Notre Dame on paper, it’s hard to find any similarities in how they have started the year other than both programs have five wins.
Notre Dame opened the year with five wins at home against non-Power Five competition and lost a neutral site game on Friday to St. Bonaventure where the Irish scored just 51 points.
Michigan State has played seven games, but have played just one home game and zero true road games. The Spartans have faced one of the toughest schedules in the country as Tom Izzo’s group has seen Gonzaga, Kentucky, Villanova, Alabama, Oregon and now Notre Dame over the first month of the season - a far cry from the Irish schedule.
Mike Brey was doubtful that graduate transfer guard Marcus Hammond would be back for Wednesday’s ACC-B1G contest but was hoping to get him back this weekend. Michigan State has also been hit by the injury bug as Izzo doesn’t expect to have guard Jaden Atkins (6.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and forward Malik Hall (12.3 ppg, 5.3 rpg) will definitely be out as he recovers from a foot injury.
Notre Dame issues have come on the defensive end for most of the year, but coming off a poor offensive performance, Brey hopes to see his veteran group rebound and shoot the ball well at home.
“They better get themselves back into it offensively,” stated Brey. “There’s no question the ball pressure bothered us. The athletic ability pushed us out a little bit. Then you get off to a horrible start and you’re kind of uptight a little. We’ve only had one game where we’ve had 15 assists and like six turnovers. We’re struggling to find that rhythm.
“We’re probably a little exhausted with six guys. I don’t know if that’s going to change this week or at least by Wednesday. We’re going to have to score.”
It’s a little concerning to hear St. Bonaventure’s athleticism bothered Notre Dame, but also that Notre Dame is exhausted six games into the year.
There is no denying the injury to Hammond hurts the depth and with him, the Irish have plenty of guard depth. Yet, it’s a group of veterans who have played big minutes over the course of their careers and should be able to manage longer minutes six games into the year.
The core four of Dane Goodwin, Nate Laszewski, Cormac Ryan and Trey Wertz didn’t have to return but they did for a deep run in March and to win big games such as this week as the Irish host the Spartans and Syracuse.
“This is why they came back for these kinds of games,” explained Brey. “They’ve been in them. I trust them because the four of them have been in big games and have been in great atmospheres. I don’t want us uptight. At Duke, we were tight for the moment, but after that, we were pretty good. It’s a fine line of attention to detail, but being loose and going for it and not playing with the weight of the world. I think that’s the balance point you try and strike with these guys.”
And yes, while Notre Dame could very well be 3-3 entering Wednesday’s game, the Irish got through some tough moments due to experience. A win against Michigan State and a win on Saturday against the Orange would go a long way for the program’s confidence a month into the season.
“These are your power games,” said Brey. “You have a great opportunity this week. You’ve got a great opportunity to do some stuff. Miami’s done it a little bit. Virginia’s done it. Virginia Tech has probably done it. We have to see if we can join that club.
“Certainly a league game Saturday, it’s your first league game. Big week.”
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