5 Things To Know About Notre Dame

Tomorrow, Kentucky takes on Notre Dame in South Bend, the first true road game for the 7-1 Wildcats. We’ll have an in-depth scouting report for you tomorrow courtesy of Brandon Ramsey, but here’s a CliffsNotes version of what you need to know about the Fighting Irish to tide you over.

1. They beat Kentucky last season

This one may seem obvious, but a lot of us blocked all memories of last season from our minds. In the fifth game of the COVID-delayed season, the Fighting Irish got their first-ever victory in Lexington, beating the Cats 64-63. Maybe you remember it from Notre Dame’s 33-9 lead early on, or the 48-26 score at half, the largest halftime deficit in a home game in Kentucky’s history. Maybe you remember it from Olivier Sarr’s failed game-winner at the buzzer. Maybe you don’t remember it at all, which is probably for the best.

The good news is, Kentucky’s got almost an entirely different roster this season. Notre Dame’s roster looks a little different too, but the Fighting Irish return the two stars of their upset, Nate Laszewski (21 points, 9 rebounds) and Prentiss Hubb (18 points). Dane Goodwin and Cormac Ryan, starters who combined for 15 points vs. Kentucky, are back too.

2. They’ve lost four of their last five games

Notre Dame is 3-4 this season. They started the season with wins over CSU Northridge (68-52) and High Point (70-61) at home before losing two of three in the Maui Invitational. The Fighting Irish lost to Saint Mary’s (62-59), beat Division II Chaminade (90-64), then lost to Texas A&M (73-67). The loss to the Aggies was the start of a three-game losing streak. Notre Dame lost at Illinois (82-72) on Nov. 29 and at Boston College (73-57) on Dec. 3.

The Fighting Irish are ranked No. 51 by KenPom and No. 94 by Sagarin. This will be their first game in a week and their first home game since Nov. 16.

3. Dane Goodwin is the top scorer

Senior guard Dane Goodwin leads the Fighting Irish in scoring, with 14.3 points per game along with 5.4 rebounds per game. He scored in double figures in all seven games this season and is hitting 41.7% from three (15-36). Freshman guard Blake Wesley is second on the team in scoring with 12.0 points per game and made his first start vs. Boston College. Paul Atkinson is the only player averaging double figures in scoring, with 11.1 per game.

Nate Laszewski, who led the Fighting Irish in scoring vs. Kentucky last year, is their top rebounder, averaging 9.1 boards and 8.6 points per game. Prentiss Hubb, who had 18 points vs. Kentucky a year ago, has been inconsistent this season. His scoring average is down from 14.6 points per game last season to 7.3 this year. He didn’t score a single point in the loss at Illinois, going 0-5 in 28 minutes, but came alive at Boston College, hitting 3-4 threes en route to 15 points.

4. Kentucky is 6-9 in South Bend

Saturday’s game will be the 64th meeting between the two programs. While Kentucky holds a sizable lead in the all-time series, 43-20, Notre Dame is 9-6 vs. the Cats in South Bend. Most of the games between the two teams have taken place at neutral sites, specifically Freedom Hall in Louisville from 1960-81.

Mike Brey, now in his 22nd season (!) at Notre Dame, is 3-6 vs. the Cats. Kentucky is 2-2 vs. Notre Dame in the Calipari Era. As mentioned, last year’s team lost to the Fighting Irish in Rupp, and in November 2012, the Cats lost in South Bend 64-50. No one wants to remember those games, so instead, let’s relive the 2015 thriller in the Midwest Regional Final.

5. John Calipari thinks they’ll shoot better tomorrow

Notre Dame is not an offensive juggernaut. This season, the Fighting Irish are averaging 69.0 points per game on only 43.6% shooting. They are particularly bad from outside, hitting only 32% of their three-point shots, 29.6% if you take out the win over Div. II Chaminade. Today, Calipari did his best coach-speak and chalked the Fighting Irish’s woes up to missed shots.

“The tape that I’ve watched, Notre Dame, the games they lost they just missed shots that they normally make, because they’re not going to change how they play. So, I showed the guys a bunch of shots they missed in some of these games. Like, they don’t miss those, and especially at home. At home their shooting percentage is better.”

He’s halfway right. In Notre Dame’s season opener, they shot 24-49 (49.0%) from the floor and 11-27 (40.7%) from three but cooled off considerably the next game out vs. High Point, connecting on only 24-66 (36.4%) of field goals and 6-31 (19.4%) of threes. That being said, I’m sure they’ll find their stroke just in time for tomorrow’s game.