Game Preview: Dartmouth (3-5) at Notre Dame (8-3)
Dartmouth (3-5) at Notre Dame (8-3)
Date: December 19th
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, INd.
TV: ESPNU
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame is 5-0 all-time against Dartmouth and 46-4 all-time against Ivy League opponents.
- The Irish last beat Dartmouth 65-47 in 2011 at Purcell Pavilion.
- Head coach Mike Brey is 8-0 at Notre Dame against the Ivy League.
- Tuesday will mark Notre Dame's first home game in 14 days.
- Bonzie Colson has scored in double figures in 28 consecutive games.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Matt Farrell | 16.4 | 2.2 | 5.5 |
| TJ Gibbs | 14.5 | 2.3 | 2.6 |
| Rex Pflueger | 7.5 | 4.0 | 2.5 |
| Bonzie Colson | 20.4 | 9.7 | 1.3 |
| Martinas Geben | 8.4 | 6.0 | 1.1 |
Dartmouth
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Taylor Johnson | 12.0 | 3.4 | 3.4 |
| Miles Wright | 12.3 | 4.6 | 1.1 |
| Brendan Barry | 12.4 | 2.3 | 3.0 |
| Aaryn Rai | 6.1 | 3.9 | 1.3 |
| Will Emery | 7.0 | 3.8 | 1.1 |
National Rankings
| Category | Notre Dame | Dartmouth |
| Scoring Offense | 80.6 (76) | 69.8 (283) |
| Scoring Defense | 65.7 (60) | 71.1 (166) |
| Rebound Margin | -0.2 (227) | -3.4 (292) |
| Assist Per Game | 14.6 (146) | 13.5 (212) |
| FG% Offense | 49.8% (27) | 45.5% (164) |
| FG% Defense | 40.3% (61) | 46.6% (291) |
| Three-Pointers Per Game | 8.4 (125) | 7.4 (203) |
| Three-Point Percentage | 41.6% (14) | 35.3% (268) |
| Free-Throw Percentage | 74.3% (64) | 73.3% (100) |
| Assist-Turnover Ratio | 1.64 (6) | 0.99 (215) |
Preview
Dartmouth is much like Notre Dame previous opponents since Michigan State as the Irish should win this game with ease on paper, but that hasn't been the case as Ball State and Indiana pulled upsets on the Irish the last two weeks.
Notre Dame's problems have been getting in its own way and not because of what the opponent has done. Starting fast has been a problem since the Irish returned winning the Maui Invitational and a quick start on Tuesday could go a long way towards solving the problems.
The Irish haven't got much from the bench, but the reserves came up with 12 points and four rebounds in Saturday's loss to Indiana. John Mooney came up big with six points and two rebounds in 15 minutes and continues to show he's deserving of minutes.
Sophomore Nic Djogo played just seven minutes but he scored three points and pulled down two boards. Djogo provided a spark off the bench in the first half and it will be interesting to see if Brey continues to give him meaningful minutes before ACC play starts.
I will be looking at two things on Tuesday night and the first is rebounding. Notre Dame is now 227th in the nation in rebound margin at -0.2. Bonzie Colson and Martinas Geben continue to put up good numbers on the boards, but they need help from the backcourt. Getting back on track on the boards will help the Irish immensely.
The second area I will be watching will be free throws. The Irish are shooting 74.3 percent from the line, which is respectable, but after leading the country almost all of last season in free throw percentage, the missed free throws are coming up big at the end of games. Notre Dame missed seven free throws against Indiana and lost by three.
All in all, I look for Notre Dame to get back on track on Tuesday in a big way. Getting back inside Purcell Pavilion is a much-needed boost and while the students won't be on campus, friendly surroundings will be just what the doctor ordered.
Prediction: Notre Dame 84 Dartmouth 67
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