Game Thread | Boston College at Notre Dame
Boston College (9-5, 0-2) at Notre Dame (10-5, 0-2)
Date: January 12th
Time: 12:00 p.m. ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion
TV: Notre Dame Basketball Network - Link | Regional Sports Networks - Link
QUICK FACTS
- The two programs will be meeting for the 32nd time on Saturday. Notre Dame leads the series 21-10.
- Notre Dame owns an 11-game winning streak against the Eagles, including all 10 as members of the ACC.
- TJ Gibbs ranks second in the ACC with a 3.41 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Prentiss Hubb is sixth in the ACC with a 2.17 assist-to-turnover ratio.
- Juwan Durham leads the ACC in blocked shots per game at 3.29.
- Notre Dame ranks fourth in the country with an average of 9.4 turnovers a game.
- Forward John Mooney continues to lead the ACC in double-doubles with seven.
- Gibbs is just 59 points away from scoring 1,000 points during his career.
- Bob Whitmore will be inducted into the Purcell Pavilion Ring of Honor at halftime. He will be the 13th member.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| TJ Gibbs | 14.7 | 2.3 | 3.9 |
| Dane Goodwin | 7.0 | 3.6 | 1.1 |
| DJ Harvey | 11.7 | 4.7 | 0.9 |
| John Mooney | 12.7 | 9.7 | 1.1 |
| Nate Laszewski | 7.3 | 4.1 | 0.3 |
Boston College
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Ky Bowman | 20.0 | 7.4 | 3.5 |
| Jordan Chatman | 12.5 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Wynston Tabbs | 14.2 | 4.1 | 2.8 |
| Steffon Mitchell | 5.2 | 8.5 | 2.0 |
| Johncarlos Reyes | 2.3 | 0.8 | 0.0 |
Preview
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 75.6
Boston College: 75.0
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 68.3
Boston College: 72.1
FG%
Notre Dame: 42.0%
Boston College: 44.5%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 39.0
Boston College: 37.9
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 14.5
Boston College: 11.9
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 5.9
Boston College: 3.4
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 5.6
Boston College: 5.7
Saturday is a must win game for Notre Dame as the Irish have started 0-2 in ACC and are facing a gauntlet to end January. Boston College also needs a win as they are 0-2 in league play and will come to South Bend following an 83-56 loss to No. 4 Virginia earlier this week.
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey knows its a crucial game for his Irish and expects his team to compete as they haven’t played in a week.
“It’s a big one for us,” stated Brey. “Both teams are dying for a win. We could use one. The league season is a long road. We started 3-0 last year and then lost seven in a row. Saturday is a huge one with what’s coming the rest of January. We have to keep teaching and plugging because crazy things happen in this league and last year was a great example of it.”
The Irish gave up 46 points to Jerome Robinson last year when Boston College came to Purcell Pavilion and the Eagles have a player who can put up similar numbers in Ky Bowman.
Bowman, who held a football offer from Alabama, was a four-star football prospect in high school chose to decommit from UNC for football to play hoops. The junior point guard has scored 38 and 44 points in games this season, so the Irish will need to find a way to slow him down as he averaged 20 points a night.
On the offensive end, Notre Dame will need to find ways to score with an eight-man rotation. Brey admitted he may switch up the starting lineup, but he’s even limited there in options.
“I think it’s up for grabs,” Brey stated on Thursday. “I’m not sure we’ll start the same way. We’re evaluating everything this week. We could come out of the gate in a different way, but there’s only so many options with eight dudes.”
It’s not a secret freshman point guard Prentiss Hubb has struggled over the last month and a half, so if he can find a rhythm, it would be a much-needed boost for a struggling Irish offense.
However, Brey has been pleased with Hubb’s overall game and has helped the Irish in other areas on the floor.
“When we’ve had guys go through not shooting the ball well,” explained Brey. “I’ve tried not to sit there and over coach it and get them thinking too much. He’s sixth in the league in assist-to-turnover and he’s really taking care of the ball and finding people. He’s a pretty athletic defender and gets his hands on stuff.
“One of the things that he can do is shot selection and I thought he did a better job of it on Saturday (Syracuse). He might have forced a few to get himself going at Virginia Tech and in previous games. If he has an open look, he has to take it because he’s made them for us in the early non-league wins. His scoring can help us.”
Overall, Saturday is a huge game for this Notre Dame squad and a win would be a major confidence boost as the Irish will face North Carolina, NC State, Duke and Virginia over the next two weeks.
“I’ve glanced ahead. It’s unbelievable,” said Brey. “It’s the ultimate challenge. Two teams will be fighting for their life on Saturday. We’ve been in this position before where you just need one. We’re going to have to be good to beat BC.”
Prediction: Notre Dame 76 Boston College 73