MBB: Duke @ Notre Dame (Wed 12/16, 9:00 pm, ESPN) Pre-Game and In-Game Thread

[DavidBenAkiva]

Over a three-week period, Duke is currently scheduled to play once, a road game in South Bend to kick off the ACC schedule against Notre Dame. In many ways, ND has the opposite of Duke's roster. The team is made up of experienced players but has a short rotation with very defined roles. Between now and Wednesday night, ND will face off against Kentucky, part of a brutal schedule assembled by Mike Brey that includes games against MSU, Ohio State, and Purdue as well as a feisty Detroit team that gave both ND and MSU all it could handle. The Fightin' Irish play their games close, rarely winning or losing by much. Expect a close game.

The top 4 players for ND this year are all juniors and each averages more than 35 minutes per game. The point guard is 6'3" Prentiss Hubb. He's a scoring guard and is averaging an impressive 22.3 pts/5.0 reb/5.3 ast per game. Hubb does his damage from outside and has struggled to get good looks at the rim this year although has gotten to the free throw line more often this year. Slowing Hubb is going to be a challenge and will take a team effort. Hubb shares the backcourt with Stanford transfer 6'5" SG Cormac Ryan. He was primarily a 3-point specialist as a freshman in Palo Alto but has shown a more balanced offensive game so far this season. The frontcourt includes 6'6" Dane Goodwin and 6'10" Nate Laszewski. Goodwin is, like Ryan, a steady player that can make shots and doesn't jump out in any particular area. He's solid. Laszewski has taken on the same role as John Mooney, who graduated after last season ended. Laszewski can shoot it and is a good defensive rebounder, although his role in the offense is less of a focal point than Mooney was. He'll be an interesting matchup for Matthew Hurt or Jalen Johnson. These four players, Hubbs, Ryan, Goodwin, and Laszewski, are going to be on the floor a lot. They are smart, have been around for a while, and know what to do. Hubb is clearly the focal point while the others are role players.

Joining the ND "core four" in the starting lineup is 6'11" SR Juwan Durham, a shot blocker and about the only that consistently goes for offensive rebounds on the team. He's limited offensively but can make a few nifty moves around the rim when necessary. The starters have been supplemented by a trio of players that rarely contribute to the offense, including 6'8" SR Nikolo Djogo and two freshmen, 6'7" Tony Sanders and 6'9" Matt Zona. Sanders is getting the most minutes and will probably play a more expanded role once Goodwin graduates in 2 years. Zona is the center-in-waiting and will take over for Durham next season. Neither players more than 15 minutes a game so far on the young season.

Duke will have to be disciplined in this matchup. ND does not force turnovers and rarely makes them on offense. They are a good offensive team but just mediocre on defense. Outside of Hubb, who could get some push for ACC POTY, the rest of the roster is not going to impress you. But they don't let you down, either. Duke has a serious athletic advantage in the frontcourt, especially if Laszewski is going to defend Jalen Johnson. ND has been susceptible to blocked shots, which is another area where Duke has excelled. The Fightin' Irish can score the ball. If Duke wants to win this, they are going to have to defend. More importantly, they are going to have to be able to keep up on offense.

[cbarry]

Bonzie is finally gone?!! Lol. Seemed like he was at ND forever.

[CDu]

Bonzie is finally gone?!! Lol. Seemed like he was at ND forever.

He's been gone for 2 full years now, going into the 3rd year. Probably time to move on from that joke.

[cbarry]

He's been gone for 2 full years now, going into the 3rd year. Probably time to move on from that joke.

Oh, OK. If you say so. Sorry to have disturbed you.

[budwom]

Bonzie is finally gone?!! Lol. Seemed like he was at ND forever.

we were thinking he broke Scott Youmans record...he was on the Duke football team for eleven years I think...(but was not annoying like the Bonzer)

[CDu]

The Irish are not at all deep, and they got less deep before the season when freshman Elijah Taylor and junior Robby Carmody were lost to injury (Carmody may return in the New Year but should miss our game), and then senior captain Nikola Djogo hurt his ankle in the opener. As DBA noted, Brey rides his starters HARD, with the bench playing very sparingly since senior captain Djogo injured his ankle. Basically, it's a 6.5 man rotation, with the 1.5 playing very sparingly. The rotation will expand to 7 if Djogo returns, but it's not clear if he'll be back for our game.

Despite the lack of depth, they are a veteran group and extremely well coached. Their offense is very deliberate, historically with an extreme focus on getting good looks from 3. So far this season, that hasn't been as true, but it's early yet. They don't have many players capable of creating shots for themselves, so they are very reliant on running the offense. They shoot it EXTREMELY well though, and combined with their extremely low turnover rate they have a very good offense. It isn't the most talented team in the world, but they have experience and they are well-coached to exceed the sum of their parts. Defensively, they don't foul and don't force turnovers. They don't do anything else particularly well as a team defensively, and are just mediocre on that end. They don't beat themselves on defense, but they also don't do much to beat you on defense.

Centers: Juwan Durham (6'11", 225lb senior transfer from UConn) is the center. Durham is a shotblocking machine and a solid rebounder on each end. He's the lone starter that isn't a shooting threat, but he's pretty athletic and long and can get putback points. Not a source of primary offense, mainly a screener and rebounder and finisher off putbacks and assists. Nate Laszewski (6'10", 225lb junior) is the nominal backup center. He's a stretch big who can shoot from 3. Sort of their version of Matthew Hurt, although not nearly as skilled. Still, he is extremely dangerous shooter if left alone. He's also a solid defensive rebounder. The only other true big is Matt Zona (6'9", 245lb freshman). Zona is another in the Mooney mold: below-the-rim game (for sure) but good shooter and good skills. But like Mooney was, he's not ready for ACC level yet. Basically, Zona plays only if Durham gets in foul trouble and somebody else needs a rest. If Djogo returns, Zona probably doesn't play against us.

Forwards: Laszewski starts at the PF spot, but rotates up to C when Durham comes out. The other forward is Nikola Djogo (6'8", 230lb senior captain from Canada). Djogo has missed the past two games with an ankle injury, but is a key part of the rotation when healthy. He is a versatile defender and a capable shooter, although his results from 3pt range have never matched the underlying skill. He rarely shoots, and focuses on doing the little things for the team. Not sure if he'll be available. If he's not, the team will play the starters as much as they can handle. If he is, the starters will still play a lot, but there will be a bit more of a rotation with Djogo playing 15-20 mpg behind Durham and Laszewksi.

Wings: Cormac Ryan (6'5", 195lb junior transfer from Stanford) and Dane Goodwin (6'6", 200lb junior) are the starters on the wing. Ryan is a co-captain despite his limited time in the program (sat out the season last year due to transfer. But he's a hard-nosed NYC kid who can shoot it really well and has a high bball IQ to go along with the scrappy game. He's not just a shooter, and knows how to use angles to get shots up in the lane despite not being super athletic. Dane Goodwin can really shoot it, but that's not all he brings to the table. He's also sneaky athletic and not afraid to battle inside, to the tune of 7 rebounds per game so far. Both guys play as much as they can due to injuries. The third wing is Tony Sanders Jr (6'7", 200lb freshman). Sanders was a guy who wasn't expected to play much this year. But injuries to Carmody, Taylor, and Djogo have forced Brey's hand a bit. Sanders is pretty raw, and skinny. He doesn't really do anything at an ACC level yet. But it's simply a numbers game at this point, and somebody has to play when Durham gets in foul trouble.

Guards: There's just one guy here, and it's their other captain and best player: Prentiss Hubb (6'3", 175lb junior). Hubb is the do-everything guy for the Irish. He's a more of a combo guard who can score and distribute than a true lead guard or point guard, but he leads the team in scoring, 3pt %, assists, and steals. Hubb is more smooth than explosive, and isn't great at scoring off the dribble. In fact, he's downright bad at it, shooting just 33.3% at the rim. Over half of his shots come from 3pt range, which is wise: he's hitting 43% from out there. Because the team is lacking in playmakers, a lot is asked of Hubb, and that helps explain his 3.7 turnovers per game. He's a really good player, but is probably being asked to do too much. The only other guard is walk-on Elijah Morgan, who rarely ever plays.

If this game gets played, it's a nice road test for a young team. Talent-wise, this shouldn't be close. We're SOOOO much more talented than the Irish. And depth could be a problem for them as noted above. But they don't foul, and they don't play fast, so unless we can dictate tempo and start attacking the basket better, we're not exactly well suited to punish that lack of depth. Because Brey is such a good coach and because he has such a veteran team, it'll be a good barometer test for the team's development. Clearly a big step down in quality from Illinois, and a step down as well from MSU. But a dramatic step up from Bellarmine and Coppin State. Looking forward to hopefully getting the chance to see whether Steward and Roach can build off their solid games against the Illini, and seeing if Johnson can regain his form against a team that doesn't draw fouls.

[AGDukesky]

ND taking Kentucky behind the woodshed leading 48-26 at half.

[DavidBenAkiva]

It's halftime, but it feels like this game is over. Notre Dame is up 48-26 on Kentucky in Lexington. Kentucky is getting completely outplayed, outrebounded, giving up open looks. I'm not sure what to make of this performance so far. Notre Dame is an ok team but Kentucky just looks awful. The point guard play has been horrendous this year for the Cats.

[tteettimes]

ND taking Kentucky behind the woodshed leading 48-26 at half.

Looks like Mike Brey is eating well...really pounded up

[Mtn.Devil.91.92.01.10.15]

Looks like Mike Brey is eating well...really pounded up

I call this "covid obesity."

[rsvman]

It's halftime, but it feels like this game is over. Notre Dame is up 48-26 on Kentucky in Lexington. Kentucky is getting completely outplayed, outrebounded, giving up open looks. I'm not sure what to make of this performance so far. Notre Dame is an ok team but Kentucky just looks awful. The point guard play has been horrendous this year for the Cats.

Turns out it wasn’t over, although it ended favorably for Notre Dame. Sarr had a pretty good look from about 17 feet at the buzzer that just came up a little short, and ND won it by a single point.

[weezie]

Looks like Mike Brey is eating well...really pounded up

Hope he'll be sadness eating at about 11:00pm 12/16/20.


Arrrgh, another late game.

[accfanfrom1970]

Tale of two halves. ND 48-26 1st half. Kentucky 37-16 2nd half.

[gofurman]

Tale of two halves. ND 48-26 1st half. Kentucky 37-16 2nd half.

Hubb and laszewski w 18 and 21 pts. Also Diogo did play so I suspect we will see him 😕. Right now I just want a win. Wish Diogo was out just one more game

[DavidBenAkiva]

Hubb and laszewski w 18 and 21 pts. Also Diogo did play so I suspect we will see him 😕. Right now I just want a win. Wish Diogo was out just one more game

I always root for health. If Duke needs to play with an advantage, it will just lead to excuses.

[gofurman]

I always root for health. If Duke needs to play with an advantage, it will just lead to excuses.

I don’t want anyone really hurt. Never. Just maybe miss our game 😀. We. Need. Wins

[DavidBenAkiva]

One of the more interesting matchups this week will be the two top offensive players in the ACC, Duke's Matt Hurt and ND's Nate Laszewski. Both are among the most efficient offensive players in the early going of college basketball. The two should be matched up on each other quite a bit, too.



Source: https://twitter.com/SynergySST/statu...686146/photo/1

[arnie]

Didn’t see Wendell Moore on the screenshot?🤔

[Spanarkel]

Beware of underrated 6'3-4" guards from Upper Marlboro:

Victor Oladipo(ESPN no. 144 in 2010)

Prentiss Hubb(RSCI no. 92/~40 prior to leg injury before senior yr).

[gofurman]

Beware of underrated 6'3-4" guards from Upper Marlboro:

Victor Oladipo(ESPN no. 144 in 2010)

Prentiss Hubb(RSCI no. 92/~40 prior to leg injury before senior yr).

Hubb is a good one. Wish we had an senior guard wtih that skill level. He's a difference maker for sure. But how the HE#$ was Oladipo rated no. 144 out of HS? Just on athleticism he shoulda been top 100 ...