Game Preview/Thread: Notre Dame (16-12, 6-9) at Wake Forest (11-17, 4-12)
Notre Dame (16-12, 6-9) at Wake Forest (11-17, 4-12)
Date: February 24th
Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
Where: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum
TV: ACC Network
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 4-3.
- The Irish are 1-1 in Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.
- Notre Dame is 16-14 in games played on February 24.
- Martinas Geben is on pace to be among just 10 players to shoot over .600 in a single season at Notre Dame
- Matt Farrell currently has 984 career points.
- T.J. Gibbs and Matt Farrell are on a streak of 15 consecutive games with at least one three-point field goal.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Matt Farrell | 17.0 | 2.5 | 5.5 |
| TJ Gibbs | 15.8 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| Rex Pflueger | 8.6 | 4.1 | 3.2 |
| Austin Torres | 2.1 | 2.5 | 0.4 |
| Martinas Geben | 10.8 | 7.8 | 1.1 |
Wake Forest
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Bryant Crawford | 16.9 | 3.0 | 5.0 |
| Chaundee Brown | 7.6 | 2.9 | 1.1 |
| Mitchell Wilbekin | 8.8 | 2.5 | 1.5 |
| Terrence Thompson | 3.7 | 4.2 | 0.3 |
| Doral Moore | 11.3 | 9.6 | 0.3 |
National Rankings
| Category | Notre Dame | Wake Forest |
| Scoring Offense | 76.3 (100) | 74.4 (166) |
| Scoring Defense | 68.9 (89) | 74.7 (237) |
| Rebound Margin | 1.5 (146) | 1.9 (123) |
| Assist Per Game | 14.4 (127) | 13.7 (174) |
| FG% Offense | 45.6% (134) | 44.5% (193) |
| FG% Defense | 43.1% (122) | 43.9% (186) |
| Three-Pointers Per Game | 8.8 (76) | 7.8 (165) |
| Three-Point Percentage | 38.2% (51) | 38.4% (42) |
| Free-Throw Percentage | 75.2% (53) | 74.0% (78) |
| Assist-Turnover Ratio | 1.40 (23) | 1.05 (190) |
Preview
Notre Dame heads back to Tobacco Road for the final time this season for a crucial matchup against Wake Forest.
The Irish will have to contain center Doral Moore. The 7-foot-1 junior enters the game averaging 11.3 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest.
Moore had a big-time performance against Syracuse this month with 16 points and 16 rebounds and also is coming off a game where he scored 13 points and nine boards against Pitt on Wednesday.
Martinas Geben will need to stay out of foul trouble and continue his big season on the offensive end.
Stopping Bryant Crawford will also be key on Saturday. The 6-foot-3 guard is averaging 16.9 points a game and is the key to the offense. Crawford scored 29 points a week ago at NC State.
Overall, winning the battle on the boards will be important for Notre Dame with the limited offense without Bonzie Colson and DJ Harvey. Getting second shots and limiting easy putbacks from Wake Forest sounds clichè but the little things are significant for the Irish.
A quick start would do wonder for the Irish as Mike Brey told his team he wanted them in "Bounce Back" mode as he is trying to eliminate the pressure of winning the last three game for a chance at the NCAA Tournament.
Prediction: Notre Dame 78 Wake Forest 71