Game Preview: No. 20 North Carolina (13-4, 2-2) at Notre Dame (13-4, 3-1)
No. 20 North Carolina (13-4, 2-2) at Notre Dame (13-4, 3-1)
Date: January 13th
Time: 6:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ESPN
QUICK FACTS
- North Carolina leads the all-time series 21-7 and 4-3 against Notre Dame in ACC play.
- Notre Dame center Martinas Geben is one of five players in the ACC averaging a double-double in ACC play. Geben is averaging 10.5 points and 10.3 rebounds in four ACC games.
- The Irish have 40 ACC wins in the last four years, which is third-most behind Virgina (44) and North Carolina (40).
- Bonzie Colson, Matt Farrell, Martinas Geben, Matt Gregory and Austin Torres are three wins away from becoming the all-time winningest senior class in school history.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| TJ Gibbs | 14.6 | 2.8 | 3.2 |
| Rex Pflueger | 8.9 | 4.5 | 2.8 |
| DJ Harvey | 5.8 | 2.7 | 0.5 |
| Austin Torres | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.3 |
| Martinas Geben | 9.0 | 7.4 | 1.2 |
North Carolina
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Joel Berry II | 17.6 | 3.3 | 2.9 |
| Kenny Williams | 12.5 | 3.5 | 2.4 |
| Cameron Johnson | 10.2 | 5.8 | 2.0 |
| Theo Pinson | 8.6 | 5.1 | 4.3 |
| Luke Maye | 18.2 | 10.8 | 2.2 |
National Rankings
| Category | Notre Dame | North Carolina |
| Scoring Offense | 78.2 (92) | 83.4 (32) |
| Scoring Defense | 63.9 (24) | 71.3 (155) |
| Rebound Margin | 2.5 (122) | 13.4 (1) |
| Assist Per Game | 14.5 (143) | 17.4 (23) |
| FG% Offense | 47.3% (67) | 46.1% (218) |
| FG% Defense | 40.0% (37) | 41.0% (63) |
| Three-Pointers Per Game | 7.9 (166) | 8.0 (151) |
| Three-Point Percentage | 38.2% (61) | 38.2% (60) |
| Free-Throw Percentage | 76.1% (29) | 72.7% (117) |
| Assist-Turnover Ratio | 1.50 (15) | 1.33 (43) |
Preview
Notre Dame has turned games into ugly slug it out affairs since Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell went down with injuries earlier this month. For the most part, it's worked. The Irish sit 3-1 in ACC play but enter North Carolina.
Head coach Mike Brey would love nothing more than to have Farrell back on Saturday, but don't look for the senior point guard to return to the court.
“He’s a lot better, but I think it’s really a longshot that he goes on Saturday,” Brey stated on Thursday. “Tuesday is more realistic, but man, I don’t even want to push that.
"You listen to him, and you listen to your trainer and doctor. Matt’s thing is he’s ready, and I’ll have to temper that because there is a big picture here. We’re not in a bad position now. If we were 1-3 in the league, maybe it’d be a different story."
The Tar Heels haven't been consistent this season and have lost two of the last three games. Granted, the losses were to Florida State and Virginia, who are both ranked.
North Carolina is one of the best offensive teams in college basketball and are the top-ranked rebounding team in the nation.
Luke Maye has come a long way in the last year. The 6-foot-7 forward averaged 5.5 points and 3.9 rebounds a year ago, but in 2017 is averaging 18.2 points and 10.8 rebounds a game this season.
Maye has the ability to hit the mid-range jumper and three-ball, so it's a tough matchup for the Irish, who just don't have someone that matches up well with him. I look for Austin Torres to get the start to put his athleticism on Maye, but Torres is going to lose that battle on the offensive end.
TJ Gibbs is coming off being named ACC Player of the Week and needs to have a big game for the Irish to hang with the Tar Heels. Gibbs scoring is the only chance for the Irish to open up the floor and get a touch more space on the offensive end.
If Gibbs can't get going, the bigger and more athletic Tar Heels are in line to potentially make this game pretty ugly.
Brey has stated he hasn't sent more guys to the rim than normal since Colson has been out, but he may have to on Saturday night to compete with North Carolina on the boards. The Irish have out-rebounded three of four ACC opponents but it'd be a tall task to do that on against the Tar Heels. Eliminating second-chance points will be crucial for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame has fought and grinded this month, but they haven't faced NBA talent with NBA bodies across the board. It could be a long night in Purcell Pavilion, but it won't be from a lack of effort from the Irish. Effort only gets you so far against NBA talent and the Tar Heels have a lot of it.
Prediction: North Carolina 89 Notre Dame 65