NC State Wolfpack @ Notre Dame
Time: 7:00pm
Location: South Bend, IN
TV: ACCN
Line: Notre Dame -2
Preview of the Fighting Irish:
Notre Dame comes into today’s game at 9-13, and 6-10 in the ACC. They are currently in the midst of a 3 game losing streak, the latest at the hands of a struggling Boston College team. However, don’t be confused, Notre Dame is a tough matchup for NC State.
Though they have not been able to close out a lot of their closer games, the Fighting Irish have played a tough schedule and have been in contention in most of these games. They also sport 2 wins nice wins against Kentucky and Duke (the late-season Duke, not the struggling early season squad).
Notre Dame features a balanced attack of scoring, mainly from beyond the 3 point arc where they have 6 players shooting 34% or above. Prentiss Hubb leads the way for Notre Dame, averaging 14.4 points a game followed by 6’10 stretch forward Nate Laszewski. Laszewski may cause the Pack some fits as he is long and can really light it up from beyond the arc if left open.
This is a mature Notre Dame team filled with upperclassmen who have a knack for protecting the ball and moving the ball to find an open shooter. This makes them a dangerous team, especially if they are hot. Unfortunately, this same group has yet to figure out how to effectively stop the other team from scoring. Notre Dame currently sits around 170th in defensive efficiency nationally.
The goal for the Irish at this point is to knock down shots and simply outshoot their opponents as they are struggling to get stops or points off turnovers. They are also not a team that will pull down many offensive boards or gets a ton of second-chance points.
The name of the game here is to contest the 3 ball and make them take tough shots with hands in their face. That’s it. They aren’t going to change their gameplan and try to surprise the Wolfpack. This is a team that is making over nine 3s per game. They are going to launch it regardless. The question is, will NC State do a good job of making them rush their shots, or shoot with hands in their face.
Keys For NC State:
This is the first time all season the Pack will face the Irish. Last year the Pack was able to outlast them in a tight matchup, coming back from a 12 point second-half deficit to win.
They’ll need to come out with a lot more intensity and more of a sense of urgency than they showed against Pitt. This is going to be a game where defensive communication is key. No losing your guy on the switch, no going underneath screens, etc. Focus and intensity on defense wins this game for the Wolfpack.
This Notre Dame group is a tough team to guard and the Pack freshman will really need to step up, stay in position, and keep their focus for the full shot clock. The bigs will also be key in protecting the basket on the drive. The Irish don’t have any elite-end finishers at the rim, but they will get some driving lanes with NC State selling out on stopping the 3. Any type of uncontrolled or late closeout and they’ll pump and get by you.
NC State will also need a much better game from Cam Hayes. The freshman has played well during this winning streak, but against Pitt he started floating around the 3 points line and settling for the 3. This is a game where Hayes can really do damage if he starts to attack a little more. Notre Dame’s defenders are slower and smaller. Hayes has the opportunity to get in the lane and cause a lot more havoc than he did last time out.
As far as what this means for the future of the Pack’s season, I think it goes without saying. The Pack simply needs to WIN! This will likely be a tight game that they will have to grind out on both sides of the ball. Get the job done and this puts NC State on a 5 game winning streak, an unheard of (in the ACC) 5 game road winning streak, and boosts the confidence of the young guys heading into one of the toughest matchups of the season vs. Virginia Tech (if that game happens.)
