What to know about Notre Dame men’s basketball at Boston College
Notre Dame visits Boston College at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, playing on one day’s rest in the middle of Atlantic Coast Conference play after a loss to Florida State on Saturday. Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry is not happy about that arrangement.
“Appreciate that, ACC,” Shrewsberry said sarcastically after Saturday’s game. “Last I checked, us and Boston College are the only two teams in the league that play on one day rest this whole season, right? Not that I went through everybody’s schedule and checked that out to see if anybody else played on a one day rest, but we do.”
To make matters worse for Notre Dame, sophomore forward Tae Davis is nursing a left ankle sprain that he suffered in practice Friday. He missed the Florida State loss and is a game-time decision for Monday night, according to a team spokesperson.
Shrewsberry and freshman guard Markus Burton bemoaned the group’s lack of focus against Florida State. The Irish’s ability to regain that focus will be tested on short rest in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
“I think it starts right now,” Shrewsberry said Saturday. “We’re doing what we need to do to get our bodies right and be at 100 percent, and we got to play the right way. Guys had to play more minutes, but doing that and putting the game plan together, quickly trying to figure out what we’re doing defensively and what we’re doing offensively.
“You’re coming off a loss. That should get everybody’s attention right away. It should get everybody’s attention to where it needs to be. So that’ll be a big part of it, but we’ll be fired up to play.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Notre Dame’s matchup at Boston College.
Notre Dame at Boston College game information
- Teams: Notre Dame (7-10, 2-4 ACC) vs. Boston College (10-6, 1-4 ACC)
- Date: Monday, Jan. 15
- Location: Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Television: ESPNU
- Streaming: WatchESPN
- TV announcers: Jon Meterparel (play-by-play) and Malcolm Huckaby (analyst)
- Radio: 960 WSBT-AM in South Bend
- Radio announcer: Tony Simeone
Matchup notables
• Scoring points has not been an issue for Boston College this season, as the Eagles have four players averaging double figures and average 78.9 points each night. Their leading scorer and rebounder is fifth-year senior Dutch big man Quinten Post, a 7-footer from Amsterdam, at 16.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game.
• Post was named the 2022-23 ACC Most Improved Player, and his best game of the season came against the Irish. He went 10-of-14 from the field, scored 29 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, both of which were season highs. Post was named to the preseason All-ACC second team for his efforts.
• His strong season hit a hiccup the past two games, scoring zero points in 26 minutes this past Wednesday against Syracuse and missing Saturday’s loss to Clemson with an illness. But according to CBS college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Post will play Monday, along with sophomore starting guard Prince Aligbe and sophomore reserve center Armani Mighty.
• Boston College’s second-leading scorer, close behind Post, is junior Charleston Southern transfer guard Claudell Harris Jr. He’s a high-volume and very high-efficiency three-point shooter, averaging 15.7 points per game on 43.0 percent from downtown.
• When Notre Dame has gotten burned defensively this season, it’s been by players like Harris more than players like Post. Shrewsberry’s defensive system has been well-equipped to defend the paint, and 6-foot-10 sophomore forward Kebba Njie has done a good job guarding potent big men in recent weeks. However, defensive rebounding was a bit of an issue for the Irish in losses to Duke and Florida State.
• On the Notre Dame side, Burton is back over 16 points per game with a 20-point outing on 8-of-14 shooting against Florida State. It was his first game over 50 percent from the field since Dec. 30 against Virginia.
• Burton is 12th in the ACC and first among freshmen at 16.2 points per game.
