Game 22 Preview: Irish vs Cards

NOTRE DAME NOTES

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Less than two weeks away from the 10-year anniversary of the Notre Dame-Louisville 5-OT game, the two sides will reunite this weekend for a Saturday matinee. The Fighting Irish and Cardinals will tip at Noon ET on ESPN2, with each side hungry for a coveted ACC win. Saturday also marks the annual coaches vs cancer / suits and sneakers game. The Notre Dame coaches will be participating and wearing special UA sneakers for the game.

ND vs LOUISVILLE

The said famous 5-overtime game between Notre Dame and Louisville saw the Irish emerge victorious via the score of 104-101. With that said, Notre Dame trails the overall series 17-27, but are up at home at 10-8. The two sides last met in South Bend on Feb. 9 of last year, with the Irish taking 63-57. Dane Goodwin recorded a 16-point outing. 

THREAT FROM THREE

You can’t argue with Notre Dame’s three-point shooting ability. The Irish rank 1st in the ACC in made three-pointers per game and 2nd in three-point shooting percentage. They are averaging 9.2 threes per game, which would rank 4th all-time in program history – the program record is 9.7 set by the 19-20 squad. That number ranks 25th in the country. They are converting 37.5 percent from beyond the arc, which checks in 37th nationally.

Over the last 15 games in particular, Notre Dame has knocked down 148 three-pointers (9.9 per game) which leads all Power-Five schools since Nov. 30 and ranks ninth overall. 

23 IN ‘23

Goodwin has found his offensive rhythm and is Notre Dame’s best player right now with 9 straight games in double figures. He’s amassed 121 points in the last 9 games, averaging 13.4 ppg. He is 49-of-101 (.485) from the field in that stretch.

In 2023 (7 games), Goodwin is averaging 13.6 ppg. Plus, he’s also been more active on the glass in 2023 grabbing 45 boards over the last 7 games aka 6.4 rpg. 

He had a season high 6 assists to go with his 15 points at Syracuse on Jan. 14. A game prior vs Georgia Tech, he produced a team high 19 points and a career best 12 rebounds. Goodwin connected on a big three in the overtime period to help seal the win.  

“THAT WAS MARCUS HAMMOND”

Marcus Hammond is starting to get in a groove as of late and be that guy that Coach Brey thought he could be for the Irish. 

Three double-digit scoring performances in the last 4 games. He led the team in scoring in two of them (Syracuse + BC, Jan. 14-17) –> had back-to-back games with a season high in made threes (4+5). Hammond is averaging 13.8 ppg over said 4-game span. 

Hammond is also coming off his first double-double of the season, and 5th of his career, with 11 points and 10 rebounds at NC State. 

GAMES GETTING AWAY

The Irish have now had three ACC games in which they’ve garnered double-digit leads, only to succumb to the opponent’s rally. Coach Brey has emphasized that this group has to learn, and quickly, how to close out games, especially on the road. 

Largest Leads Given Out in Loss This Season

12 at Syracuse (12:54 in 2H), 1/14/23

11 at Florida State (10:41 in 1H), 12/21/22

10 at Boston College (17:53 in 2H), 1/3/23

And what’s tough specifically about the Syracuse and Boston College losses was that Notre Dame led for almost the entire game in both. Take this stat – in those two games, Notre Dame led for a combined 63:38 out of the 80 minutes. More on that below

THE ABILITY TO RALLY NOW JUST CLOSE

The game at NC State on Jan. 24 was a rollercoaster and intriguing one. The Irish went down 11 points in the first half, then rallied to go up 7 and take a halftime lead. They then went down 9 points in the 2nd half to rally to cut it to one before falling 85-82. It marked their highest points total on the road this season. 

Much in the same in the losses to Florida State and Boston College the week prior. Against FSU, the Irish twice found themselves down 24 and twice rallied to cut it to a two-possession game, but just couldn’t get over that final hump. Against BC, the Irish rallied down 14 points to take a lead in the 2nd half, but ultimately ran into an Eagles team that shot 71.4 percent in the 2nd half to close out the 84-72 win. 

A DIFFERENCE OF A FEW POSSESSIONS

A difference in a few possessions – one in each of the following games – Syracuse x2, Florida State, Boston College, NC State. 

1st game vs. Syracuse – Down five, with under 1:20 to play, Cormac Ryan and Marcus Hammond recorded back-to-back three-point plays to go up 61-60, but the Orange answered with 14 seconds on the clock. Notre Dame couldn’t connect on the buzzer-beater, falling 62-61.

Florida State – With six seconds remaining on the clock down one, Notre Dame ran a great in-bounds play to Wertz but his next pass to an open and sprinting Cormac Ryan was thrown just a tad too high/long as the Seminoles tracked it down and escaped with a 73-72 win. The Irish were on a 6-0 run with two big defensive stands in the final minute before the final play of the game.

Boston College – The Irish led for the first 37:19 of the game but Boston College closed on a 17-4 run to take it 70-63. Notre Dame led 59-53 with 4 minutes remaining. When BC took its first lead at 1:43, 62-61, Notre Dame went 0-3 on its next three possessions.

2nd game at Syracuse – Irish led for a majority, 26:19 in fact, leading as much as 12 points with 12:54 to play. However, the Orange ultimately closed the game on a 24-10 scoring run, stealing the victory from the Irish in the closing minutes. The Irish, who made a season high 15 three-pointers in the contest, suddenly went cold, missing 8 of their last 9 three-pointer attempts. 

At NC State – trailing just 73-76 with 1:51 remaining, the Irish recorded an 0-for-4 stretch from the field to see the gap grow to 7 points before falling 82-85. 

— ND —