HOOPS Preview: Notre Dame vs. UIC

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NOTRE DAME (0-0, 0-0 ACC) VS. UNIVERISTY OF ILLINOIS-CHICAGO (0-0, 0-0 HORIZON)

Where: Purcell Pavilion (Notre Dame, Ind.)

Rankings: Both teams are unranked.

TV/Time: ACC Network Extra, 7 p.m. ET

Last Meeting: First meeting between the two programs.

The 2018-2019 basketball season is upon us, and Notre Dame is set to host the University of Illinois-Chicago at home to begin the new campaign.

Mike Brey and company aim to open the year with a win in the first of seven-straight home games to start the season. Tuesday night also marks the opener for the Irish in the 2018 Gotham Classic.

Blue & Gold Illustrated takes a look at both teams before the matchup along with a prediction of the outcome.

What an intriguing year it should be for Irish basketball.

Brey will have quite the challenge ahead of him with six new faces on the roster and limited long-term experience outside of a few players.

Several questions persist because of this such as what do the starting lineup and rotation look like, which young player(s) step up and can the team put it all together and make the NCAA Tournament.

Junior guard TJ Gibbs (15.3 PPG) is one of the more experience players on the roster along with senior guard Rex Pflueger (8.0 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 3.2 APG. Both are locked into the starting unit.

Gibbs got a taste of what being the focal point of the offense felt like last season with the injuries to Bonzie Colson and Matt Farrell. He put together strong numbers, but his efficiency took a small step back in the process. He’ll aim to change that with that experience.

Pflueger was inconsistent from the floor in 2017-2018 shooting under 36 percent and will step into a bigger role during his final campaign in South Bend.

Sophomore wing DJ Harvey, who returns from a knee injury, possesses the ability to get his own shot, especially with in the mid-range game, and driving to the basket. He could be a much-needed second scorer behind Gibbs.

After the trio, three freshmen enter the fray in the court — Robby Carmody, Dane Goodwin and Prentiss Hubb. Carmody will add a toughness to the Irish backcourt along with an ability to defend and attack the basket. Goodwin is maybe not the defender Carmody will likely be in year one, but he will also add some toughness and scoring the Irish lacked off the bench at times a year ago, especially from deep.

Hubb is a self-described “crafty” point guard can get to the bucket, create for others and knock down shots from the outside. He, like Carmody and Goodwin, could get a starting nod in the opener and take some of the ball handling duties from Gibbs when necessary.

Junior John Mooney showed flashes a year ago as a stretch-four, including hitting six triples in a road game against North Carolina. But, he hit just one of his next 17 attempts after to close out the season. He will be counted on to bring an offensive presence for the Irish on the inside.

Senior Elijah Burns will be a bigger part of the rotation after playing just over 10 minutes per game in 29 contests last season. Burns has been praised for his ability to pass and communicate defensively. Can he take the next step offensively and on the glass?

Three new faces will be key to replacing the void up front as well: junior Juwan Durham and freshmen Chris Doherty and Nate Laszewski.

Durham has the length (6-foot-11) and athleticism that the Irish haven’t had much of on the inside while Laszewski, at 6-foot-10, was regarded as one of the top shooters in the 2018 class. He will be a weapon offensively with his size and three-point shooting ability. Doherty could be a redshirt candidate this season. If not, he could fill the “Austin Torres” role of being an energy player off the bench and being a menace on the glass and defensively.

It is hard to pinpoint what this Notre Dame team could look like with all the new players and questions to what the group could bring early in the season. Tonight will provide some glimpses, but not the final answers.

After a 5-10 start to the 2017-2018 season, UIC caught fire over the next two months winning 12 of 14 games to get back on track and push for a Horizon League title.

The Flames ultimately fell in the quarterfinals of the Horizon tournament before claiming a runner-up finish in the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT).

Steve McClain’s team will aim to finish the job in 2018-2019, but will have to replace two major pieces.

Last year’s leading scorer, forward Dikembe Dixon (14.2 PG), departed to pursue professional opportunities while forward Taj Odiase (9.3 PPG, 5.6 RPG, 3.1 BPG) left a hole in the middle of the team’s defense. The team averaged 75.2 points while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 34.7 percent behind the arc.

UIC performed as one of the better defensive teams in the country allowing 72.1 points and ranking 30th in two-point field goal percentage (45.8 percent) and three-point field goal percentage (32.3 percent).

Though the team will have to replace Dixon and Odiase’s offensive production, the Flames do return four of their six top six scorers including three in the backcourt. UIC defeated Illinois Wesleyan 81-60 in its lone exhibition contest.

Junior guards Marcus Ottey (13.8 PPG), Tarkus Ferguson (10.6 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 5.0 APG) and Godwin Boahen (8.9 PPG) will lead the charge for McClain’s program this season and will provide an early challenge out of the gate for the Irish perimeter. Boahen is the reigning Horizon Sixth Man of the Year.

Though he will not start, junior Dominique Matthews (7.8 PPG) will provide solid scoring production off the bench. Potentially joining Matthews off the bench on the perimeter is JUCO transfer Jamie Ahale. Last year, Ahale averaged 11.4 PPG while shooting 39.8 percent on his three-point attempts before joining UIC. Junior wing Ralph Bissainthe, who played 11 minutes in the team’s exhibition, will enter the fold after redshirting a year ago.

In the front court, Jordan Blount (6.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG) will be tasked with helping ease the loss of Odiase. Freshman forward Travell Washington earned the start in the team’s exhibition. JUCO transfer Rob Howard averaged 9.0 points and 6.9 rebounds a year ago before transferring to UIC.

Sophomores Michael Diggins (3.1 PPG, 2.7 RPG) and Jacob Wiley (1.7 PPG) earned some minutes as freshmen last season and return to provide depth.

UIC will aim to be a bit more efficient offensively in 2018-2019 after finishing 245th nationally, per KenPom.com, in adjusted offensive efficiency to go with its 107th mark defensively.

The trio of Ottey, Ferguson and Boahen will be a major key for the Flames to pull off the upset and will not roll over against the Irish perimeter of Gibbs, Pflueger and company.

It remains to be seen if Notre Dame starts with a smaller lineup to put more scoring on the court or a little more size to try and take advantage of the Flames early.

First game jitters will be an obstacle for both programs and each program and the team that moves past them quicker could build an early advantage.

Prediction

84-69 Notre Dame

Given it is the first game and the Irish have several new faces in the rotation, this could be a little tougher than expected game for Brey and company.

It wouldn’t come as a complete surprise if the Irish struggled to find a rhythm offensively allowing UIC to hang around in the first half. However, I expect Brey to make the necessary adjustments to help push the Irish to a 1-0 start in 2018-2019.

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