Notre Dame vs. Rutgers: Scarlet Knights surge to take halftime lead

Notre Dame and Rutgers got off to a fast start in the last First Four game in Dayton on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights were slightly faster and rode a late surge to a 41-36 lead over the Fighting Irish at halftime.

The first eight minutes flew by, going without a whistle until the 11:57 mark. That pace kept up throughout the first half as both teams shot better than 50% from the field. Paul Atkinson led the way for Notre Dame with an efficient 8-for-9 shooting effort for 16 points. For Rutgers, Caleb McConnell — the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year — matched Atkinson, going 8-for-9 from the field, but added a three-pointer and a free throw to finish with 18 points.

Even during his sideline interview with Jon Rothstein, Notre Dame coach Mike Brey acknowledged how quickly both teams were playing and how great the shooting was.

“Hey, the ball’s going in the hole, isn’t this a good game to watch?” Brey joked.

The winner of the game gets a date with No. 6 seed Alabama in the first round of March Madness. That game takes place Friday at 4:15 p.m. ET.

More on Notre Dame, Rutgers

Notre Dame arrived in Dayton for the First Four after finishing second in the ACC regular season. The Fighting Irish, however, got bounced by Virginia Tech in the conference tournament, which sent them to Dayton instead of earning a bye to the Round of 64. They entered the game with a 22-10 overall record, including a 15-5 mark in ACC action.

Three Fighting Irish average double-digit points per game, led by 14.6 points per contest from Blake Wesley. Dane Goodwin and Atkinson are also major contributors, averaging 13.9 points and 12.3 points per contest, respectively.

Rutgers had quite a journey to the big dance. The Scarlet Knights finished the regular season 18-13, but went 12-8 in Big Ten play with some huge victories. They beat then-No. 1 Purdue early on, but went on a huge four-game win streak to get over the hump and into the NCAA Tournament. Rutgers beat No. 13 Michigan State, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 12 Illinois all in a row, and those wins proved to be the difference between the NIT and March Madness.

The Scarlet Knights are led by Honorable Mention All-American guard Ron Harper Jr., who leads the team with 15.6 points per game and has hit some huge shots in big moments this season. Geo Baker and Cliff Omoruyi also score in double figures with 12.4 and 11.8 respective points per game.