After playing a shaky nonconference slate, Syracuse (9-4) opens up Atlantic Coast Conference play on the road against Notre Dame (10-4, 0-1 ACC) on Saturday in South Bend, Indiana. The Orange are starting conference play after a 81-48 victory over St. Bonaventure on Dec. 29. Notre Dame, meanwhile, lost its conference opener against Virginia Tech on Tuesday and will look to bounce back when it hosts SU inside Purcell Pavilion.

Here’s what to know about the Fighting Irish ahead of Saturday’s matchup:

All-time series: Syracuse leads, 29-20

Last time they played: In a 51-49 defeat last season, Syracuse surrendered a game-winning layup to Rex Pflueger with two seconds left. Tyus Battle turned the ball over on the prior possession, starting a fast break for the Fighting Irish. T.J. Gibbs’ layup was too strong, but no SU player went for the rebound. Pflueger controlled the ball and scored, giving Notre Dame the win.

Battle finished with 21 points, while Oshae Brissett added a double-double. However, Brissett shot just 3-of-15 from the field, and 0-for-8 from inside the arc. As a team, SU shot 50 percent in the first half before struggling in the latter frame. It allowed a Notre Dame team that nearly doubled its field-goal percentage from the first to second half to comeback and win.

The Notre Dame report: The Fighting Irish’s rotation are depleted with ACC play underway. Pflueger tore his ACL in December and will miss the rest of the season. Robby Carmody, who became the first Notre Dame freshman to start a season-opener in 16 years, is also out for the year with a torn labrum.

However, Notre Dame still has a few players that could give Syracuse trouble on Saturday. Gibbs, Notre Dame’’s leader, returns from last season. He had 18 points against the Orange last season and leads UND with 14.5 points per game this season. The Fighting Irish also sport 6-foot-9 forward John Mooney, who averages 12.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game. D.J. Harvey is another key contributor for UND on offense, averaging 11.7 points per game.

Notre Dame’s best attribute comes on the offensive side of the ball. The Fighting Irish rank second in the country in turnover percentage at 13.5, per KenPom. Keeping the ball, however, does not always lead to offensive success. UND ranks 223rd in the country in 2-point percentage and 145th in 3-point percentage.

On the opposite side of the court, Notre Dame is solid at defending the paint. The team ranks top-10 in block percentage and 74th at defending shots inside the arc, per KenPom. That success normally comes when 6-foot-11 Connecticut transfer Juwan Durham patrols the paint.

How Syracuse beats the Fighting Irish: Syracuse needs to play more balanced on offense. The Orange have shot too many errant 3s in nonconference play and have four losses to show for it. The focus for SU should be more on ball movement and attacking Notre Dame’s usual seven-man rotation.

As mentioned before, Notre Dame is extremely smart when it comes to turning the ball over when on offense. Syracuse ranks 12th in the country in defensive turnover percentage and the 2-3 zone is a big reason for it. The Orange needs to make UND uncomfortable — forcing them into uncomfortable passes — and create transition opportunities off of them. A win will start on the defensive end for Syracuse, much like it has all season-long.

Stat to Know: 3.3 — Juwan Durham averages 3.3 blocks in just 14.4 minutes per game. That’s 9.1 blocks per 40 minutes.

KenPom Odds: Syracuse has a 53-percent chance to beat Notre Dame, by a score of 68-67.

Player to Watch: Junior guard T.J. Gibbs

Gibbs is Notre Dame’s leader and the most capable scorer, as seen in his team-high 18 points against Syracuse last season. With an added year of experience and Pflueger now out for the season, it becomes increasingly important for Gibbs to run UND’s offense and take over down the stretch of games. For Notre Dame to beat the Orange, it’ll start with the play of its captain, Gibbs.

Published on January 3, 2019 at 5:25 pm

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