Notre Dame at Clemson: Preview, what to know and how to watch

On3 imageby:Patrick Engel02/12/22

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The pats on the back are done, the praiseful tweets sent.

Of course, they were deserved.

It’s been a while since Notre Dame has been in the thick of a conference race in mid-February. Wednesday’s 63-57 win over Louisville launched the Irish into sole possession first place in the ACC, and no, you didn’t see this coming even a few weeks ago. Not on Dec. 3, when they sleepwalked into Conte Forum and left with a 16-point loss to a Boston College team picked to finish last and currently in 11th. Not on March 10, 2021, when North Carolina mercilessly (or mercifully?) ended their season with a 101-59 pounding in the ACC tournament.

So, yeah, soak it in for an evening.

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Then move on. Because every opponent from here on out wants to jettison the Irish from the top spot. To which they respond, bring it.

“They kind of feel it, they like quieting crowds,” head coach Mike Brey said. “There’s a little bit of a cockiness about them on the road where they love doing it.”

Notre Dame is 5-1 in its last six ACC road games, the most recent of which was a 69-57 win seven days ago in Raleigh, N.C. The Irish scored the game’s first 11 points, let North Carolina State resuscitate itself and eventually take a three-point lead, then promptly ripped off a 21-4 run to snuff out the optimism.

And three days before that? Notre Dame hung two 10-0 spurts on then-league leader Miami in the second half to snatch a 68-64 road victory over the ‘Canes.

“I don’t care where we play,” forward Paul Atkinson Jr. said. “I love playing with these guys. We’re all battling, and everybody wants to be on the court and win.”

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Their next opportunity is Saturday against Clemson (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network). Littlejohn Coliseum isn’t exactly a hornet’s nest for visitors these days, with the Tigers at 12-12 overall and 3-8 in their last 11 league games. Still, this is a team with desperate energy after dropping home games to North Carolina and Duke earlier this week. Toppling Notre Dame from its perch would surely wash away a lot of the malaise.

Notre Dame’s method for winning anywhere is a 180-degree pivot from the Irish’s usual ways. The Irish have held six straight opponents to 65 or fewer points, their best such streak since joining the ACC in 2013. They’re up to No. 64 in KenPom’s adjusted defensive efficiency rankings, while the offense is 79th. Never in 27 years wielding the big whistle has Brey coached a team that ended the year with a defense rated better than its offense.

“It’s not the normal Notre Dame way we expect, but we’re adapting to it,” guard Trey Wertz said. “It’s just kind of what we do at this point. Every night, even if our offense isn’t going, we know we can rely on our defense.”

They’ve proven defense travels. Can it travel with a six-man rotation? Brey admitted it’s unlikely forward Nate Laszewski (lower leg contusion) plays at Clemson after missing the game vs. Louisville. He’s the Irish’s best defensive rebounder and one of two true forwards who plays meaningful minutes. Without him, the Irish play four guards around Atkinson.

“It’s a longshot,” Brey said. “He’s still a little tender.”

A smaller lineup matches up well against Clemson on paper. The Tigers have four shooters on the floor most of the time and occasionally will put four guards around forward P.J. Hall, a willing shooter himself. But rest assured they haven’t forgotten about their 6-of-32 three-point shooting performance at Notre Dame in a 72-56 Irish win Jan. 12.

All told, this is one of Notre Dame’s more challenging games left on the schedule because of opponent and player availability. The Irish have, though, leaned into challenges all season.

“I think this group’s physically tough,” Brey said. “They’re pretty mentally tough too.”

Notre Dame (17-7, 10-3 ACC) at Clemson (12-12, 4-9)

When: Saturday, Feb. 12 at 7 p.m. ET

Where: Littlejohn Coliseum, Clemson, S.C.

TV: ACC Network

Radio: Notre Dame basketball radio network

Last meeting: Notre Dame won 72-56 on Jan. 12

Series history: Notre Dame leads 7-2

KenPom prediction: Clemson 70, Notre Dame 67

Leading scorers:

• Notre Dame: guard Dane Goodwin (14.5 points per game), guard Blake Wesley (14.0 ppg)

• Clemson: forward P.J. Hall (15.4 ppg), guard Al-Amir Dawes (11.0 ppg)

Other notes:

• Clemson will not have two of its top four scorers available. Wing Hunter Tyson (10.4 ppg) is out indefinitely with a broken clavicle suffered Feb. 2 vs. Florida State. Guard David Collins (10.5 ppg) was suspended for the game following an ejection for a Flagrant 2 foul in Thursday’s loss to Duke.

• Guard Cormac Ryan started for Laszewski against Louisville and is expected to draw the start again. He had seven points, four rebounds, four assists and two steals in the win over the Cardinals.

• Clemson is 21st nationally in three-point percentage (37.8), but is shooting just 34.9 percent in ACC play. That’s 10th among teams in the conference. Dawes, though, is shooting 38.8 percent in league games.

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