Game 3 Preview: In-State Battle Wages in Purcell

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team will look to build off its 2-0 start when they compete in three games over six days. Up first, the Fighting Irish will challenge Southern Indiana (1-1) on Wednesday, Nov. 16, at 8 p.m. ET inside Purcell Pavilion. It’ll mark the first time these two programs have met.

FIRST CAREER ACC WEEKLY HONOR

he Atlantic Coast Conference announced its first Player of the Week and it was none other than Notre Dame’s Nate Laszewski picking up the honor. It marked the first of his five-year career.

The 6-10 forward out of Jupiter, Florida, averaged 21 points and 11.0 rebounds, posting two double-doubles in wins over Radford and Youngstown State.

Laszewski tied his career high with 28 points in the 79-76 victory over Radford, scoring 10 of the team’s final 15 points to clinch the win. Laszewski also reeled in 12 boards and dished out three assists.

A few days later against Youngstown State – the same result – a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards. For reference, Laszewski had nine career double-doubles before starting the season and now he’s 2-for-2.

He also got it done from the free-throw line, going a combined 15-for-18 aka 83.3 percent. The big man also flashed his range, converting a three in each game with a 3-for-6 week from beyond the arc.

BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES

To help illustrate Laszewski’s hot start, keep this in mind – he entered the year with just nine career double-doubles to his name – he’s now 2-for-2 on collecting double-doubles to start the year. The last Irish player to garner three in a row – Paul Atkinson Jr, Feb. 2 -9, 2022.

EARLY SPURTS FROM WERTZ

Trey Wertz has jumped into the starting lineup in replace of the injured Marcus Hammond and has performed admirably. 

First, Wertz notched his second-highest scoring output in an Irish uniform with 18 points against Radford. Not to mention Wertz connected on three treys in a row from 8:22-6:51 in the second half. 

Then for the second time in his Irish career, Wertz recorded back-to-back games in double figures with 15 points against Youngstown State. 

With that said, Wertz has started the season an efficient 13-of-18 from the field, converting 72.2 percent of his shots. His shooting percentage ranks first in the ACC and 44th in the country. 

In addition, Wertz is 8-of-9 from two-point range. 

FRESHMEN READY TO MAKE AN IMPACT

All the talk about the vets but there’s a freshmen class that was ranked in the top 15 in the country that’s ready to make an impact. 

Let’s first start with JJ Starling who was ranked 18th by ESPN and was the highest-ranked ND recruit since at least 2007 (when ESPN recruiting database began). That spot was previously held by Demetrius Jackson, who was ranked No. 24 in 2013. 

Starling had a breakout performance in game two of the season, registering 17 points against Youngstown State. The New York native went clutch mode, making back-to-back treys under the two-minute mark. 

Important to note – Starling has started 6-of-8 from three as his 62.5 percent from deep ranks 2nd in the ACC. 

Next, there’s 6-8 forward Ven-Allen Lubin, who was ranked 69th by ESPN and the ninth best at his position.

Lubin flashed his athletic prowess in game two vs Youngstown St on Nov. 13. Whether it was running down a Penguin player to record a big block, draining his first career three, or simply going 4-for-4 from the field to register nine points – Lubin impressed in his 24 minutes. 

SCOREMAC RYAN

Since joining the Irish starting lineup on Feb. 9, 2022, Cormac Ryan has turned into Scoremac, averaging 12.8 ppg (carrying over into this season as well). 

Over the final 12-game run last season he shot an impressive 56.1 percent from the field and 50.9 percent from three. Ryan had the best game of his career against Alabama in the first round of the NCAA tournament, scoring a Brey-era NCAA single game record 29 points and setting the Notre Dame NCAA record with a career-best seven three pointers. 

Now spanning 14 games, Ryan has registered back-to-back double-digit scoring games to start the year. He notched 10 points and the game-winning basket against Radford, then contributed 13 points against Youngstown St. 

LEARNED HOW TO WIN AND THEN SOME

The quote you heard from Coach Brey often this preseason – “these guys learned how to win last year and now they are ready for the challenge.”

This experienced Irish group went 15-5 in the ACC, earning the No. 2 seed in the league tournament. They then made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017, earning a First Four spot. Notre Dame defeated Rutgers in double OT and then Alabama before falling to Texas Tech closely in the Second Round. 

Fast forward to now and that experience has paid off. First, the Irish battled back to take the lead against Radford with 9.5 seconds left for the 79-76 win. Against Youngstown State, it was a three-point game with 2:26 remaining, but the Irish staved off the attack and clinched the 88-81 victory.

— ND —