HOOPS Preview: Notre Dame Vs. Boston College

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NOTRE DAME (13-9, 3-7 ACC) VS. BOSTON COLLEGE (14-9, 4-6 ACC)

Where: Purcell Pavilion (Notre Dame, Ind.)

Rankings: Both teams are unranked.

Time/TV: 8 p.m. ET/ACC Network

Last Meeting: Notre Dame 82, Boston College 66. March 1, 2017.

Series Info: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 19-10 (8-0 in the ACC).

Notre Dame continues to search for answers to end what is now a seven-game losing streak while Boston College is fresh off an overtime win versus Georgia Tech.

Can the Irish find a way to get back on track or will the short-rested Eagles push their win streak to two?

Here is Blue & Gold Illustrated's preview of both teams along with a prediction of the outcome.

Was Saturday rock bottom for the Irish? Or can it still get worse from here?

Notre Dame’s last game against NC State was the only one during the seven-game losing streak that the Irish were not in it pretty much from the start. Even versus Duke, the team was only down six points with just over 10 minutes to play before the Blue Devils ripped off an 18-0 run.

The Wolfpack jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead and never looked back.

Senior point guard Matt Farrell made his return scoring a team-high 16 points, but sophomore forward John Mooney wasn’t 100 percent either with his own ankle injury. Mooney started the game, but did not play in the second half when the game was out of reach.

Sophomore guard TJ Gibbs scored 14 points while senior big men Martinas Geben and Austin Torres each contributed nine points each. Junior guard Rex Pflueger put up seven points with junior forward Elijah Burns rounding out the scoring for three points. Sophomore guard Nik Djogo went scoreless.

It was the eighth-straight game for the Irish under 40 percent shooting from the field while it was the third-straight game an opponent shot 50 percent or better against the Irish.

Notre Dame went from a team searching for an identity on the offensive end while the defensive side kept them in games to struggling on both ends.

Can a return home help give the team that shot in the arm it needs to pull out of its funk? That may not be enough if the Irish continue to let certain trends on offense and defense to continue.

Notre Dame is set to face a talented Boston College backcourt this evening.

The group is led by junior guard Jerome Robinson, who is the team’s highest scorer at 19.0 points per game while averaging 3.6 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Bowman is joined by sophomore guard Ky Bowman (16.8 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 5.0 APG) and junior guard Jordan Chatman (13.2 PPG).

Collectively, the trio combines for 49 of the team’s 75.7 points per contest on average (64.7 percent) while shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 40.8 percent behind the arc.

In the frontcourt, sophomore forward Nik Popovic headlines the starting group at 9.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per contest. Freshman forward Steffon Mitchell leads the team in rebounding at 8.0 while scoring 7.0 points per contest.

Boston College doesn’t get a ton from its bench in terms of production with three main reserves: sophomore forward Johncarlos Reyes (2.9 PPG, 2.3 RPG), freshman forward Vin Baker Jr. (1.9 PPG) and freshman forward Luka Kraljevic (1.3 PPG, 1.9 RPG).

Overall, the Eagles are averaging 75.7 points (t-No. 126) while allowing 71.9 points (No. 165) to opponents. The offense shoots 44.9 percent from the field including 37.2 percent (No. 74) behind the arc. Opponents shoot 42.4 percent on the Eagles, but just 33.3 percent on three-point attempts.

Boston College started conference play off with a bang taking down Duke 89-84 at home. Since then, the team is 3-6 in league play with additional wins over Florida State, Georgia Tech and Wake Forest.

Per KenPom.com, the Eagles rank No. 79 in offensive efficiency and No. 98 in defensive efficiency.

Boston College is coming off short rest after playing Sunday against Georgia Tech, a game that went into overtime.

The Eagles picked up the win to end a three-game losing streak. While Notre Dame played on Saturday, the Irish are still looking to end their losing streak and get back on track.

Both teams are a little short on guards with just one reserve guard for both teams (Djogo). This game could down on bench production with both starting lineups providing much of the offensive load. A big night from the reserves could propel that team to victory.

Prediction

Notre Dame 78, Boston College 72

Can Notre Dame get it done? The Irish need some confidence and a home game is the perfect way to do so.

Boston College isn’t superior one end of the other and most of the team’s scoring comes from three players. I think the Irish will be able to take advantage and slow down one of Robinson, Bowman or Chatman and pick up a much-needed victory.

The Irish get back on track and finally get some positive momentum.

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