Game Day Essentials
Notre Dame (4-4) vs. Indiana (8-2)
- Tip Time: 2:30 p.m. Eastern
- Location: Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Television: FOX (Time Brando and Jim Jackson)
- Stream: Fox Sports Live
- IU Radio Network: IU Radio Network
- Point Spread: Indiana is a four point favorite
- KenPom Projected Score: Indiana, W 71-68
- Series: Indiana leads 51-22
The Final Crossroads Classic
🏀 Meet you up at the Crossroads. pic.twitter.com/R46d0xGgoo
— Indiana Basketball (@IndianaMBB) December 18, 2021
Saturday marks the final edition of the Crossroads Classic in Indianapolis. The four-team event is in its 11th season featuring Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue, and Butler.
Here are Indiana’s results by year. At 7-3, the Hoosiers have the best record in the event.
2020 Indiana 68, Butler 60
2019 Indiana 62, Notre Dame 60
2018 Indiana 71, Butler 68
2017 Indiana 80, Notre Dame 77 (OT)
2016 Butler 83, Indiana 78
2015 Indiana 80, Notre Dame 73
2014 Indiana 82, Butler 73
2013 Notre Dame 79, Indiana 72
2012 Butler 88, Indiana 86 (OT)
2011 Indiana 69, Notre Dame 58
Notre Dame Coming off a Big Win
The Irish will be taking the court for the first time since their victory over No. 10/12 Kentucky last Saturday in Purcell Pavilion.
Fighting Irish Coach – Mike Brey
Entering his 21st season on the Notre Dame sidelines, Mike Brey is the all-time winningest men’s basketball coach in school history while becoming the only Irish head coach to reach 400 victories under the Golden Dome.
Boasting 448 wins at Notre Dame and 547 in his career, Brey has led the Irish through the program’s most sustained period of excellence since his hiring in July 2000. Under his leadership, Notre Dame has competed in the postseason 17 of 20 seasons with 12 NCAA tournament berths, three Sweet 16 trips, two Elite Eight appearances, and the 2015 ACC Championship.
Brey was named head coach at Notre Dame on July 14, 2000. In his first season with the Irish, he led the team to the 2001 BIG EAST West Division championship and quickly established his program as one of the best in the BIG EAST.
Notre Dame Projected Starters
#0 Blake Wesley: Freshman, 6-5
Blake Wesley, named ACC Rookie of the Week (Dec. 13, 2021), hit the game-winning jumper with 12 seconds remaining to upset No. 10/12 Kentucky last weekend. He is the second in the ACC in freshman scoring (13.0 ppg) and eighth among all major conference true freshmen in ppg.
#5 Cormac Ryan: Senior, 6-5
Senior Cormac Ryan filled up the stat line against No. 10/12 Kentucky with seven points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. He started 16 of 25 games in his first year with the Irish last season and scored 21 points in the first half in the victory at Duke last year, eventually scoring career-best 28 points.
#14 Nate Laszewski: Senior, 6-10
Nate Laszewski scored 13 points with three three-point field goals at Illinois. He leads the Irish in rebounding at 8.4 per game, improved FG% 19 percent, 3FG% 11%, and RPG by 3.1 last season. He also scored over 20 points four times last season and has five 20-point games in his career.
#20 Paul Atkinson Jr.: Graduate Student, 6-9
Paul Atkinson finished with 10 points and six rebounds – including the game-sealing defensive rebound on No. 10/12 Kentucky’s last shot in the victory on Saturday. He was the 2019-20 Ivy League Player of the Year at Yale and was ranked by ESPN+ as the fourth-best transfer prospect in 2020-21.
#23 Dane Goodwin: Senior, 6-4
Dane Goodwin has scored in double figures in all eight games (a career-best streak) this season and leads the team with 14.3 ppg. He averages 14.3 ppg and 5.5 RPG. He is one of the best free-throw shooters on the team, boasting a .829 career average from the stripe (18-20 this season).
Off the Bench
#2 Trey Wertz: Senior, 6-5
Trey Wertz appeared in 21 games making 14 starts, shooting .429 from three-point range, and hit the game-winning 3FG at the buzzer vs. WF in 2021 ACC tournament.
#3 Prentiss Hubb: Senior, 6-3
Prentiss Hubb leads all active ACC players in career assists (468) and led the Irish in scoring (14.6) and three-point field goals made (65) last season.
#22 Elijah Taylor: Sophomore, 6-8
Elijah Taylor has worked his way into Notre Dame’s eight-man rotation and earned the earliest minutes of his career in the first half at Illinois, eventually scoring four points in career-high seven minutes.
Notre Dame KenPom Outliers
Adjusted offensive efficiency – No. 24; Adjusted defensive efficiency – No. 109
- Average possession length – offense (No. 279), defense (No. 310) — expect a slow game
- Offensive three-point percentage – 29.9 percent (No. 276)
- Offensive turnover percentage – 16.4 percent (No. 51)
- Defensive effective field goal percentage 52.3 percent (No. 263)
- Defensive forced turnover percentage – 17.1 percent (No. 274)
- Defensive 3-point percentage – 38.8 percent (No. 334)
- Offensive rebounding percentage allowed 21.6 percent (No. 17)
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