Game Thread | Syracuse at Notre Dame
Syracuse (9-4, 0-0) at Notre Dame (10-4, 0-1)
Date: January 5th
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion
TV: Watch ESPN - Syracuse vs. Notre Dame
QUICK FACTS
- Saturday will be the 50th meeting between the two programs. Syracuse leads the series 28-21.
- Notre Dame holds a two-game winning streak against the Orange.
- The Irish are 2-3 against Syracuse as ACC members and 8-22 against Syracuse as part of the Big East.
- Saturday will also mark the second game since 1997 that neither team will be ranked in the Top 25.
- Junior guard TJ Gibbs will enter the game with 923 career points and would be the 63rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points.
- Notre Dame’s 13 1,000 point scorers since 2008-09 are tied with Villanova for the national lead.
- Forward John Mooney continues to lead the ACC in double-doubles with six.
- Forward Juwan Durham sits fourth in the country in blocks with 3.31 per game.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 6.6 | 2.9 | 3.3 |
| TJ Gibbs | 14.5 | 2.3 | 3.8 |
| DJ Harvey | 11.7 | 4.9 | 0.9 |
| John Mooney | 12.6 | 9.4 | 1.1 |
| Juwan Durham | 6.7 | 4.3 | 0.6 |
Syracuse
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Frank Howard | 5.8 | 1.3 | 3.7 |
| Tyus Battle | 18.0 | 2.9 | 1.7 |
| Elijah Hughes | 14.8 | 4.3 | 1.6 |
| Oshae Brissett | 13.8 | 8.2 | 2.0 |
| Marek Dolezaj | 3.5 | 2.7 | 1.3 |
Preview
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 76.6
Syracuse: 71.6
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 68.1
Syracuse: 61.4
FG%
Notre Dame: 43.0%
Syracuse: 42.5%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 39.2
Syracuse: 36.7
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 14.4
Syracuse: 12.5
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 5.9
Syracuse: 4.5
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 5.9
Syracuse: 8.8
It’s interesting Vegas has the spread for Saturday’s game set at 1.5 in favor of Syracuse as I thought it might be more considering Notre Dame’s offensive woes as of late.
The Orange haven’t been great offensively this year as they average five points less a game than Notre Dame but Syracuse has more firepower.
Notre Dame will need to slow down junior guard Tyus Battle as he enters the game averaging 18.0 points per game but has eclipsed the 20-point mark seven times this season. Battle scored 21 against the Irish last year and 17 the year before as a freshman.
With that said, this game will come down to Notre Dame’s offense. The Irish haven’t scored over 66 points in either of the last two games and neither game was against Syracuse’s 2-3 zone.
Captain John Mooney knows it will be a tough challenge because it’s a defense the Irish can’t replicate in practice.
“You really can’t simulate their 2-3 zone in practice,” explained Mooney. “They are really long and they play it high, so it’s going to be a matter of ball faking and moving the ball. We have to cut well. Coach (Mike Brey) will get us ready. We’ll execute and we’re confident.”
Offensive rebounds will be an area Notre Dame can take advantage of as Mooney, Juwan Durham and Nate Laszewski have all shown the ability to hit the offensive glass as the Irish average 12 offensive rebounds per night.
I do believe DJ Harvey could be the X-factor in this game as he has the ability to hit the outside shot, the mid-range jumper and attack the rim. It will be interesting to see how Brey uses Harvey as he could have a big game if he can get the ball at the elbow and go to work.
Overall, I’m hesitant to pick Notre Dame to cover the spread or win as they just haven’t shown enough offensively. The Irish shooting 34.7% from three-point range which is ranked 161st in the country and I believe that number will need to be higher for the Irish to get the win.
Prediction: Syracuse 68 Notre Dame 54