Mike White shares what stands out about Notre Dame

Mike White has studied his film, and is ready to take on Notre Dame this Sunday. The Georgia headman broke down what has impressed him from this year’s Fighting Irish squad, and how he plans to combat their “unique” style of basketball.

“They’re pretty extreme in certain areas. They’re a very unique team. They’re really big, they don’t really play that deep at all,” White said Thursday. “They really shoot it, they do not turn the ball over and they play at a very unique pace. You can’t speed them up, they’re going to shoot the three well, they’re really skilled, really sound defensively. They keep it in front.

“We’re going to have to make shots. They do a really good job of defending the glass, too, and that’s been a huge strength of ours but I think it’ll be a bit more difficult against these guys to get some of those extra possessions.”

The Irish might do well defending the rim, but they still rank dead last in rebounding in the ACC this season. They’re one of four teams to have played 10 or less games to this point, but Notre Dame averages just 31.6 rebounds per game, even less than the 1-9 Louisville Cardinals (31.9).

Leading the way for Notre Dame’s rebounding efforts is fifth-year senior Nate Laszewski, who averages 8.3 boards per game. Starting the season off with three consecutive double-doubles, he also leads the team in scoring with 14.9 points per outing.

Compare that to Georgia’s 39.4 boards per game, where the Bulldogs don’t have any one key rebounder on the team. Six of White’s players average at least four rebounds per game, but there also isn’t anyone averaging over 5.5 per game, either.

Tip-off between the Irish and Bulldogs is set for Sunday, Dec. 18 at 8:30 p.m. ET as a part of the Holiday Hoopsgiving on ESPN.