Syracuse (13-8, 3-5 Atlantic Coast) returns home from a three-game stint down south to face No. 25 Notre Dame (14-5, 5-2) on Thursday at 7 p.m. in the Carrier Dome. The Fighting Irish will be without its top player, point guard Demetrius Jackson, as it rides a four-game winning streak into Syracuse. Head coach Mike Brey’s team has scored at least 70 points in all but three games, and one of them came in a win against Iowa, currently the No. 3 team in the country.

Here’s everything you need to know about Notre Dame ahead of Thursday’s game.

All-time series: 28-18 in favor of SU

Last time they played: Syracuse traveled to South Bend, Indiana late last season having lost six of its last 10 games. It had been 20 days since SU self-imposed a one-year postseason ban and the Orange was amid a stretch of playing five top 15 teams in a six-game stretch. But in what would be the last win before Syracuse’s season reached its inevitable end, B.J. Johnson led four others in double-figures to guide SU to a 65-60 upset of then-No. 9 Notre Dame. The Orange only shot 25 percent from 3-point range, but 14 points and 12 rebounds from Rakeem Christmas bolstered an interior attack that did just enough to take down a guard-heavy Fighting Irish team.

The Notre Dame report: The Fighting Irish has the best adjusted offensive efficiency rating in the country (123.1), according to Kenpom.com. The offense is led by Jackson’s team-best 16.6 points per game, but the junior will be sidelined Thursday night by a hamstring injury. According to Kenpom, Jackson takes the highest percentage of UND’s shots, is the second-most used player in terms of possessions that end with the ball in his hands and plays the second-highest percentage of a game’s minutes on average. His replacement, freshman point guard Rex Pflueger, is averaging a meager 2.5 points per game in just over 10 minutes played per contest. He’ll be charged with the bulk of the ball-handling for a team that is one of the best in the country at taking care of the ball. The Fighting Irish’s turnover percentage (14) ranks third in the country and its assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6) is tied for the best in the ACC with No. 2 North Carolina.

Notre Dame makes 55.8 percent of its 2-point field goals, which ranks 11th in the country, according to Kenpom. Syracuse was roasted on the interior on Sunday night, when Virginia made over 65 percent of its 2-point shots in a 73-65 Cavaliers win. UND’s starting five on Thursday – Pflueger, Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem, Bonzie Colson and Zach Auguste – each shoot over 53 percent from inside the arc. Only 29.1 percent of Notre Dame’s field-goal attempts come from behind the arc, but the Fighting Irish shoots an efficient 38.7 percent from 3-point range, which ranks 31st in the nation. Beachem, a 6-foot-8 forward, leads the team with a 42.3 shooting percentage from deep on a team-high 104 3-point attempts.

 

 

How Syracuse upsets Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish averages 19 seconds per possession, which is the 24th-slowest offense in the country. If Syracuse can keep Notre Dame beyond the arc late in the shot clock, the Orange will have a better chance at preventing its thin frontcourt from being exposed a la Virginia. When Beachem steps out behind the 3-point line, which he inevitably will, Tyler Lydon is likely the best option to stretch out and defend beyond the arc. If the freshman neutralizes UND’s best outside shooter, on top of the Fighting Irish being without its point guard that holds the keys to a fast-paced offense, Syracuse should be able to settle into its own pace and keep this a game.

Numbers to know:

79.4 – Notre Dame is shooting 79.4 percent from the foul line in conference, with Jackson (85.7), Colson (92) and Vasturia (94.4) leading the way from the charity stripe.

331 – Opponents are shooting 39.1 percent from deep against the Fighting Irish. UND’s 3-point defense in terms of percentage ranks No. 331 in the country.

8 – Eight players on Notre Dame who’ve played at least 13 games, compared to four on Syracuse, shoot above 40 percent from the field.

Player to watch: Colson boasts the highest offensive rating on the team (129.1) according to Kenpom and leads the Fighting Irish in field-goal percentage with a 57.9-percent mark. The sophomore only plays 26.2 minutes per game, but he averages 12.6 points and seven rebounds per contest. He plastered 31 points and 11 rebounds on Duke in a 95-91 UND win just over a week ago and combined for 31 points in Notre Dame’s last two wins against Virginia Tech and Boston College.

Published on January 26, 2016 at 6:51 pm

Contact Matt: [email protected] | @matt_schneidman