Game Preview/Thread: No. 4 Penn State at No. 1 Notre Dame
No. 4 Penn State at No. 1 Notre Dame
Date: March 17th
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, Ind.
TV: ESPN
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame and Penn State will be meeting for the fifth time on Saturday.
- Penn State leads the series 3-1, including a Nittany Lion win in the 2009 NIT.
- Notre Dame's senior class is now up to 103 total wins.
- The Irish lead the country in fouls committed per game with 12.5, which is good for third in fewest foul committed with a total of 450.
- TJ Gibbs has logged 1,280 minutes, which is the fourth-most in the nation.
- Notre Dame is 27-11 in the NIT and 15-3 at Purcell Pavilion.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Matt Farrell | 16.5 | 2.5 | 5.5 |
| TJ Gibbs | 15.3 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| Rex Pflueger | 8.1 | 4.3 | 3.2 |
| Bonzie Colson | 19.9 | 10.2 | 0.9 |
| Martinas Geben | 11.1 | 8.1 | 1.1 |
Penn State
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Tony Carr | 19.4 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Shep Garner | 11.0 | 2.0 | 1.3 |
| Josh Reaves | 10.4 | 5.2 | 3.1 |
| Lamar Stevens | 14.8 | 6.1 | 1.8 |
| John Harrar | 1.1 | 1.1 | 0.0 |
National Rankings
| Category | Notre Dame | Penn State |
| Scoring Offense | 75.3 (134) | 74.3 (159) |
| Scoring Defense | 68.5 (79) | 66.6 (42) |
| Rebound Margin | 2.3 (98) | 2.7 (86) |
| Assist Per Game | 14.5 (112) | 13.6 (173) |
| FG% Offense | 44.5% (184) | 45.8% (118) |
| FG% Defense | 42.5% (91) | 42.6% (95) |
| Three-Pointers Per Game | 8.5 (96) | 7.4 (194) |
| Three-Point Percentage | 36.3% (108) | 38.3% (43) |
| Free-Throw Percentage | 75.8 (41) | 69.5% (253) |
| Assist-Turnover Ratio | 1.48 (13) | 1.13 (130) |
Preview
Notre Dame will welcome Penn State to Purcell Pavilion on Saturday afternoon for a second-round matchup in the NIT.
Penn State has been an up and down team this year, but one thing that immediately sticks out is the three wins against Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions have four starters averaging in double figures, so the Irish will need to establish themselves on the defensive end to start the game.
Tony Carr is averaging 19.4 points a game and will be the focus of the Irish defense.
On offense, Notre Dame will need Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell to be more efficient than on Tuesday night against Hampton.
Farrell shot 4-for-18 and just 1-for-10 from three-point range. Colson was a solid 6-for-11 from the field but wasn't quite as aggressive as Mike Brey needs him to be in good health.
With the offensive inconsistencies, Notre Dame can't afford its two best offensive threats not scoring the basketball.
My key to the game will be rebounding. Notre Dame should be able to win the battle on the boards against a smaller Nittany Lions squad. If not, the game could be decided on second-chance points from Penn State.
Prediction: Notre Dame 71 Penn State 66