Syracuse (13-8, 3-5 Atlantic Coast) hosts Notre Dame (14-5, 5-2) on Thursday night in the Carrier Dome. The Orange is coming off an eight-point loss to No. 13 Virginia on Sunday after winning three straight.

Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey discussed the upcoming matchup with SU on the ACC coaches teleconference on Monday. He spoke about the status of UND guard Demetrius Jackson, his potential replacement Rex Pflueger and Syracuse’s Michael Gbinije.

On Jackson’s hamstring injury

Notre Dame is preparing as if Jackson won’t play due to a pulled hamstring injury he suffered on Saturday, Brey said. The junior point guard is second in the ACC with five assists per game while also averaging 16.6 points. He was selected to the preseason All-ACC first team before the season started.

Brey said Jackson will be undergoing an MRI Monday afternoon to confirm the injury is not more serious than the initial diagnosis. It’s a 3-4 day recovery, Brey said, but he wants to be cautious Jackson doesn’t come back too soon.

“I don’t want to bring him back too quick. I know how guys are, ‘I’m ready, I’m ready,’” Brey said. “I think we have to be really careful with this because you want to get it healed.”

On Rex Pflueger’s recent play

Pflueger’s recent play makes the potential loss of Jackson more manageable for Notre Dame. The freshman has played 23, 18 and 32 minutes, respectively, in the past three games. Before that stretch, he had only played more than 10 minutes once. He’s racked up three steals and is averaging 6.7 points in those games.

Brey said Pflueger has always played well defensively, but now is more dangerous being that his offensive game is coming around. After Jackson left on Saturday against Boston College, Pflueger continued finding his role in UND’s offense with the increased minutes.

“We take such pride in taking care of the ball and our assist-to-turnover ratio, and that was new territory for him this preseason. He has come a long way there, and his shot selection,” Brey said. “… I thought it was a big day for another step of development, but he is really a key for us, and he’s really a key with Jackson out.”

On Gbinije

Brey said he likes to recognize when transfers play well since he was a transfer himself, moving from Northwestern State to George Washington. The combination of Gbinije’s ability to hit the 3 and drive to the basket is what makes him dangerous, Brey pointed out.

Gbinije is averaging 37.8 minutes per game, but Brey said as an experienced fifth-year player, he’s more than capable of handling it. His 17.4 points per game is third in the ACC.

The biggest concern the Fighting Irish faces in defending Gbinije, Brey said, is when he breaks down defenses off the dribble and uses ball screens to get into the lane.

“He’s big, he draws fouls, and he has an ability to get rolling from the 3-point line,” Brey said. “But he’s a man, you’re talking about an old guard who’s seen it all. It’s a great challenge for us Thursday with the way he’s playing.”

Published on January 25, 2016 at 2:20 pm

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