ND MEN’S BASKETBALL: Irish aim for .500 on Saturday against Syracuse | Sports | greensburgdailynews.com

SOUTH BEND — After having their Ash Wednesday matchup at Purcell Pavilion with Clemson nixed due to COVID-19 issues within the Tigers’ program, the Irish will try to earn their seventh win in nine games to get to .500 on Saturday against Syracuse at the Carrier Dome (2 p.m., ACC Network).
“I’ve been really proud of our guys,” said Notre Dame coach Mike Brey, referring to his team’s ability to avoid any COVID pauses within the program on his show Wednesday. “We’ve remained pretty clean and available since September. Clemson wasn’t available, so we’re disappointed, but it’s not the first time we’ve had to adjust the practice schedule and adjust the psyche of our guys.”
The Irish are just one of three teams in the ACC who have yet to pause program activities due to COVID.
“I give a lot of credit to our trainer Nixon Dorvilien, who we hired recently, and our doctors,” Brey said. “I hope we have bonuses for them when this thing lets up. They have been unbelievable in the athletic department. … I know any day that could change for us, but I cross my fingers that we can stay on this clean roll and be available to play.”
A LOOK AT THE ‘NET’ RANKINGS For the Orange (12-6, 6-5 ACC), who have dealt with their own postponements and cancellations due to COVID, it’ll be the team’s first game since last weekend as well after Wednesday’s road game against Louisville was postponed because of COVID concerns within the Cardinals’ program.
Notre Dame (9-10, 6-7 ACC) faces arguably its toughest test since losing to then-No. 20 Virginia Tech on Jan. 27. After that poor performance, the Irish have improved and won four out of five, but the competition hasn’t been exceptional.
According to the NCAA’s NET rankings, Pittsburgh (80), Wake Forest (125), Duke (60) and Miami (148) weren’t overly impressive wins, but Syracuse is just inside the top 50 at No. 50. The Orange will be one of three teams out of the five Notre Dame end the regular season with currently in the top 50 of the NET rankings. Florida State (16) and (33) Louisville are the others.
Despite the love from the metrics, Syracuse currently has no Quad-1 wins (0-4), and its only marquee win of the season was against ACC foe Virginia Tech last month.
FAMILIAR FOES While the Orange haven’t beaten many teams of value this season, the Irish will still be challenged by a team they’ve had competitive contests with in recent years. Notre Dame and Syracuse have split the last four meetings with three of them being decided by one possession, including last season’s 84-82 home loss for coach Brey’s group.
Both teams have met at least once every season since 1995-96 with Syracuse going 25-11 over that span.
“It’ll be a great opportunity for a Quad-1 win for us,” Brey said. “A road game in the top 75 (in the NET) on the road. They’re a really gifted offensive team, and they know us and we know them. We both play very similarly offensively. (Both teams) have a chance to really explode, and then you’re attacking their 2-3 zone, which we’ve had to deal with for 21 years between the Big East and the ACC.”
For the Irish to be successful against the Orange, they’ll have to continue being aggressive and efficient on the offensive side of the court.
Both teams are ranked in the top five of the ACC in scoring offense with Notre Dame coming in at fifth (71.5) and Syracuse at third (74.5). The Irish have been getting consistent contributions from guys like Prentiss Hubb, Juwan Durham, Cormac Ryan and Nate Laszewski over the past month or so, but on Sunday against Miami, some other names popped up in the box score as well.
Graduate Student Nikola Djogo had one of the best games of his career against the Hurricanes, scoring a season-high 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting to go along with seven rebounds.
Djogo’s teammate, Dane Goodwin, silently made a difference on both the scoreboard and on the boards. He had 11 points and 11 rebounds, helping the Irish outrebound a lengthy Miami team 45-42.
Quality performances down the stretch from those two would go a long way in helping Notre Dame continue on its up-hill trajectory.
“Nobody deserved that type of performance more than him,” said Brey, referring to Djogo’s effort against Miami. “He has played the role we needed him to play. To come off the bench, to defend, to rebound, and if you need me to score a little bit, I will. … The other night against Miami, we needed more. He sensed that and did it. I’m thrilled for him, because he’s really been a team guy for five years.