Game Thread | Notre Dame at NC State
Notre Dame (9-11, 1-8) at NC State (15-5, 5-4)
Date: January 24th
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Where: PNC Arena | Raleigh, N.C.
TV: ACC Network | Jay Atler and Malcolm Huckaby
Line: NC State -8.0
O/U: 143.5
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 10-8.
- The Irish won 69-57 last February in Raleigh.
- Cormac Ryan has topped the 1,000-point mark and now sits at 1,003 career points.
- Dane Goodwin has played in 146 career games, which is a Notre Dame record.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| JJ Starling | 11.8 | 2.7 | 1.3 |
| Trey Wertz | 9.6 | 2.8 | 3.5 |
| Cormac Ryan | 11.2 | 4.3 | 2.3 |
| Dane Goodwin | 12.2 | 5.0 | 2.1 |
| Nate Laszewski | 14.1 | 7.5 | 1.6 |
NC State
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Jarkel Joiner | 16.3 | 4.5 | 3.5 |
| Casey Morsell | 12.9 | 4.7 | 1.0 |
| Terquavion Smith | 18.7 | 3.5 | 4.5 |
| Greg Gantt | 1.9 | 4.6 | 0.4 |
| DJ Burns Jr. | 10.3 | 4.7 | 1.5 |
Preview
| Category | Notre Dame | NC State |
| Points | 69.9 | 79.0 |
| Opponent Points | 71.4 | 69.0 |
| FG% | 45.0% | 45.2% |
| Rebounds | 30.4 | 37.5 |
| Assists | 12.3 | 14.0 |
| Blocks | 3.0 | 4.6 |
| Steals | 4.9 | 8.6 |
90.4 percent.
The ESPN matchup predictor gives NC State a 90.4 percent chance of winning Tuesday night’s ACC clash and that’s with the status of Trequavion Smith unknown. The ACC’s leading scorer was carried off the court on a stretcher following a flagrant two foul against North Carolina over the weekend.
“I would say that it’ll be a game-time decision, but it’s going to be tough,” stated NC State head coach Kevin Keatts. “I don’t even know if he can shoot the basketball at this moment. He fell more on his right elbow which is his shooting hand. I’ll know a little bit more later on today, first thing tomorrow, and right up until game time.”
All indications point to him being questionable for the game, but Seth Greenberg might have let some inside info slip on Monday night.
Regardless, Notre Dame will have its hands full with NC State as the Wolfpack average 79 ppg and have an inside presence with DJ Burns Jr. The 6-foot-9, 275-pounder will be a tough matchup for Notre Dame as the Irish lack size on the block.
Guard Jarkel Joiner is averaging 18.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg and 3.6 apg over the last five games, so if Smith is out, the graduate student is someone to watch to have a big night.
For Notre Dame, it will come down to defending the paint. NC State enters the game shooting just 34.1 percent from three, but the Irish have let teams score at will in the paint at times this season. Will Mike Brey bust out the 2-3 zone that’s been effective at times in his final game in Raleigh? Very likely.
NC State has no issue shooting the three as the Wolfpack (493) only trails Notre Dame (496) in the ACC in three-pointers attempted this season.
As always, Notre Dame’s rebounding will also be important as the Wolfpack is 14-1 when out-rebounding teams this season. NC State is just 1-4 when losing the rebounding battle.
Notre Dame desperately needs a win just for the sake of winning as the month of February looks extremely challenging.
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