DETROIT MERCY (1-7) VS. NOTRE DAME (6-3)
Where: Purcell Pavilion, South Bend, Ind.
Time/TV/Internet: Today, 7 p.m. EST; Available on the ACC Network, UND.com, Sirius/XM Radio Channel 989
Line: Notre Dame -20 (143 over/under)
Prediction: Notre Dame 82, Detroit Mercy 66
Series Facts: Notre Dame rekindles what used to be a longstanding rivalry when Detroit Mercy comes to town.
This series dates back to 1912. The Irish lead the series 41-12 but the two teams have played only once since 1991. That was in 2011, a game Notre Dame won 59-53.
Detroit Mercy, of the Horizon League, finished 11-20 last year and is off to a difficult 1-7 start this season that includes four straight losses.
ESPN basketball analyst Dick Vitale spent five seasons coaching Detroit Mercy in the 1970s.
NOTRE DAME OVERVIEW
Where to begin evaluating the Irish? After the unexpected 73-72 upset loss at home Saturday to Boston College — a team ND had defeated 13 straight times and was favored to beat by 13 points — Mike Brey said immediately afterward it was “absolutely my worst week,” in his 20 years as Irish head coach.
Detroit Mercy should — at least it better — provide Brey’s Notre Dame team a chance to get back on a winning track after consecutive losses to Maryland and BC. Beyond that remains to be seen.
The Irish continue to rank first in the country with a 1.62 assist/turnover ratio.
Senior forward John Mooney leads the nation in rebounding with 13.5 per game and is one of only 10 players in country with at least six double-doubles.
DETROIT MERCY OVERVIEW
Titans head coach Mike Davis is in his second year with the program. Before coming to Detroit, Davis spent seven seasons coaching at Texas Southern.
Indiana natives best remember Davis as the man who took over the coaching duties at Indiana University when veteran coach Bob Knight was fired in December of 2000. Davis lasted six seasons there before resigning under heavy pressure from alumni and administrators.
The Titans — like most mid-major programs — have spent much of their pre-conference play away from home against difficult competition, including games at North Carolina State, Clemson, Gonzaga and Wyoming.
In fact, seven of the eight games so far this season for Detroit Mercy have been away from home, road travels that carried the team nearly 10,000 round-trip miles.
GAME OUTLOOK
*Simply put, Notre Dame has to start shooting better, especially from long-range.
This team was built on great ball movement to create open shots, then make those open shots. The Irish have mastered the first two objectives, but still cannot find any answers for the third.
A team that almost always rates in the top-five of whatever conference its played in under Brey ranks only No. 11 in three-point shooting so far in the 15-team ACC at 31 percent.
*Detroit Mercy is all about Antoine, as in Antoine Davis.
The Titans’ sophomore guard hit 132 three-pointers last season to break the NCAA record for most three-pointers ever by a freshman, passing Stephen Curry’s 122 at Davidson in 2006-07.
Davis ranks fourth in the nation in scoring so far this season at 23.8 points per game, and he’s not afraid to let it fly.
Through the first eight games, Davis has taken 38 percent of his team’s shots and 40 percent of its three-point attempts.
QUICK HITS:
*With a game-high 22 points against Boston College, Irish senior guard T.J. Gibbs became one of only seven ACC players to average more than 20 points in their first two conference games this season.
*With four blocks against BC, Irish senior forward Juwan Durham moved into 13th place all-time on the ND career blocked shots list. Durham is one of three players in program history to average more than 2.0 blocks per game (Ryan Humphrey and LaPhonso Ellis).
*The largest Catholic university in Michigan, Detroit Mercy also competed in Division I football from 1896-1964. The Titans were once coached in football by Irish All-American Gus Dories from 1925-42.
QUOTEABLE:
“There is a tendency to put the weight of the world on themselves. Those are the kinds of kids we get here. We’re 0-2 in the league. This was one where they felt it a little.” — Brey on trying to rebound from the upset loss Saturday to Boston College.
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