NC State Wolfpack vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Gametime: 9:00 pm
TV: ACC Network (WRAL)
Streaming: Watch ESPN App (ACC Network Extra)
Location: South Bend, Indiana
Get to know Notre Dame…
The Fighting Irish come into this game at 11-3 on the season and 1-0 in the ACC. They have impressive wins over #6 Witchita State, LSU and Georgia Tech. They are ranked 28th in the AP Poll and 28th in the USA Today Coaches Poll. They are also #21 in the College Basketball Power Index. They’ve done all of this while riding their All-American big man Bonzie Colson, who we learned last night, will miss 2 months with a broken foot.
This is a big break for NC State. They get first dibs at a Notre Dame team who need to quickly learn to play with the guy that they ran their entire offense through.
Colson was averaging an insane 21 points and 10 boards per game. Without him, it will be interesting to see how the Irish attack the Pack. They will be relying on their guards, Matt Farrell and TJ Gibbs for most of their scoring.
Matt Farrell is a senior PG who is strong, crafty and smart. He is averaging 16 points and 5 assists per game and shooting 40% from 3pt range. He’s a very good passer and doesn’t turn it over much. He is going to do all he can to make sure the Irish escape with a victory. He’s not super quick, which is good for the Pack since they’ve had trouble keeping guards out of the lane, but he uses his body well and will be in attack mode all night.
TJ Gibbs is a sophomore guard who comes in averaging 14 points per game. He’ s 6’3, and can attack the basket, but he does most of his damage from beyond the arc. He has been off an on all season, but with Colson out, Notre Dame is going to look for him to get hot.
Martinas Geben is their best remaining big man.He’s a 6’10 senior who is strong, but not super mobile. He’s only averaging a little over 6 boards per game and Yurtseven should matchup well with him, but NC State really needs to keep him off the glass if they want to win, because after Geben, the Irish are going to be hurting for rebounding.
What to watch for from NC State
Lock down the guards
State has got to do a good job defending the 3. With Colson out, Farrell and Gibbs are going to be chucking. They are used to getting a lot of clean looks with teams doubling down on Bonzie, so if the Wolfpack guards can contest their shots and not give them any clean looks, this one could go NC State’s way.
Speed them up
Notre Dame wants to play slow. This is a team that will run a lot of high screen pick and rolls, and some sets that try to get them back door cuts, but mainly they look for ways to get the ball to Colson. Without him in there, it’s going to be tough for them to score efficiently in the half cout (that is, if NC State does what it’s supposed to do on defense). Farrell and Gibbs are both good at valuing the basketball, so I’m not expecting to see State turn them over much, but I do think, with the guards looking to score, NC State can force them into quick shots that they otherwise wouldn’t take if Colson was playing.
Al Freeman must play smart
Al Freeman can win you a game if he’s hot. We saw him do it against #2 Arizona. But too many times this season, Freeman has gotten trigger happy and has shot the Pack out of ball games. He’s just a senior trying to help his team, we know, but he’s taken 20 more shots than the next guy on the roster and he’s coming in near last in offensive efficiency rating on this team. We’d like to see a more patient Al Freeman who plays within the offense, and looks for the open man if he’s covered.
Win on the boards
With Colson out, the Irish don’t look too strong on the boards. They allow a lot of offensive rebounds and that is one area that the Wolfpack thrives. For the Pack to win, they’ll need to dominate Notre Dame inside. This means that Yurtseven, Abu and Freeman are big in this game. They need to come out aggressive and claim the paint. If they can get Geben in foul trouble, then game over.
