Notre Dame basketball: 2019-20 keys to the Fighting Irish beating Indiana

Notre Dame Basketball: 2019-20 keys to Fighting Irish beating Indiana

CHAPEL HILL, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 06: Prentiss Hubb #3 of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish reacts after making a 3-point basket against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the second half at the Dean Smith Center on November 06, 2019 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina won 76-65. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images) /

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 10: Devonte Green #11 of the Indiana Hoosiers (Photo by Emilee Chinn/Getty Images) /

1. Notre Dame must make Indiana take shots from the perimeter

One big factor in this game should be what kind of shots Indiana is able to get on the offensive end. The Hoosiers have been one of the best shooting teams in the country, knocking down 49% of their shots. But it is where their shots come from that is important to the Indiana offense. It will be very important for Notre Dame to force Indiana into a lot of perimeter shots because the Hoosiers are much better inside the arc than they are outside of it.

The three-point shot isn’t a big part of the Indiana arsenal, making 5.5 per game and at just a 32% clip, so a team that averages 82 points per game with those kinds of long-distance numbers means they must be very efficient inside the arc, and they are. Indiana makes 56% of their two-point shots, which puts them in the top-15 in the country.

Notre Dame is good at forcing opponents into difficult shots, as their opponents shoot just 39% from the field while giving up 64 points per game. If the Fighting Irish wants to leave Indianapolis with a win, it will be imperative for them to keep the Hoosiers out of the paint and force them to generate their offense from beyond 15 feet.

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