Game 10 Preview: Old Foes Get Reacquainted

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On Sunday inside Purcell Pavilion, old foes get reacquainted while one of Notre Dame’s old greats takes his place in the rafters. The Fighting Irish men’s basketball team (7-2) welcomes its old BIG EAST rival Marquette (7-3) in a 4 p.m. ET tip on Sunday on ESPN2. It’ll mark the 119th matchup between the two but the first since 2013. Meanwhile, at halftime, ND great John Shumate will get inducted into the prestigious Ring of Honor.

RING OF HONOR

Another banner will be hung in the rafters of Purcell Pavilion on Sunday with a special Ring of Honor ceremony dedicated to John Shumate. A 6-9 center hailing from Elizabeth, New Jersey, Shumate donned the Notre Dame Blue & Gold from 1971-74, and led as captain for his final two playing years. Shumate scored a total of 1,334 points and reeled in 684 rebounds over 59 collegiate games. A two-time All-American, and a First Team consensus choice in 1974, Shumate is one of the few ND greats to average a double-double over their respective career, averaging 22.6 ppg and 11.6 rpg. 

During the 1972-73 season, Shumate led the Irish to an 18-12 record and the NIT championship game – a tournament in which he was named the MVP. A year later was a magical 26-3 season, which included a 15-0 record inside Purcell Pavilion. That year, Shumate and the Irish went 3-1 versus nationally ranked top-five teams, which included No. 3 Indiana, No. 5 Marquette and of course No. 1 UCLA, as the latter snapped the Bruins 88-game winning streak. In that game, Shumate tallied a 24-point, 11-rebound double-double, grabbing the final winning rebound to clinch it. 

Shumate ultimately had the best scoring average in the 1974 NCAA Tournament, averaging 28.7 ppg over three games and was named to the All-Regional Team as a result.

When it comes to converting shots, no one in the history of the program did it better, as Shumate still ranks first all-time with his .610 career shooting percentage (min. 600 attempts). 

Shumate still ranks eighth all-time in points scored in a single season, racking up 703 during the 1973-74 campaign. During the same year, Shumate converted 62.7 percent of his shots, which ranks fifth all-time. The New Jersey native collected 27 career double-doubles, including 15 in his final season.

Shumate will be the program’s 10th individual inducted into the Ring of Honor.

OLD RIVALS BACK TOGETHER ON SUNDAY

Sunday’s matchup will mark the 119th contest between Notre Dame and Marquette, but the first since the 2013 BIG EAST conference tournament. The Irish lead the all-time series, 81-37, with a strong 48-13 record at home. 

Marquette has only faced DePaul (131) and Wisconsin (129) more times than ND. 

ON FIRE

There’s not a hotter shooter in the country from three than Cormac Ryan righrt now. He’s 14-of-19 from three over the past 3 games. In fact, Ryan has made the most three’s in the country since Nov. 30 with 14. He’s averaging 19.3 ppg in those 3 games, shooting 19-of-29 from the floor. 

If he scores 20 or more points on Sunday, it would mark the first time of his career he earned three 20-point performances in the same season. If he scores 23 or more on Sunday, it’ll mark the best four-game stretch of his career, topping a four-game spurt last March in which he scored 80 points – capped by NCAA Bama game. 

HEATING UP

Freshman Ven-Allen Lubin is starting to come into his own —  3 double-digit scoring performances over the last 5 games – averaging 9.0 ppg and 6.8 rpg in that span. He’s 20-for-30 from the field in those 5 games. 

Overall, he’s averaging 7.3 points and 5.2 rebounds off the bench. He’s shooting an impressive 73.7 percent from two, while knocking down 64.4 percent from the floor overall – which would lead the team if he had more attempts. 

Lubin secured his first career double-double on Nov. 25 vs St. Bonaventure, posting 10 points and 13 rebounds. Later on Dec. 7 vs Boston, Lubin was subbed in for his defense with under a minute left and it paid off, earning a pivotal block and rebound, then converting a free throw on the other end. He finished with nine points, 5 rebounds and a career best 3 blocks. 

NATE’S GREAT START

Nate is averaging career best numbers – 14.3 ppg and 8.4 rpg. He entered the year with six 20-point scoring games and already has two this season. 

Laszewski ranks 7th in rebounds (8.4), 3rd in FT% (.875), 2nd in defensive rebounds (7.7). In fact his 7.7 defensive rebounds per game rank 12th in the country. 

SCOREMAC RYAN

The Michigan State game on Nov. 30 saw the return of the Scoremac. He was a man possessed in the first half, scoring 20 of the team’s 42 points in which they boasted a 42-24 lead. Thus he nearly outscored the Spartans that half. He went 5-for-5 from deep and 7-of-8 overall. He ultimately finished the game with season high 23 points and a perfect 6-for-6 from three. 

And Ryan is no stranger to that kind of performance. He went 7-for-9 from three in the big NCAA Tournament win over Alabama last March, scoring 29 points. 

All-in-all, since joining the Irish starting lineup on Feb. 9, 2022, Ryan has averaged 13.2 ppg (carrying over into this season as well). 

#PROTECTPURCELL

Notre Dame’s court may have gotten a facelift this offseason and sport a new look, but the same home court advantage still applies. 

Last season, the Irish went 14-1 inside Purcell Pavilion, and this year they are off to a 7-1 start which includes a ranked win over No. 20 Michigan State. Thus, they are 21-2 at home over their last 23 home games. 

With the win over Boston U on Dec. 7, the Irish have won 25 straight at home against mid-majors, with the last loss occurring against Radford back in 2018. 

PEEP THESE TRENDING STATS

The Irish are currently leading the country in fouls per game, only committing an average of 11.1. 

Next, they rank 2nd in the country in turnovers per game, only surrendering 8.8.

Lastly, if the Irish can get to the free-throw line in late-game situationsk, look out. They rank 5th in free-throw percentage, converting 81.6 percent from the stripe – leads the ACC as well.  

CLOSERS

One of the biggest takeaways from early on this season is that the Irish have finished strong down the final stretch of a game. 

Game 1 vs Radford – Irish make 6 of their last 9 from the field over the final 8:22

Game 2 vs YSU – Irish make its last six from the field over the final 4:29

Game 3 vs USI – Irish make its last 11-of-15 over the final 11:33. 

Game 4 vs Lipscomb – Dane Goodwin converts a three with 14 seconds left for the go-ahead game-winner.

Game 5 vs Bowling Green – The Irish end the game on a 23-5 scoring run. ND made 9 of its last 12 from the field starting at the 10:25 mark.

Game 9 vs Boston – Up six with four minutes to play, Irish get it done from the free-throw line, making nine from the stripe to close out the 81-75 win. 

STAR(LING) FRESHMAN

Starling, who was ranked 18th by ESPN and was the highest ranked ND recruit since at least 2007 (when ESPN recruiting database began), is off to a fantastic start – averaging 12.6 ppg. In fact, he ranks 3rd in scoring amongst ACC freshmen.  The top two spots belong to Duke’s Kyle Filipowski (14.9 ppg) and Syracuse’s Judah Mintz (13.9 ppg). All-in-all, they’re the only 4 ACC freshmen in double figures. 

Shooting-wise, his .436 shooting percentage ranks 7th nationally amongst D-I freshmen guards. From two he’s been highly efficient, shooting 53.0 percent from within the arc. 

He took over the Bowling Green game on Nov. 22 – pouring in 23 points on a near-perfect 10-for-11 shooting night. He joined Torin Francis (10-11 vs Arizona on 3/27/2003) as the only other freshman in ND history to make at least 10 field goals while only missing one from the floor. 

Starling first impressed with a 17-point breakout performance vs Youngstown State on Nov. 13. Starling went clutch mode, making back-to-back treys under the two-minute mark to help clinch the win. 

He led second half scorers against Michigan State, scoring nine of his 14 points. 

DANE FEELIN GOOD(WIN)

Dane entered the year with 8 20+ point scoring performances and now has two already. 

He’s currently averaging a career best 13.7 ppg on 46.3 percent shooting.  Goodwin is connecting on 50.0 percent from deep (17-of-34) – team best – also ranks 3rd in the ACC.

Goodwin has connected on 6-of-11 from three over the last 3 games, totaling 37 points in that span. He’s also reeled in a total of 19 boards in the last 3 games. 

Goodwin has hit some big late three’s early this season – hitting a trey with 2:48 left against USI and 14 seconds left against Lipscomb. The latter was the gamewinner in a 66-65 victory over Lipscomb. Goodwin tied his career high in made three-pointers, converting 6-of-8 from deep. He finished with 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting. 

— ND —