Game Thread | Florida State at Notre Dame
Florida State (5-13, 3-4) at Notre Dame (9-9, 1-6)
Date: January 17th
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | South Bend, Ind.
TV: ESPNU | Mike Monaco, Randolph Childress
Line: Notre Dame -5.0
O/U: 140.5
QUICK FACTS
- Florida State leads the all-time series 8-5.
- The Noles beat Notre Dame 73-72 on December 21st.
- Cormac Ryan is approaching 1,000 career points as he currently sits at 984.
- Since November 30th, Notre Dame leads all Power Five programs with 118 made threes.
- Grad transfer Marcus Hammond is averaging 10.7 ppg over the last six games.
- Notre Dame is 4-1 against Florida State at home and won all four games by double digits.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| JJ Starling | 12.2 | 2.9 | 1.4 |
| Trey Wertz | 9.8 | 2.9 | 3.4 |
| Cormac Ryan | 11.3 | 4.3 | 2.2 |
| Dane Goodwin | 12.2 | 4.8 | 2.2 |
| Nate Laszewski | 13.7 | 7.8 | 1.6 |
Florida State
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Dariin Green Jr. | 13.7 | 3.2 | 2.1 |
| Jalen Warley | 5.5 | 2.9 | 3.9 |
| Caleb Mills | 13.3 | 2.6 | 3.4 |
| Matthew Cleveland | 14.4 | 7.7 | 1.6 |
| Cam Corhen | 8.0 | 3.2 | 0.6 |
Preview
| Category | Florida State | Notre Dame |
| Points | 68.7 | 69.7 |
| Opponent Points | 74.0 | 69.9 |
| FG% | 43.3% | 45.4% |
| Rebounds | 32.2 | 30.8 |
| Assists | 13.7 | 12.4 |
| Blocks | 3.9 | 3.2 |
| Steals | 5.9 | 4.4 |
Mike Brey has tried just about everything to inject life into his team and it’s failed to this point as the Irish enter Tuesday’s game with Florida State with a 1-6 ACC record.
The good news for the Irish is Florida State has struggled this season as the Seminoles will limp into South Bend with a 5-13 overall record. Florida State does own a 73-72 win over the Irish this season, but if there ever was a time for Notre Dame to get back on track, it would be now as the Noles are fresh off losses to Wake Forest and Virginia .
What’s the key to Tuesday for Brey’s team? The three-ball. Notre Dame went 9-for-19 in Tallahassee and even shot 50.9 percent from the field for game, but given Florida State’s length, the three-pointer will be key. Notre Dame has yet to show the will to consistently attack the rim and it’s unlikely that begins against the Seminoles.
Florida State has also struggled against the three-ball as they rank No. 317 in three-point percentage allowed (36.8 percent).
Notre Dame will also need to find a way to slow down Matthew Cleveland as the 6-foot-7 sophomore is on a tear with seven straight double-doubles. In the first meeting, Cleveland scored 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
If the Irish can slow down Florida State in the paint, Notre Dame should have a shot at getting its second ACC win of the year. Yet that remains to be seen in crunch time.
“I think an area that hurts us is when we really have to defend to win the game - stick our chest in there, especially on the road,” said Brey. “We haven’t been able to do that.“
Notre Dame Fighting Irish OHT Military Appreciation Digit Quarter-Snap
