Game Preview/Thread: Miami (18-8, 7-7) at Notre Dame (16-11, 6-8)
Miami (18-8, 7-7) at Notre Dame (16-11, 6-8)
Date: February 19th
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ESPN
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 11-10.
- The Irish are 5-4 against Miami at Purcell Pavilion, 5-5 at Miami, 1-1 at neutral sites and 3-3 since Notre Dame joined the ACC.
- Matt Farrell is first in the ACC and 15th in the nation in three-pointers made per game at 3.32.
- Bonzie Colson, Matt Farrell, Martinas Geben, Matt Gregory and Austin Torres have become the all-time winningest senior class in school history.
- TJ Gibbs has scored in double figures in 15 consecutive games.
- Notre Dame has hit 10 or moe three-point field goals the last four games.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Matt Farrell | 17.1 | 2.4 | 5.5 |
| TJ Gibbs | 16.0 | 2.9 | 3.1 |
| Rex Pflueger | 8.6 | 4.1 | 3.2 |
| Austin Torres | 1.9 | 2.4 | 0.4 |
| Martinas Geben | 10.4 | 7.8 | 1.1 |
Miami
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Chris Lykes | 9.0 | 1.1 | 2.2 |
| Lonnie Walker IV | 11.1 | 2.6 | 1.8 |
| Anthony Lawrence II | 8.9 | 6.7 | 2.3 |
| Dejan Vasiljevic | 9.1 | 2.6 | 0.4 |
| Dewan Huell | 11.7 | 6.7 | 0.4 |
National Rankings
| Category | Notre Dame | Miami |
| Scoring Offense | 76.4 (103) | 73.7 (184) |
| Scoring Defense | 68.6 (78) | 66.0 (36) |
| Rebound Margin | 1.3 (158) | 1.5 (146) |
| Assist Per Game | 14.4 (129) | 13.2 (214) |
| FG% Offense | 45.4% (143) | 46.2% (101) |
| FG% Defense | 42.7% (111) | 41.7% (60) |
| Three-Pointers Per Game | 8.9 (71) | 7.7 (174) |
| Three-Point Percentage | 38.3% (48) | 35.6% (148) |
| Free-Throw Percentage | 75.1% (55) | 66.4% (316) |
| Assist-Turnover Ratio | 1.41 (20) | 1.14 (123) |
PREVIEW
If Notre Dame is going to make the NCAA Tournament, someone was going to have to carry them, and Matt Farrell has made up his mind he is going to do it.
The senior point guard scored 37 points on Saturday at Boston College, and the Irish will need another big performance on Monday night.
Farrell will likely be matched up against Chris Lykes, a former Notre Dame target, and freshman point guard is just 5-foot-7. Notre Dame should look to take advantage of this matchup and get Farrell going early and often.
Notre Dame will need to battle on the boards to win on Monday night. Miami isn’t a great rebounding team, but second-chance buckets will be significant for the Irish as the Hurricanes give up just 66.0 points per game.
I also look for TJ Gibbs to come up big on Monday night as the sophomore has played well in nationally televised games this season.
Notre Dame can probably have a fighter’s chance to get the Big Dance at 8-10 in ACC play if they win a couple of games in the ACC Tournament, but the opportunity to go 9-9 in conference play might be Mike Brey’s best coaching job to date.
Stealing one from Miami would be a massive boost for the Irish on the tournament resumè but also a huge confidence builder as time gets closer to a potential return for All-American Bonzie Colson.
Prediction: Notre Dame 79 Miami 75