Indiana Basketball vs. Notre Dame: Know your opponent, preview, prediction

Indiana Basketball is back after a week-long hiatus, taking on Notre Dame Saturday in the annual Crossroads Classic at Banker’s Life Fieldhouse.

Indiana basketball is coming off of a shaky performance versus Nebraska, which took overtime to decide a victory at Assembly Hall. All of this Indiana team’s vices were glaring in that game, and many people were left very disappointed by their performance. However, Nebraska turned around and beat a good Purdue team the very next game, leaving people to wonder if the Hoosiers’ struggles may not have been as bad as they seemed.

They have a chance to right the ship, for good, Saturday as they match up against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish come into the game at 8-3, most recently winning by 14 points against UCLA. They are not as talented as in years passed, but head coach Mike Brey still knows how to get the most out of his team.

The Fighting Irish are led by senior John Mooney. Mooney is a 6-foot-9 forward and leads Notre Dame in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.8 points and 13.4 rebounds per game. Indiana’s size with Trayce Jackson-Davis and Joey Brunk should mitigate some of Mooney’s impact, but he’s still a force to be reckoned with.

A strong supporting cast of guards echo Mooney. Temple Gibbs, Dane Goodwin, and Prentiss Hubb combine to average 35.6 points per game and 9.9 assists per game. They are an all-around team, with the point and assist averages spread out amongst many players.

Notre Dame has some very clear strong points on paper. They are among the best in the country at not turning the ball over (9.7 TO/gm) and staying out of foul trouble. They also rank 20th nationally in team assists per game (17.7).

Although they aren’t hitting them at a very efficient clip, Notre Dame takes a lot of threes. They rank just outside the top 20 nationally in threes attempted, but are hitting just 34 percent of them. This could change, however, against an Indiana team notorious for allowing shooters to get hot. The Fighting Irish are also shooting a mere 42 percent from the field so far this season, so Indiana could benefit from overplaying shooters a bit.

Key Storylines

Indiana: 

Can the Hoosiers shake the first half woes they’ve experienced the majority of the season? Often times, Indiana looks like they’re playing a rec league game on both ends of the court in the first half. The effort has simply been absent at times. Win or lose, you’d at least like to be able to say your team played their hardest, but that has been far from the truth for Indiana this season. In some games, the Hoosiers have been able to come out in the second half and give enough effort to compensate for an effortless first half, but playing one half of meaningful basketball is not exactly a winning strategy. Since Notre Dame fouls so little, Indiana may be forced to work for open shots instead of relying on the whistle for points.

Notre Dame: 

Can John Mooney still be an impact playing against Indiana’s size down low? Trayce Jackson-Davis and Joey Brunk comprise a frontcourt that is one of the biggest and most physical in the nation, and Mooney could potentially struggle. However, if the Fighting Irish can hit their threes, it will open up the whole floor for them and they could have a big advantage.

Key Players

Indiana

Trayce Jackson-Davis (15.1 ppg, 9.1 rpg), Justin Smith (13.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg), Al Durham (12.8 ppg, 2.9 apg), Devonte Green (12.5 ppg, 2.6 apg)

Notre Dame

John Mooney (14.8 ppg, 13.4 rpg), Temple Gibbs (12.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 3.8 apg), Dane Goodwin (11.7 ppg, 3.5 rpg), Prentiss Hubb (11.3 ppg, 4.7 apg)

Prediction: Indiana 72, Notre Dame 64