Game 7 Preview: Irish Ready for B1G Challenge

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A B1G week lies ahead for the Notre Dame men’s basketball team (5-1) as they accept the Challenge of No. 20/20 Michigan State (5-2) on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The Irish look to garner some momentum with its first ranked foe of the season in a late 9:20 pm tip inside Purcell Pavilion. The game will air live on ESPN2.

NATE THE GREAT

How about doubling your scoring average from a year ago and ranking second in the ACC in scoring? Nate Laszewski is off to a great start in his final year in an Irish uniform, averaging 18.2 ppg. 

Laszewski recorded 3 straight double-doubles to start the year and was one rebound shy against Lipscomb for making it 4-for-4. His 3 double-doubles rank 12th in the country. In addition, he entered the year with six 20-point scoring games – he already has 2 thru 6 games.

Laszewski ranks in the top-7 of six different stastical categories in the ACC — 7th in rebounds (8.7), 5th in FG% (.561), 6th in 3PT FG% (.458), 5th in FT% (.872), 1st in defensive rebounds (7.8). 

In fact his 7.8 defensive rebounds per game rank 11th in the country. And oh by the way, he’s a threat from deep as well, co-leading the team with 1.8 made three-pointers per game. 

CLOSERS

One of the biggest takeaways from the first 5 games is this – Irish down the stretch get clutch at home.  

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.

STAR(LING) FRESHMAN

All the talk about the grad school vets but there’s a freshmen named JJ Starling looking to make a name for himself in the collegiate landscape. 

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 12.8 ppg. In fact, he ranks 3rd in scoring amongst ACC freshmen. 

Furthermore, Starling is shooting 46.3 percent from the field, which ranks 8th natonally amongst D-I freshmen guards. 

He took over the Bowling Green game on Nov. 22 – pouring in 23 points on a near-perfect 10-for-11 shooting night. He joins 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. Plus, his 23 points currently stands as a single game high amongst ACC freshmen.

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. 

HEATING UP

Look no further than Notre Dame’s other emerging freshman, Ven-Allen Lubin. The 6-8 forward has posted back-to-back games in double figures for the first time and is coming off of a 10 point, 13 rebound, double-double (his first). Lubin went 11-for-15 from the field last week, totaling 22 points.  

ACC/B1G TEN CHALLENGE HISTORY

Notre Dame will compete in its 10th and final ACC/B1G Challenge on Wednesday. As a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Irish are 4-5 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. 

Wednesday night’s showdown will be the ACC/BIG Challenge rubber match between the Irish and Spartans, with each side previously winning on their home court. Back in 2014, Notre Dame defeated #19/18 MSU 79-78 in overtime inside Purcell. Three years later in East Lansing, the Spartans got revenge in a top-5 matchup with a 81-63 victory.

Overall, the Irish and Spartans will be meeting for the 98th time on the hardwood, where ND enjoys a 60-37 series lead, with a 35-11 mark at home. The Spartans have enjoyed recent success, claiming four of the last five.  

On Nov. 28, the ACC and SEC, along with ESPN, announced the formation of the ACC/SEC Challenge for men’s and women’s basketball, which will begin as part of the 2023-24 season.

NEW COURT, SAME HOME ADVANTAGE

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, as their .931 winning percentage at home ranked ninth in the nation. This year, they are off to a 5-0 start, thus 19-1 over last 20 home games. 

Prior to last season, the last time an Irish squad had one loss at home or fewer was the 2011-12 season. 

Now let’s add in the women’s team for an overall basketball picture. Combined the men and women went 27-2 inside Purcell for a .967 winning percentage last season. That ranked third last season behind Arizona (29-1, .967) and Tennessee (30-2, .938). 

DANE FEELIN GOOD(WIN)

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

He’s currently averaging a career best 14.3  ppg on 49.2  percent shooting.  Goodwin is connecting on 47.8 percent from deep (10-of-19) – team best – also ranks 4th in the ACC. 

Goodwin has hit some big late three’s as well – 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. 

EARLY SPURTS FROM WERTZ

For the first time of his Irish career, Wertz fired off three straight double-digit scoring games (it marked the 5th time in his collegiate career).

First, Wertz fired off 18 points against Radford, connecting on three treys in a row from 8:22-6:51 in the second half. Then it was 15 points against Youngstown State. Then, it was a season high 20 points against Southern Indiana, which included 12 points in the 2nd half. 

Though his scoring has dipped the past few games, his assist production has gone up. Wertz has recorded back-to-back games of 6 assists. Furthermore, his 4.3 apg ranks 6th in the ACC. 

Lastly, his 3.25 assist-to-turnover ratio leads all players in the ACC and ranks 36th in the nation. 

SPECIAL ABILITY UNLOCKED – FT SHOOTING

One of Notre Dame’s keys to victory is their ability to get to the free-throw line and convert. The Irish rank 2nd in the country in free-throw percentage, converting 82.7 percent. 

In fact, Cormac Ryan ranks 11th in the nation in free-throw percentage, knocking down 94.4 percent from the stripe. Laszewksi ranks 30th in the nation in made free throws with 34. 

— ND —