Game Thread | Binghamton at Notre Dame
Binghamton (3-8) at Notre Dame (7-3)
Date: December 18
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion
TV: ACC Network Extra
QUICK FACTS
- Tuesday will be the second meeting between the two programs. Notre Dame won 82-39 in 2014.
- The 2014 game was just the third time in the Mike Brey era the Irish held an opponent under 40 points.
- Notre Dame is 16-0 all-time against the America East Conference.
- John Mooney is currently second in the ACC in rebounds per game (9.4) and double-doubles (5).
- Tuesday will also mark the first game the Irish will be without senior captain Rex Pflueger who was lost for the season with an ACL tear.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 8.4 | 3.0 | 2.7 |
| TJ Gibbs | 13.5 | 2.7 | 3.5 |
| Dane Goodwin | 5.8 | 2.9 | 0.7 |
| DJ Harvey | 11.3 | 4.9 | 0.9 |
| John Mooney | 12.5 | 9.4 | 0.7 |
Binghamton
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Sam Sessoms | 17.6 | 3.7 | 3.3 |
| J.C. Show | 11.1 | 4.2 | 1.5 |
| Everson Davis | 2.6 | 1.7 | 0.6 |
| Chancellor Barnard | 8.7 | 6.5 | 0.9 |
| Caleb Stewart | 8.3 | 6.5 | 0.5 |
Preview
Notre Dame will look to win back-to-back games against Binghampton on Tuesday evening at Purcell Pavilion.
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 77.4
Binghamton: 69.5
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 68.6
Binghamton: 73.4
FG%
Notre Dame: 42.2%
Binghamton: 42.6%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 39.4
Binghamton: 35.5
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 13.6
Binghamton: 10.5
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 5.4
Binghamton: 6.9
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 6.3
Binghamton: 5.2
On paper, this game shouldn’t be close but paper doesn’t tell the backstory. Notre Dame will be without captain Rex Pflueger for the first time on Tuesday after tearing his ACL during Saturday’s game against Purdue.
Mike Brey can’t just insert another upperclassman to replace Pflueger as there isn’t one on the roster. Pflueger’s starting duties will likely go to true freshman Dane Goodwin, who has played in all 10 games this season.
Pflueger’s injury is a tough break for Notre Dame for many reason but the Irish seemed to have found momentum and most importantly guys were settling into roles. The injury not only flips the roster upside down, but it will require a more significant role for many players.
Junior forward Juwan Durham will need to step up on the offensive end as will Notre Dame’s leading scorer TJ Gibbs.
Gibbs is averaging 13.5 points per game but is shooting just 33.6% from the field and 30.6% from three-point range. The junior guard will likely see quite a few more shots, so bumping those percentages up will likely make the transition easier on the offensive end.
The Irish should handle Binghamton without Pflueger and could serve a much-needed game to simply figure things out. It’s not easy to replace Pflueger’s heart or production, but it’s also opening 30 minutes a game, which will likely keep Brey up at night.
Prediction: Notre Dame 73 Binghamton 59