Scouting Notre Dame

Notre Dame coach Mike Brey has his Irish team on a roll right now, is there any chance USF can stop them?

Here we go again, time for the Bulls (8-17 and 2-10 in conference play) to take on another ranked opponent in Big East play. The men's team suffered a heartbreaking loss to Marquette on Wednesday night when they saw a 16-point lead slowly slip away from them. Now they must regroup as they host 8th ranked Notre Dame. The Irish, 20-4 (9-3) are looking to get a conference win as they prepare for the NCAA tournament while the Bulls are hoping to stay alive in this game. [keep reading]

The Irish are a solid team. They average 75.5 points per game (43rd in the nation), shoot 45.7% from the field (85th in the nation), average 37 rebounds per contest (81st in the country), and dish out 10.5 assists per game (16th in the country). They are a balanced team that has both size inside and shooters on the edge. The Bulls on the other hand struggle on offense. USF enters this game averaging just 62 points per game (307th in the country), shooting 41.8% from the field (274th in the country), dishing out 12.6 assists per game (198th in the country), and pulling down 37.5 rebounds per game (65th in the country).

Let's take a closer look at the Irish lineup and who the Bulls have to stop in order to get the big upset.

The Irish have size at nearly every position and senior leadership in every starter. Guard Ben Hansbrough (6'3" 206-pounds) averages 17.5 points per game (shoots 46% from the field and 42% from 3-point range). He also averages 3.8 rebounds per game and 4 assists per game. He is pretty physical and will be a tough matchup for Crater or Poland at guard position. Forward Tim Abromaitis (6'8" 235-pounds) averages 14.4 points per game (43% from the field and 39% from 3-point range), he also averages 6.5 rebounds per game. Forward Carelton Scott (6'7" 217-pounds) averages 11.8 points per game (49% from the field and 39% from 3-point range), 2.1 assists per game, and 6.7 rebound per game. He will pose a tough matchup for the Bulls inside. Guard Scott Martin (6'8" 218-pounds) averages 10.1 points per game (41% from the field) and 4.1 rebounds per game. Guard Tyrone Nash (6'8" 235-pounds) averages 9.6 points per game and 5.8 rebounds game.

Other players to watch:

Guard - Eric Atkis - 6'1" 170-pounds - 6.9 PPG 3.6 APG

Forward - Jack Cooley - 6'9" 244-pounds - 3.8 PPG

Guard - Joey Brooks - 6'5" 215-pounds - 1.9 PPG

Outcome of the game: This is going to be a tough game for USF. The Irish have size all over their starting 5 and every one of them has range as well. ND has a balanced scoring attack and can come at the Bulls from all different looks, making it a matchup nightmare. After the collapse against Marquette, the team could come out flat after a deflating loss or it could rally, but the Irish are just too talented, too deep, and too much for USF. I expect the game to be close for the first half, just like most USF games as the Bulls defense will be able to hold the Irish in check, but the second half the Irish will wake up and get the road victory.

Final score prediction: Notre Dame 79 USF 60