Game Preview: #9 Notre Dame (7-2) at Delaware (4-5)
#9 Notre Dame (7-2) at Delaware (4-5)
Date: December 9th
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Bob Carpenter Center
TV: CBS Sports Network
QUICK FACTS
- The two programs will be meeting for the second time. Notre Dame won the only meeting 80-75 in 2013.
- The Irish are 15-0 against Colonial Athletic Association.
- Mike Brey coached at Delaware from 1995-2000.
- This will be the second time Brey has faced a former assistant coach. Lewis Preston and Kennesaw State lost to the Irish in 2012, but Martin Ingelsby will get his shot on Saturday.
- Only Jim Boeheim (42), Mike Krzyzewski (38) and Tom Izzo (23) have longer tenures at one school than Mike Brey (18). (Power 5)
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Matt Farrell | 15.7 | 2.0 | 5.0 |
| TJ Gibbs | 13.6 | 2.2 | 3.0 |
| Rex Pflueger | 7.9 | 4.4 | 2.4 |
| Bonzie Colson | 19.6 | 9.3 | 1.2 |
| Martinas Geben | 9.1 | 5.4 | 1.2 |
Delaware
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Kevin Anderson | 11.8 | 4.3 | 2.6 |
| Anthony Mosley | 11.3 | 4.2 | 2.9 |
| Ryan Daly | 17.0 | 5.0 | 2.0 |
| Jacob Cushing | 2.6 | 2.1 | 0.6 |
| Eric Carter | 9.5 | 8.5 | 1.2 |
National Rankings
| Category | Notre Dame | Delaware |
| Scoring Offense | 79.8 (89) | 72.8 (222) |
| Scoring Defense | 63.9 (45) | 71.2 (169) |
| Rebound Margin | 0.3 (210) | 2.6 (140) |
| Assist Per Game | 14.8 (128) | 12.8 (243) |
| FG% Offense | 50.1% (31) | 46.7% (111) |
| FG% Defense | 39.5% (54) | 44.5% (214) |
| Three-Pointers Per Game | 7.9 (152) | 5.3 (329) |
| Three-Point Percentage | 40.8% (27) | 32.2% (272) |
| Free-Throw Percentage | 73.2% (104) | 66.8% (269) |
| Assist-Turnover Ratio | 1.62 (8) | 1.12 (135) |
Preview
This is an important game for the Irish in many ways, but coming off an upset loss to Ball State, Notre Dame needs to get back in the win column this weekend before getting a week off before facing Indiana next Saturday.
Slow starts have been a trend for four games and head coach Mike Brey needs to figure it out sooner than later, but after Ball State, he even admitted he didn't know what was wrong.
"We haven’t been very good since we’ve been back from Maui," stated Brey. "We have some work to do before we go and play again. I can’t put my finger on it. I have tonight and tomorrow morning to try and figure out how to help them better, especially offensively early."
One area Notre Dame can immediately improve on is bench energy. Sophomore John Mooney has played well since Maui and has become the sixth man, but finding a role for sophomore guard Nic Djogo seems to be the next step as Brey stated he wanted to get Djogo involved in practice more.
As for Delaware, it will be a tough environment to play in, but the Irish should be well tested in ruckus atmosphere and the Blue Hens haven't shown consistent offense this season.
Notre Dame has played well defensively for the most part of this season and a below average offense should be a good remedy to get back in the win column as Delaware only hits five three-pointers a game and just 32 percent from downtown.
It will be interesting to see if Bonzie Colson, Matt Farrell or even TJ Gibbs can get involved early scoring the rock, as that's what the Irish need the most right now. Another bad start on the road could make things more interesting than they need to be on Saturday.
I believe Brey gets to keep bragging rights over his former assistant coach and his former school when push comes to shove.
Prediction: Notre Dame 82 Delaware 67