Preview – Notre Dame at Pittsburgh

Posted on by Kevin O'Neill

If the Fighting Irish want to prove that they can play well against good teams in Big East road games, they have a wonderful opportunity on Monday.  Notre Dame (16-4/5-3) will be in Pittsburgh to play the first place Panthers (19-1/7-0) in the Petersen Events Center where they are not inclined to lose.  Pitt has won its last 20 games in its home arena.

What you need to know about Pitt:

  • #2 scoring offense in the Big East, 78.6 ppg
  • #2 scoring defense in the Big East, 64.1 ppg
  • #1 field goal percentage in the Big East, 49.1%
  • #1 field goal percentage defense in the Big East, 38.8%
  • #2 three point percentage in the Big East, 45.5%
  • #1 rebounding margin in the Big East, +9.3.  #2 is +4.4.
  • #1 assists per game in the Big East, 18.9 per game
  • #10 free throw percentage in the Big East, 69.9%
  • #13 turnover margin in the Big East, -2.0
  • #2 assists/turnover ratio in the Big East, 1.5

Pitt is really good in all aspects of the game.  Head Coach Jamie Dixon’s only possible complaint is turnovers.  The Panthers have averaged 12.3 in their seven Big East games.

Like Notre Dame, Pitt’s lineup features upperclassmen.  Juniors Ashton Gibbs (6’2”) and Nasir Robinson (6’5”) join seniors Brad Wannamaker (6’4”), Gilbert Brown (6’6”), and Gary McGhee (6’11”) in the starting lineup.  Freshman Lamar Patterson (6’5”), sophomore Travon Woodall (5’11”), and sophomore Dante Taylor (6’9”) round out the playing rotation.

Gibbs is Pitt’s leading scorer at 14.7 points per game.  Wannamaker, Brown, and Robinson also average double figures.  McGhee is #3 in Big East rebounding with 10.4 per game; and although he doesn’t shoot much, he is a credible post scoring threat who makes 63.5% of his shots.

What you need to know about Notre Dame:

  • #12 scoring offense in the Big East, 66.6 ppg
  • #6 scoring defense in the Big East, 67.5 ppg
  • #10 field goal percentage in the Big East, 44.2%
  • #9 field goal percentage defense in the Big East, 44.6%
  • #8 three point percentage in the Big East, 35.8%
  • #10 rebounding margin in the Big East, -0.9
  • #8 assists per game in the Big East, 14.1 per game
  • #6 free throw percentage in the Big East, 72.1%
  • #11 turnover margin in the Big East, -0.3
  • #9 assists/turnover ratio in the Big East, 1.1

Ben Hansbrough leads the Irish in scoring and is sixth in the conference with 18.0 points per game.  Tim Abromaitis and Scott Martin add double digit averages, and Ty Nash is on the cusp with 9.9 points per game.

The Match-up

Nothing in the numbers suggests that Notre Dame has a chance.  Save yourself the aggravation.  Don’t watch the game… unless you want to see if the adjustments the Irish made to win their last two games at home can serve them on the road against the best team in the Big East.  I’m going to watch.

The Irish handled Cincinnati’s and Marquette’s pressure defense, limited turnovers, controlled tempo, shot well, contested shots, and held their own on the boards.  That is exactly what they need to do to beat Pittsburgh… or any other good team on the road.

Game Information

#16 Notre Dame vs. #5 Pittsburgh

Monday, January 24 at 7:00 p.m. (ET)

Petersen Events Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Television: ESPN

Internet: ESPN3.com

Categories

6 thoughts on “Preview – Notre Dame at Pittsburgh”

  1. Joe says:

    I do not expect the Irish to win this game. They do not need to win this game. However, they need to win road games against credible opponents at some point this season to improve their tournament seed. St. Johns and Marquette should have been at least a split on the road. West Virginia looks like the best opportunity we have left for a good roady.

    With all that said, let’s go for our first single digit road loss of the year!

  2. IrishPunk says:

    Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor. C’mon Irish fans – man up! We’re the Fighting Irish not the “do not expect to win” Irish or the “don’t watch the game” Irish. Whatever happened to “What though the odds be great or small, ol’ Notre Dame will win over all . . . “? Who’s with me . . . ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

  3. Scranton Dave says:

    Huge huge win!! I am so thrilled for those kids! Ben is obviously huge and clutch but the importance of Carleton Scott cannot be understated. 6-3 in the BE with the most difficult part of the league schedule behind them. Lets see if they can go 12-6 or 13-5 and get a bye in the first round of the BE Tourney! Go Irish!!