| WHO: | Notre Dame (8-5, 2-1) at Georgia Tech (6-7, 0-3) |
| WHAT: | First of the annual home-and-home series with the Yellow Jackets |
| WHERE: | McCamish Pavilion | Atlanta, GA |
| WHEN: | Saturday, January 8, 2022 | 6 p.m. ET |
| TV: | ACC Network | Play-by-Play: Wes Durham| Analyst: Dan Bonner |
| RADIO: | Play-by-Play: Tony Simeone | Live locally on WSBT-AM 960/FM 96.1, worldwide on und.com |
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (8-5, 2-1) returns to the road in conference play on Saturday, January 8, making the trip to Georgia Tech (6-7, 0-3) for the first of the annual ACC home-and-home games with the Yellow Jackets. The series is dominated by which ever team is on its home court. The home team in this series, since Notre Dame joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season, is 13-2.
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP
#23 DANE GOODWIN | Senior | 6-4 | 202 | Upper Arlington, OH
15.1 ppg, 5.5 rpg, .496 FG%, .468 3FG%, .931 FT%
Has stepped up his game at all levels and on both ends of the court this season • reached double figure scoring in all 13 games this season (a career-best streak) • ranked in ACC Top-15 in 3FG% (.496), FG% 12th (.468) and scoring 13th (15.1) • ACC Co-Player of the Week (12/27/21) • reached 1,000 points in a career vs. Western Michigan • one of the best free throw shooters on the team, boasting a .837 career average from the stripe (27-29 this season, which included two game sealing FTs vs. UNC on Wednesday night).
#20 | PAUL ATKINSON JR. | Graduate Student | 6-9 | 230 | West Palm Beach, FL
11.4 ppg, 6.5 rpg, .568 FG%, .769 FT%
A tone setter for the Irish in the post, has hit double-digit scoring in last five of the last six games • 2019-20 Ivy League Player of the Year at Yale • did not participate in 2020-21, as the Ivy League cancelled all intercollegiate athletics • ranked by ESPN+ as the fourth-best transfer prospect in 2020-21 • boasts a .649 career field goal percentage and led Ivy League in FG% all three seasons in which he competed.
#0 BLAKE WESLEY | Freshman | 6-5 | 185 | South Bend, IN
13.7 ppg, .446 FG%, .333 3FG%
One of the most dynamic playmaking freshmen in the ACC • has reached double figures in scoring in 11 of 13 career games, including the last nine straight • ACC Rookie of the Week (12/13/21) • in first career start at home in Purcell Pavilion, hit the game-winning jumper with :12 seconds remaining to upset No. 10/12 Kentucky • third in the ACC in freshman scoring (13.3 ppg) and eighth among all major conference true freshmen in ppg • exploded for 24 points, 18 in the second half at Illinois in the first true road game of his career • first Mike Brey freshman to score 20 points in a career debut (vs. CSUN) since Chris Thomas in 2001 • first South Bend, IN, public school MBB prospect to sign with Notre Dame since 1985.
#3 PRENTISS HUBB | Senior | 6-3 | 176 | Upper Marlboro, MD
7.7 ppg, 3.2 apg
Connected on the game-winning jumper with five seconds remaining at Pittsburgh (12/28/21), capping a 13-point second half where he finished 3-3 from three-point range • edging closer to becoming the ninth Notre Dame player to post 500 career assists (487) • preseason All-ACC Second Team • led the team with 15 points against Boston College, coming off the bench for the first time since the victory at Miami last season • led the Irish in scoring (14.6) and three-point field goals made (65) last season • one of five major conference players to reach 100 assists in league play last season.
#14 NATE LASZEWSKI | Senior | 6-10 | 235 | Jupiter, FL
8.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, .453 3FG%
(pronounced La-SHEH-skee) • Had his break out game of the season Wednesday vs. North Carolina, leading the Irish with 20 points (6-7 from three point range) and eight rebounds • carries a string of six straight three pointers made into the game at Georgia Tech • improved FG% 19 percent, 3FG% 11% and RPG by 3.1 last season • scored over 20 points four times last season and has six 20-point games in his career.
OFF THE BENCH
#5 CORMAC RYAN | Senior | 6-5 | 195 | New York, NY
8.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg, .358 3FG%, .833 FT%
Has embraced new role off the bench in last three games • one of the team’s better on-ball defenders • filled up the stat line against No. 10/12 Kentucky with seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal • started 16 of 25 games in his first year with the Irish last season • scored 21 points in the first half in the victory at Duke last year, eventually scoring career-best 28 points • shot .344 from 3FG range last season.
#2 TREY WERTZ | Senior | 6-5 | 192 | Charlotte, NC
5.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 3.0 apg
Provides ball handling and scoring a punch off the bench • hit double figures for the first time this season in the victory over No. 10/12 Kentucky with 12 points • planned to sit out 2020-21 season after transferring from Santa Clara until all underclassmen transfers were given immediate eligibility in December of 2020 • appeared in 21 games making 14 starts, shooting .429 from three-point range last season • hit the game-winning 3FG at the buzzer vs. WF in 2021 ACC tournament.
IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS
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1 |
With the victory over North Carolina Wednesday, Notre Dame has chalked up a win over the Tar Heels and Kentucky in the same season for the first time in school history. The Irish also own wins over Duke, Kentucky and North Carolina in the most recent meetings between the Irish and the CBB blue bloods. |
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3.25 |
Average margin of victory for the winner of the Notre Dame – Georgia Tech game in McCamish Pavilion since 2013-14 (when ND joined the ACC). Georgia Tech is 6-2 in those contests. |
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6 |
Three point field goals in a row for senior Nate Laszewski entering the game with Georgia Tech. After his first miss against UNC on Wednesday, Laszewski hit six straight threes. It is the fourth time in his career that the Jupiter, Florida, native has hit six or more three pointers in a game – and second time vs. North Carolina. |
|
7 |
Notre Dame has won seven straight games in Purcell Pavilion dating back to last season. In those six victories are wins over No. 11/11 Florida State last March, a 66-62 win over No. 10/12 Kentucky on December 11 and a five-point win over North Carolina Wednesday night. |
|
7 |
Notre Dame will confer an NCAA Division I men’s basketball-best seven degrees in the spring of 2022 – undergraduate degrees to R. Carmody, D. Goodwin, P. Hubb, N. Laszewski, C. Ryan and T. Wertz, along with a graduate degree to P. Atkinson Jr. |
|
13 |
Career-best streak of double-digit scoring games for senior Dane Goodwin – all 13 games this season – who leads the Irish at 15.1 ppg. |
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13.7 |
Points-per-game average for Blake Wesley, which is the third-best average in the ACC and sixth-best among major conference true freshman (see page 4 for more details). |
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53 |
Three point field goals for the Irish during their four-game win streak. The Irish are 53-113 (.469) from behind the arc in the last four contests. |
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70 |
Assists for the Irish over the past four victories – an average of 17.5 per contest. |
|
77 |
Team free throw percentage for the Irish this season (77.0), tops in the ACC and 29th in the nation. |
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922 |
Career points for senior Nate Laszewski, who seeks to become the 67th Notre Dame player and 26th recruited by Mike Brey to score 1,000 points in a career. |
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981 |
Career points for senior Trey Wertz, who scored 747 points of those points at Santa Clara from 2018-20. |