Game Thread | Notre Dame vs. Purdue | Crossroads Classic

Notre Dame (6-3) vs. Purdue (6-4) - Crossroads Classic 

Date: December 15

Time: 1:30 p.m. ET

Where: Bankers Life Fieldhouse

TV: CBS - Brad Nessler, Bill Raftery and Jamie Erdahl

QUICK FACTS

- Saturday will be the 44^th meeting between Notre Dame and Purdue. The Irish lead the all-time series 22-21.

- Mike Brey is 2-1 against Matt Painter, with all three meetings occurring the Crossroads Classic.

- Brey is 3-2 against Purdue all-time. (3-1 at Notre Dame and 0-1 at Delaware)

- Notre Dame is 276-235-1 all-time against the Big 10.

- Junior F Juwan Durham leads the ACC in blocked shots per game at 2.75. 

- Junior F John Mooney leads the ACC in double-doubles with five. 

- Mooney also leads the ACC in rebounding with 9.7 per game. 

- Grady Eifert, the brother of Notre Dame tight end great Tyler Eifert, starts for Purdue. 

THE STARTERS

Notre Dame

Purdue

Preview

Notre Dame will look to end a two-game losing streak against in-state rival Purdue in the Crossroad Classic in Indianapolis on Saturday afternoon.

Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 76.2
Purdue: 77.1

Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 67.3
Purdue: 67.6

FG%
Notre Dame: 41.3%
Purdue: 45.1%

Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 40.4
Purdue: 36.0

Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 12.9
Purdue: 14.0

Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 5.6
Purdue: 3.7

Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 6.3
Purdue: 5.8

The Boilermakers and Irish are pretty even on paper but there are a few areas Notre Dame can really take advantage of in this contest. 

Notre Dame should be able to get on the boards despite the Purdue holding a size advantage. Junior forward John Mooney, who leads the ACC in double-doubles and rebounding, could be in for a big game against 7-foot-3 Matt Haarms as he’ll have the strength advantage. 

Mooney and Juwan Durham will need to be active on the offensive glass as second-chance points could be huge. 

Why will second-chance points huge? Well, Purdue’s leading scorer Carsen Edwards isn’t going to make life easy on the other end of the floor.

Edwards, a 6-foot-1 junior, leads the Purdue in scoring at 25.5 per game, which is good for sixth in the country. The Texas native is shooting a solid 43.6% from the field and 39.4% from three-point range. Edwards is also making 3.9 shots from behind the arc a night, but the Irish can’t get discouraged when they see the ball go in the net. 

“He’s a great scorer,” stated Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. “He’s going to make some tough ones. A lot of guys have to guard him. Do we double-team him off ball screens? I don’t think you can get discouraged when he makes tough ones. He’s just one of those guys.”

Brey will likely toss a few bodies at Edwards during the game but the Irish will be down one body in freshman guard Robby Carmody as he will miss the rest of the season due to upcoming shoulder surgery. 

One area Brey wants to improve on Saturday is the first half. Notre Dame was held scoreless for the final 7:40 of the first half last Saturday at UCLA and it simply can’t happen again.

Junior guard TJ Gibbs being more aggressive could be the answer for the Irish. 

“I think we’re averaging 43 points in the second half since the DePaul game,” said Brey. “Can we get some of that in the first half? Overall, we’ve defended well enough to hang in there.  I think a TJ Gibbs is trending the right way lately. He struggled early, and I love how Rex Pflueger is playing. He’s playing solid for us and making shots for us.” 

It will be a tough task but I expect a big game from freshman forward Nate Laszewski, who could be in some favorable matchups on Saturday. Laszewski hasn’t scored in double-figures in three games and is due. 

Prediction: Notre Dame 74 Purdue 68