Notre Dame vs. DePaul: College basketball game preview, TV schedule
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish open the 2017-18 season against the DePaul Blue Demons in their new arena. Who will win the matchup of former Big East foes?
TV Schedule: Saturday, Nov. 11, 4:00 p.m ET, FS1
Arena: Wintrust Arena, Chicago, Illinois
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish will open the season against former Big East foes the DePaul Blue Demons. This is the first matchup between the two teams since they were both members of the Big East during the 12-13 season. The game will be the first regular-season contest played in DePaul’s new venue, the Wintrust Arena.
The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 14 in both the AP and Coaches polls and are led by their talented senior duo of Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell. Colson earned third-team All-American honors last season and is recognized as one of the best players in the country. He averaged 17.6 ppg and 10.1 rpg. Farrell had a breakout junior season where he saw his scoring increase from 2.6 to 14.4 ppg. The sharp-shooting point guard also proved his value as a distributor by averaging 5.4apg.
Farrell and Colson will be star performers, but there are multiple players who could step into bigger roles. Rex Pflueger and Temple Gibbs are the most likely break-out candidates. Pflueger is a versatile glue guy who is an excellent long-range shooter while Gibbs is a talented combo guard who should see his scoring numbers increase as a sophomore.
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Opening the season at DePaul will be a difficult test for Notre Dame. DePaul returns its best player, junior Eli Cain, who averaged 15.6 ppg last season. Cain is one of the best players in the Big East and can do it all from the wing position. Senior forward Tre’Darius McCallum is the second-leading returning scorer at 9.7 ppg and the leading rebounder at 6.8 rpg.
The Blue Demons also add three quality transfers, Marin Macic, Max Strus, and Austin Grandstaff. Macic is a grad transfer from Northern Illinois who should bring some stability to the center position. Strus is a DII standout who should earn an immediate starting role. Grandstaff is talented but riddled with question marks as this is already his third school (Ohio State and Oklahoma).
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While DePaul has upgraded its overall talent, the Blue Demons are still a bottom tier Big East team. They have a great player in Cain, but most of their roster is unproven. Notre Dame will have the two best players in this game, Farrell and Colson, and have an experience advantage.
Expect Coach Mike Brey to use a smaller lineup with Colson at the five for extended stretches. This not only gives the Fighting Irish an offensive boost but also puts pressure on DePaul’s thin frontcourt to avoid foul trouble.
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Notre Dame, with their talented veteran roster, should defeat DePaul, but the game will be closer than most expect.
Prediction: Notre Dame 75 DePaul 69