North Carolina vs. Notre Dame: Game Preview, Prediction, TV Schedule
The North Carolina Tar Heels go on the road again to play the Notre Dame Fighting Irish who are returning home after suffering a heartbreaking defeat.
TV Schedule: Saturday, Jan. 13, 2018. 5 p.m. ET ESPN
Arena: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame, Indiana.
The North Carolina Tar Heels started ACC play 1-2 after losing consecutive games to Florida State and Virginia. UNC turned things around with a beat down of a Boston College team who defeated Duke earlier this season. The Irish, on the other hand, picked up wins against Georgia Tech, NC State, and Syracuse. They had a quick turnaround, played the Yellow Jackets again and lost by seven.
Bonzie Colson hasn’t played since December 30 and Matt Farrell’s last game was January 3. The Irish have been playing very well since their top two scorers went down.
Notre Dame ran into Georgia Tech for the second time in 11 days. The Yellow Jackets came into the contest with an 8-7 record.
Georgia Tech was led by their guard Josh Okogie, who’s averaging 19.6 points per game as he dropped 17 against the Irish. The next two guys in line for Notre Dame are Temple Gibbs and Rex Pflueger. Gibbs shot a miserable 4 for 12 from the field for 11 points. Pflueger was shutout for the first time all season.
Now the Tar Heels are writing a different script coming into this Saturday game. They couldn’t keep up in a shootout against Florida State, and Virginia’s defense was just too much.
Boston College took down Duke earlier this year. UNC was coming off back-to-back ACC losses and completely controlled the entire game.
Related Story: See Where The Tar Heels and Irish are in Bracketology
The bench was the difference maker for the Heels. Four out of five starting Eagles were in double-digits, but the bench only scored four points. Luke Maye went off for 32 points on 13-20 shooting with four coming from downtown. Their bench dropped 19 points
North Carolina has the chance to do the same thing on Saturday against Notre Dame. The Irish have a small bench now that their top two players are out. They have only gone three deep the last two games in close contests.
Matt Farrell is not expected to play again due to an ankle injury. The Tar Heels will continue to flex their muscle when it comes to playing a deep bench.
By chance that Notre Dame tries to squeak out this victory, the Irish will certainly need great performances by Gibbs and Pflueger while also playing that great defense they’ve showed lately.
In their four ACC games, the Irish haven’t allowed more than 60 points. GIbbs is averaging over 15 points per game, but Pflueger is under 10.
An X-factor to keep an eye on is Martinas Geben. He averages 9 points per game for the season and 10 in the past three games. He’s a 6-9 forward that will have to play Luke Maye.
There was a change in plans for Roy Williams as he played the hotter hand against Boston College. Cameron Johnson entered the starting five, forcing North Carolina to go small, but had a better chance at scoring more.
Garrison Brooks was starting, but he joined Sterling Manley and Jalek Felton as the next guys off the bench. Brooks played 16 minutes for North Carolina, grabbed four boards and scored four points. Manley hauled in five boards and scored nine points. The switch seemed to benefit.
Joel Berry II has to play like the difference maker he can be. Kenny Williams is establishing himself as a great shooter and running mate.
The two Tar Heel guards will be matching up with Gibbs and Pflueger. It will be one of the better complete backcourt match ups the ACC will see all season. All four guys can light it up from behind-the-arc and take over a game.
The difference will certainly be Maye’s ability to stretch the court and score from wherever. Gibbs and Pflueger have stepped up quite nicely, but Berry is a National Champion. It’s his turn to control games in the ACC. The North Carolina Tar Heels’ offense is going to be too much for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Prediction: North Carolina 70 Notre Dame 62