| GAME 20: | NOTRE DAME (10-9, 1-5) |
|---|---|
| OPPONENT: | BOSTON COLLEGE (9-10, 2-4) |
| TIP TIME: | 6 PM ET |
| WHERE: | SOUTH BEND, IN | PURCELL PAVILION |
| WATCH: | ACC NETWORK |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| TICKETS: | PURCHASE ONLINE |
| STATS: | Follow Here |
| SOCIAL: | @NDMBB | #GOIRISH |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – On deck for Notre Dame men’s basketball – a pivotal matchup and what they hope will be a turning point. The Fighting Irish (10-9, 1-5) are looking to break a five-game skid when the Boston College (9-10, 2-4) roll into town. The Eagles started 0-4 in ACC play, but have since won two straight. It’s a rivalry matchup in Purcell Pavilion on Saturday, Jan. 24, tipping off at 6 p.m. ET on ACC Network.
Last season, the Irish knocked off the Eagles 78-60 at home, then delivered a 14-point comeback double OT win at Chestnut Hill, 97-94. Notre Dame completed a season sweep against Boston College for the first time since 2019.
New heroes will have to emerge in the rivalry matchup. The top-four ND scoring averages in the two BC games last year are all gone or not available: Markus Burton, Tae Davis, Matt Allocco, Kebba Njie. That foursome combined for 71 ppg against the Eagles out of the total of 87.5 ppg.
Notre Dame leads the overall series, 29-17. They own a 17-7 advantage once joining the ACC.
BC is led by sophomore guard Fred Payne, who is averaging 18.7 ppg on 42.4% shooting. He’s been lighting it up from three, converting 43.2%. He’s flanked by junior forward Boden Kapke (11.2 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and junior guard Donald Hand Jr (10.2 ppg).
FRESHMAN STANDOUT JALEN HARALSON
Jalen is currently averaging 14.6 ppg, which ranks fifth amongst ACC freshmen. He’s registered double-digit points in 16 of his 18 games played. His scoring average during ACC play is just about the same at 14.5 ppg.
He converts 67.4% from within 4.5 feet and shoots 51.5% overall from two-point range. In addition, he leads the team in FT attempts, averaging 5.7 per game.
YES SIR
How about three straight games in double figures for sophomore guard Sir Mohammed – marking a career best. Mohammed has amassed 41 points in that span, shooting a combined 17-31 from the floor.
How has Sir been getting it done? He’s been thriving in the paint (51.6%) and midrange (53.8%), where he’s shooting over 50 percent in both.
Last time out, Sir led the Irish in scoring at North Carolina with 14 points.
FEELIN’ FROSTY
The temperatures in the South Bend area will be dipping well below zero as a frosty air blankets the town. We are hoping for the same inside Purcell Pavilion with Ryder Frost.
Last time out, Frost recorded his third game in double figures with 10 points, draining 3-4 from beyond the arc. In fact, over the two games last week, Frost went 5-9 from three to total 17 points.
KOEHLER AWARDED WITH FIRST START
Freshman Brady Koehler was awarded with his first career start at North Carolina, and it was properly deserved. The Indiana native was ND’s best player at Virginia Tech on Jan. 17, scoring 15 of his career high 17 points in the 2nd half. Overall, he was 5-7 from the field, plus 2-3 from three & 5-6 from the stripe – all were personal bests.
He’s shooting 48.6% from two-point range but has been at his best in the midrange, where he’s 53.8%.
But don’t let the 6-10 frame fool you, for Koehler can knock it down from three. He may own fewer three-point attempts than most of his Notre Dame teammates, but with that said, he boasts the 2nd best three-point shooting percentage at 41.7%.
Lastly, Koehler is averaging 7.0 points in ACC play on 48.4% shooting, plus 5-10 from three.
SHREWSBERRY LEADING FROM THREE
Braeden Shrewsberry is leading the ACC in three-point shooting percentage, knocking down 42.5%. That number also ranks 24th in the country. He’s converting 2.7 made threes per game, which ranks fourth in the league.
Shrewsberry’s sweet spot? The corner three – where he’s draining 52.9%.
Against Miami on Jan. 13, Braeden reached the 200 career made threes milestone, becoming the 14th Irish player all-time to do so.
His best performance from beyond the arc came against Evansville when Shrewsberry scored a career-high 26 points behind a career-high 8 three pointers, shooting 80% from three (8-10). His 8 made triples tied for the 7th most in a game all-time in program history.
NOTRE NOTABLES
- The Irish are 12 wins away from 2,000 all-time. They would become the eighth program to achieve this feat.
- Last 5 games for Cole Certa — 11.0 ppg. He’s converted the most free throws on the team in that span, making 17-19.
- Certa is averaging the 2nd most points in ACC play at 10.0 ppg.
- Braeden is coming off a career-high five-assist performance at UNC.
- Garrett Sundra broke a 0-10 stretch from three by going 2-2 from deep at UNC.
- Matt MacLellan, over the last 2 games, has recorded 9 points on 3-4 shooting, plus 6 rebounds.
- Certa started the season 27-27 from the FT line, as the streak ended at Cal on Jan. 2. He’s now 95.7% (44-46) on the season.
- NET is at 81 — 2-6 in Quad 1 // 1-2 in Quad 2// 2-0 in Quad 3 / 5-1 in Quad 4.
- KenPom is at 81 — ORtg ranked 103 at 114.6 — DRtg ranked 69 at 104.2.
- Notre Dame defense’s proximity allowed ranking according to Haslam Metrics is 6th in the country.