Game Thread | Notre Dame at Boston College
Notre Dame (11-10, 1-7) at Boston College (11-8, 2-5)
Date: February 2nd
Time: 2:00 p.m. ET
Where: Conte Forum | Chestnut Hill, Ma.
TV: Raycom Regional Networks | Channel Listings
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame and Boston College will meet or the 33rd time. Irish lead the series 22-10.
- The Irish have won 12 consecutive games against the Eagles.
- Notre Dame beat Boston College 69-66 on Jan. 12th, 2019 and used just six players.
- Forward John Mooney leads the ACC in double-doubles with 13 in 21 games (14.4 ppg, 10.8 reb).
- Mooney is one of six major conference players averaging a double-double and the only ACC player averaging a double-double.
- Mooney has posted a double-double in seven consecutive games.
- Notre Dame is second in the country in turnovers committed per game (9.5) behind national-leader Virginia (8.8).
- Gibbs is just 13 points away from reaching 1,000 career points.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 7.3 | 2.9 | 3.7 |
| TJ Gibbs | 13.4 | 2.0 | 3.8 |
| Dane Goodwin | 7.4 | 3.3 | 1.1 |
| DJ Harvey | 10.9 | 4.5 | 0.8 |
| John Mooney | 14.5 | 10.8 | 1.2 |
Boston College
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Ky Bowman | 20.5 | 7.7 | 3.6 |
| Jordan Chatman | 13.9 | 2.3 | 2.1 |
| Chris Herren Jr. | 4.3 | 1.1 | 0.6 |
| Steffon Mitchell | 4.6 | 7.9 | 2.6 |
| Nik Popovic | 13.8 | 7.3 |
1.0 |
STATS
| Stats (Per Game) | Notre Dame | Boston College |
| Points Per Game | 72.5 | 74.2 |
| Opp. Points Per Game | 70.0 | 72.6 |
| FG% | 40.4% | 44.4% |
| Rebounds | 38.5 | 36.7 |
| Assists | 13.8 | 12.4 |
| Blocks | 5.5 | 3.2 |
| Steals | 5.4 | 5.6 |
Preview
Boston College and Notre Dame both needed a win on January 12th and the Irish won an ugly game 69-66. Notre Dame used just six players in the win, but enter Saturday’s game with a five-game losing streak since the win over the Eagles.
Both teams have been hit hard by the injury bug and Boston College will likely be without one of its top players on Saturday. Freshman point guard Wynston Tabbs has missed three of the last four games with a knee injury. It’s significant news for the Irish as Tabbs averages 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists per night.
Notre Dame will also get more good news as junior Juwan Durham is expected to return to the lineup on Saturday. The 6-foot-11 forward has missed the last four games due to an ankle injury, so the Irish will get back an inside presence on both ends of the floor as Durham averages 6.6 points, 4.3 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game.
The 3.2 blocks a night leads the ACC and head coach Mike Brey wants to get the most of Durham on Saturday and for the rest of the year.
“I want to get him 20 minutes up there,” stated Brey. “My goal for him the rest of the way, if we can keep him healthy, is to play him a lot. He needs development and I think we have something unique there. Hopefully, we can get 20 minutes out of him on Saturday and maybe he’s back in the starting lineup on Wednesday.”
Another good omen for Notre Dame is TJ Gibbs will be in the lineup this time around. Gibbs missed the first meeting as became ill during shootaround and was a late scratch.
Gibbs’ presence will be welcomed as Boston College boasts one of the most productive point guards in the ACC and the country in Ky Bowman. The 6-foot-1 junior is a triple-double threat each game and Gibbs can help balance out the big numbers on the offensive end and help slow Bowman down on the defensive end of the floor.
While Saturday’s game is a road game, Brey feels getting away from Purcell Pavilion could do the Irish some good as No. 2 Duke and No. 3 Virginia left South Bend with dominating victories.
“Sometimes you get on the road and circle the wagons a little more,” Brey said on Thursday. “You’re loose and you can play. The last two games we had a great crowd and all these people there. You almost feel you have the weight of the world on you. I think our young guys felt that at times.”
Notre Dame has scored 70 points or more just once in eight ACC games, which is a major concern, so my key for this game will be sophomore DJ Harvey. The 6-foot-6 guard as struggled from the field the last three games shooting just 7-for-25 from the field and an ugly 1-for-12 from three-point range while also not hitting double-figures.
If Harvey can get going on Saturday, it will take some pressure off of the young Irish and potentially open up some shots for freshman guard Dane Goodwin and freshman forward Nate Laszewski. However, the most important thing is points. Harvey is a scorer and Notre Dame desperately needs someone to help John Mooney out on the offensive end. I believe if Harvey can score 12 points or more, the Irish will come back to South Bend with a second ACC win.
Prediction: Notre Dame 71 Boston College 67