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Notre Dame, which sits second in the Atlantic Coast Conference’s standings, is set to host Syracuse on Wednesday night. The Fighting Irish have won five of their last six contests, but their most recent was a five-point loss to Wake Forest on the road.

Here’s everything you need to know about Notre Dame (19-8, 12-4 ACC) before the Fighting Irish host Syracuse in South Bend:

All-time series

Syracuse leads the all-time series 31-22.

Last time they played

Almost exactly a year ago, Notre Dame traveled to the Carrier Dome and lost 75-67 to Syracuse. Early on, the Orange’s 2-3 zone was torched by the Fighting Irish, which posted 32 points in 13 minutes. Then head coach Jim Boeheim turned to the full-court press, which he said worked really well.

“I was hoping the press would work a little bit, it worked a lot better than that,” Boeheim said after the game.

The pressure forced Notre Dame into mistakes, and it didn’t score for over six minutes in the second half. SU used a 14-0 run to turn a 20-point deficit into a eight-point home victory. Buddy Boeheim posted 29 points on 6-of-10 shooting from deep, and Marek Dolezaj added another 18. A loss to the Fighting Irish likely would’ve ended Syracuse’s NCAA Tournament hopes, but the win kept the Orange alive.

KenPom odds

KenPom gives Notre Dame a 66% chance of winning with a projected score of 76-72.

The Notre Dame report

Syracuse may have won six of its last seven games, but Notre Dame has won five of its last six. The loss came in the Fighting Irish’s most recent contest on Saturday, when they fell by five points to Wake Forest on the road.

The Fighting Irish lost three straight games early in the year when they fell to Texas A&M and Illinois during nonconference play and then lost their ACC opener to Boston College. They slipped below .500 at the time, but they haven’t lost consecutive games since then.

Notre Dame is one of the most balanced teams in the conference, with its adjusted offensive efficiency ranking 51st in the nation and its adjusted defensive efficiency ranking 78th, per KenPom. They’re a strong 3-point shooting team too, making 36.8% of their trifectas, a clip that’s good for 38th best in the country. Dane Goodwin’s 45.8% clip from deep is the 24th best nationally.

How Syracuse beats the Fighting Irish

Four of Notre Dame’s five starters scored double-digits in its loss to Wake Forest on Saturday. Syracuse’s defense has looked better against Georgia Tech and Boston College, but those were two of the conference’s worse-ranked teams. The Orange’s defense will have to step up and defend the 3-point line against Notre Dame, or they could pay.

And beyond that, SU’s had trouble defending the paint as of recent (since it lost Jesse Edwards to a season-ending injury). Bourama Sidibe has provided significant minutes for Syracuse in the last two contests, but this will be his biggest test yet of how healthy, and how ready, he is.

Boeheim said he’ll continue to rotate between Sidibe and Frank Anselem depending on who’s playing well, and one will need to have a big night on Wednesday against Notre Dame. They both got into foul trouble against Georgia Tech, which nearly cost their team.

Stat to know: 340th

The Fighting Irish rank 340th of 358 Division I teams in offensive rebounding percentage. Syracuse, on the other hand, has struggled with defensive rebounding and ranks 302nd in the nation, per KenPom. Anselem has filled Edwards’ center role, and he’ll have to go up against 6-foot-9 forward Paul Atkinson Jr. and 6-foot-10 forward Nate Laszewski on the glass.

In a battle between two teams which aren’t known for their rebounding, it’ll be a question of which is worse — Syracuse’s defensive rebounding or Notre Dame’s offensive rebounding.

Player to watch: Nate Laszewski, No. 14, forward

Laszewski doesn’t hoist a lot of three-pointers (he averages just over three attempts per game) but he’s awfully efficient when he does take them — 73rd in the nation with a 43.5% clip. Against the Syracuse zone, he could see a lot of open looks as SU rushes to guard Goodwin, Notre Dame’s best 3-point shooter. If he can capitalize on those attempts — and he could very easily get more than three — SU could pay from beyond the arc.

Laszewski is also important for Notre Dame on the glass, averaging the second-most rebounds on the team, and as an inside scorer. He averages 8.5 points per game but could potentially provide more of a spark for the Fighting Irish.

Published on February 22, 2022 at 9:07 pm

Contact Roshan: [email protected] | @Roshan_f16