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Hoops Preview: Notre Dame At Miami

NOTRE DAME (14-2, 3-0) at MIAMI (11-3, 1-1 ACC)

Where: Watsco Center, Coral Gables, Fla. (8,000)

Rankings: Notre Dame is ranked No. 20 in the Associated Press poll; Miami is unranked.

Time/TV: 7 p.m./ESPN

Matchup History: Tonight is the 21st all-time meeting between Notre Dame and Miami. The series is tied at 10-10. Miami has won the last two meetings, including a 79-70 victory at the Watsco Center last season.

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Bonzie Colson and the Irish take the road for a three-game stretch beginning tonight at Miami.
Bonzie Colson and the Irish take the road for a three-game stretch beginning tonight at Miami. (Joe Raymond)
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Notre Dame Notes

The Irish embark on a three-game road swing tonight at Miami, and Notre Dame’s players are ready.

“We’re excited about these challenges,” junior point guard Matt Farrell said. “We also know we’re pretty good, we had a good start, but we’ve got to keep going and we know these three games are going to be really hard.”

It begins tonight in Miami, where Notre Dame has lost its last two games under head coach Mike Brey.

Brey remembered back to last year’s matchups with Miami, particularly a late-season game at Purcell Pavilion in which the Hurricanes out-rebounded the Irish 39-26 in a 68-60 win.

“They were such men. We had no answer for them last year in two games,” Brey said. “They flat-out put it on us, and they’ve got a 20-game home win streak in that building down there. Good guards. Their guards are really playing well. I think rebounding is going to be a key.

“We have to kind of talk and be in the frame of mind before we played Colorado. We were afraid we couldn’t maybe rebound with them so our block outs were so attention to detail. That’s really going to be a key for us.”

Should Notre Dame win tonight, it would mark the best conference schedule start in the history of the program.

And as the Irish begin the difficult three-game swing at Miami, at Virginia Tech and at Florida State, Brey believes he’ll keep learning about this team.

“You’re still developing as a group, you’re still learning,” Brey said. “I don’t think we’re a finished product, and they need to understand that. That’s why practice is important for us and looking at different things and looking at different combinations. For the staff and I, we’ve got to keep that in mind. We’re always coming in, what are we evaluating, what can we do better, what do we want to look at this time? That’s got to be a theme for us all the way to March.”

Matt Farrell — Averaging 18.9 points per game against power conference opponents this season (seven games versus ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Big East).

Steve Vasturia — Has hit a late clutch shot in each of Notre Dame’s wins in ACC play this season.

V.J. Beachem — Broke out of his slump to score 22 points in a win over Clemson last week.

Bonzie Colson — Ranks 32nd in the NCAA in free throw percentage at 89.6.

Martinas Geben — Has started all 16 games for Notre Dame, averaging 16.3 minutes per game.

Jim Larrañaga is in his sixth season as Miami’s head basketball coach.
Jim Larrañaga is in his sixth season as Miami’s head basketball coach. (USA Today Sports)

Miami Overview

Unlike previous seasons, when Miami head coach Jim Larranaga’s team was stacked with upperclassmen, this year’s Hurricanes team has a more youthful element.

Three rookies will have sizable roles for Miami when it takes the floor against the Irish. Bruce Brown, a 6-5 guard, ranks third on the team in scoring (10.9 points per game) and second in rebounding (7.3 boards per game). Fellow guard D.J. Vasiljevic, a 6-3 Australian, is the team’s best three-point shooter (42.0 percent), and 6-11, 220-pound forward Dewan Huell is third in rebounding (4.4) and sixth in scoring (7.1).

“I think they’ve all done a very good job,” Larranaga said of the freshmen. “If you look at Dewan Huell, he’s gained like 15 pounds and gotten a lot stronger. … Rodney Miller has made a very good adjustment. He had the longest way to go … and Bruce Brown now benches 300 pounds. You can see the significant difference in who’s more ready to play.”

Junior guard Ja’Quan Newton leads the Hurricanes in scoring at 15.2 points per game. Two seniors, wing Davon Reed (14.0 points per game) and forward Kamari Murphy (7.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest), also start for Miami.

Newton said the older players have confidence in the team’s freshmen.

“They’ve been key additions to the team,” Newton said. “When you’re just good and you know how to play the game, that’s what happens. The whole age thing and being a freshman, I think that’s overrated.”

Miami is currently rated No. 35 by KenPom.com, trailing No. 26 Notre Dame. The Hurricanes have losses to No. 21 Iowa State, Florida and Syracuse this season.

The Hurricanes are playing some of the slowest basketball in the country this season, averaging just 68.8 possessions per game, which ranks 310th out of 351 Division I teams.

“So they’re kind of methodical in their stuff and they’re grinding so the offensive possessions — our defensive possessions will be longer, because they kind of run their stuff a little bit longer,” Brey said. “They kind of walk it up. Keeping them off the offensive board. Can you keep it to one-and-done with a lot of bouncy guys that can get up on the backboard is a key for us.”

Larranaga also commented on what has allowed Notre Dame to get off to one of its best league starts in Brey’s tenure.

“Those guys are so proficient offensively they can come down the floor and shoot from 30 feet and it’s a good shot,” Larranaga said of the Irish. “Or they can drive to the basket and they’ve got a contested layup, and it’s still a good shot.

“Most teams don’t have the offensive skills that Notre Dame’s team has.”

Outlook

Notre Dame has had trouble in its history in Coral Gables, just 4-5 all time in road games against the Hurricanes. But with a veteran-heavy lineup and off to a hot start, look for the Irish to steal a road win against a young Miami team.

Prediction: Notre Dame 71, Miami 70

Vegas Spread: Miami -2.5

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