UCLA vs Notre Dame: 2019-20 College basketball game preview, TV schedule
By Joey Loose
UCLA and Notre Dame meet in an intriguing non-conference matchup of power conference teams; can the Bruins notch a solid win or will the Fighting Irish keep rolling at home?
TV schedule: Saturday, December 14, 3:00 pm ET. ABC
Arena: Purcell Pavilion in South Bend, Indiana
After last season’s struggles, UCLA (7-3) begins a new era under head coach Mick Cronin, and things have gotten off to an okay start. They returned from the Maui Invitational finishing sixth place, winning over just Chaminade, while a home loss to Hofstra is also on their resume. The travel to northern Indiana is their first true road game of the year, though Cronin is plenty familiar with Notre Dame over the years.
UCLA is led by a very balanced scoring attack, paced by four double-digit scorers. Sophomore forward Cody Riley (11.6 ppg, 5.9 rpg) put up 21 points and 11 rebounds in the Bruins’ most recent win against Denver. Sophomore forward Jalen Hill (11.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg) scored a season-high 24 points in that loss to Hofstra. The backcourt consists of junior guard Chris Smith (11.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg) and senior guard Prince Ali (10.6 ppg, 3.4 rpg), who have both looked sharp at times this year.
Due in part to a weak schedule and their lack of success in Maui, UCLA is just 110th in KenPom. This is a great rebounding team that has played solidly on the offensive end in flashes, but there are low expectations in Cronin’s first year with the Bruins.
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Across the court, Notre Dame (7-3) is similarly trying to rebound after a rough year last season. Mike Brey’s squad lacks a quality win and has already dropped a pair of ACC games, including a winnable game at home to Boston College last Saturday. With how tough the ACC is on a regular basis, the Fighting Irish have their work cut out to compete in this league.
Among the talent on this team is senior forward John Mooney (14.9 ppg, 13.2 rpg), one of the nation’s best rebounders in the early part of the year. Sophomore guard Dane Goodwin (11.3 ppg, 3.2 rpg) had 27 points in the team’s blowout win over Detroit Mercy this week, while senior guard TJ Gibbs (12.4 ppg, 4.0 apg) has the potential to catch fire from all over the court.
The Fighting Irish are 63rd in KenPom despite playing one of the worst schedules in the country to this point. Clearly, ACC play will test them greatly, but to this point, they’ve been avoiding turnovers and playing solid offense, aside from a struggling win against Toledo last month. That being said, this team dancing in March seems unlikely.
For the Bruins, who face a really tough test on the road, they’ll need their offense to show up in a big way. The spread attack means it’ll be difficult for Notre Dame to contain, but they need to hit their shots. For the Fighting Irish, they’ll need to continue to protect the basketball. UCLA rebounds the ball very well, giving Mooney a rare early-season test down low, meaning he’ll need to win those battles for the ball.
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The advantage will certainly be for Notre Dame, but anything can happen in this game. This is a matchup of two power conference schools that frankly haven’t been tested, nor have shown they can win big games this season. I think the combination of Mooney and the home crowd will be too much for the Bruins to handle, especially through their recent struggles.