All you need to know about Bowling Green-Notre Dame men's basketball matchup
Tom Noie
Men's Basketball
WHO: Notre Dame (4-0) vs. Bowling Green (2-2)
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion (9,149).
WHEN: Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. (Please note special start time).
TICKETS: Plenty available.
TV: ACC Network
RADIO: WSBT (960 AM).
ONLINE: Follow every Notre Dame game with live updates from Tribune beat writer Tom Noie at twitter.com/tnoieNDI
More:Dane Goodwin rescues Notre Dame from a disastrous defensive effort vs. Lipscomb
Read more:Quick start carries Notre Dame to (relatively) easy victory at home over Southern Indiana
NOTING: Senior guard Leon Ayers scored 18 points with seven rebounds and fellow senior guard Samari Curtis added 13 points, six rebounds and four assists for Bowling Green in an 81-68 loss Saturday at St. Bonaventure. The Falcons trailed by as many as 19 in a game that featured two ties and three lead changes. They scored 40 points in the paint, had 23 points off the bench and 19 fast-break points. … Bowling Green has lost two straight and has wins over Air Force and Oakland. … This is the Falcons’ fourth straight road game before six of eight at home. … A transfer from Duquesne, Ayers has led the Falcons in scoring each of the first four games and averages 20.5 points per game. He’s one of seven transfers on the Bowling Green roster, which lost its top four scorers off last year’s squad. … Bowling Green is a school with an enrollment of 20,400 located in Bowling Green, Ohio. … Two starters return off last year’s team that finished 13-18 overall, 6-14 and tied for ninth place in the Mid-American Conference. It was Bowling Green’s first losing season in five. … The Falcons have won 22, 21, 14 and 13 games the last four years. … They finished third in possessions per game (72.8) according to KenPom.com, but were ranked 355th among 358 Division I teams for scoring defense (80.5 ppg.). … Bowling Green is allowing 75.2 ppg., through four games this season. … Bowling Green was picked this preseason to finish ninth in the 12-team MAC. … Notre Dame leads the all-time series 5-2, 4-0 at home. This is the first time the teams (separated by 159 miles) have met since a 92-65 Irish win on Feb. 2, 1972. … Notre Dame is 57-19 all-time against MAC schools. … Notre Dame looks to move to 5-0 for the first time since starting 6-0 to open 2017-18. … Three Irish games have been decided by seven points or fewer, including one-point and three-point wins. … Notre Dame enters the week ranked first in the Atlantic Coast Conference for free throw percentage (.849), third in field goal percentage (.509), 13th in scoring defense (73.0) and 15th – last – in field goal percentage defense (.480).
QUOTING: “We knew that coming in we're going to have to play a lot of minutes and we’re ready for it. We don’t wear down. You get a little tired, but most of it is mental. We have the right headspace about it. We go into the game expecting that. You’ve got to get your body right.”
— Notre Dame super senior Dane Goodwin, one of five Irish averaging 33.2 minutes per game, on playing heavy minutes.
— Tom Noie