No game at the Crossroads Classic is easy, and Indiana has played its fair share of difficult games recently. The Hoosiers will need one of their smartest performances of the season to down Notre Dame on Saturday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
The Crossroads Classic has never been an easy place for Indiana to win games. In 2012, No. 1 Indiana was downed in overtime by Butler. In 2016, No. 9 Indiana was beaten by Butler as well, while the Hoosiers beat Notre Dame in overtime in 2017 and, most recently, a Rob Phinisee three defeated Butler at the buzzer after Juwan Morgan scored 35 points.
If there’s one matchup that typically favors Indiana, though, it’s Notre Dame. Indiana has played Notre Dame four times since the event’s inauguration in 2011 and has won three of those games. But, again, it’s never easy.
This year will likely be no different.
Notre Dame comes into the intrastate matchup at 8-3 with a roster that Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey always seems to keep old. The Irish are No. 47 in the nation in experience and working in a system that Brey has spent the entire 21st Century to establish, while Archie Miller is just now finding traction in what he’s hoping to establish at Indiana in his third year.
What It Means
This game represents one of two remaining nonconference games for Indiana before diving into a long stretch of Big Ten opponents, and this game in particular is scheduled between two weeks of rest for the Hoosiers – the first week for finals and the second week for the holidays.
Archie Miller said he believes his players have been able to rest and heal after beginning the year thin in the backcourt but that senior guard Devonte Green is still sore and hasn’t been 100 percent.
This game, being in the middle of so much time off, presents an opportunity for Indiana to regain its footing and shore up some concerns that have surfaced after hard-fought games over Nebraska and Connecticut. But a win over Notre Dame is likely going to require one of the smartest games and most impressive defensive performances of its season to date – or if Notre Dame is cold from three.
“We have our work cut out for us, defensively in particular,” Miller said. “It's something that we try to hammer home after the last few games, really identifying some things we can get better at.”
Miller also noted that the Crossroads Classic always has “a postseason feel” to it, which will provide favorable preparation for late-season games, but it’s not unfamiliar to Indiana anymore. The Hoosiers just completed a game in Madison Square Garden that followed the defeat of then-No. 1 Louisville. Forward Joey Brunk also said the individual members, with many of them being top talents in Indiana at one point, have played in Bankers Life Fieldhouse many times. This particular team also played its closed scrimmage against Marquette earlier this year at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
This game will present a chance for Indiana to become more cohesive, particularly on defense, after some rest and practice time, mostly because that’s what will be required to win the game.
Notre Dame isn't shy from three
Notre Dame shoots a lot of threes. It’s never attempted fewer than 22 three-pointers in a game this season, and it attempted 39 in each of its last two contests. And even though it attempts the 21st-most threes in the nation, it hits at about an average rate (34.2%). Notre Dame is No. 29 in the country in percentage of points coming from three (39.5), which is higher than any team Indiana has played this season and higher than any Big Ten opponent. The three-point shot has accounted for 50 percent of the Irish’s points in its last three games too.
The problem with trying to smother Notre Dame’s three-point attack is that there aren’t one or two specific players to tame behind the line. Both Temple Gibbs and Pentiss Hubb average about 6.5 threes attempted per game, but Dane Goodwin, who takes about four threes per game, is the sharpest shooter. Six players on Notre Dame’s roster average more than three three-point attempts per game. Only Devonte Green and Al Durham average more than three for Indiana.
Holistically, Indiana hasn’t been terrible at defending the perimeter, but there are streaks in every game that lend themselves toward the three being a vulnerability in the Indiana defense. If Notre Dame exploits that vulnerability, it could be the quickest way to down the Hoosiers that Notre Dame has been able to find at the Crossroads Classic.
The Irish are a brainy bunch
As always, the 2019 Notre Dame team is a smart team. It moves the ball, doesn’t put teams on the foul line, doesn’t turn it over often (especially unforced turnovers) and creates turnovers on defense. As far as a team that practices its fundamentals and doesn’t make mistakes, Notre Dame might be the best Indiana has played so far this year, so, Miller noted Friday, Indiana is going to need to be sharp.
Notre Dame is second in the nation in turnover percentage, turning the ball over on just 13.7 percent of its possessions, and it’s No. 1 in non-steal turnover percentage, meaning it turns the ball over due to unforced errors on just 6.6 percent of its possessions. In total, Notre Dame is ninth in the country in total turnovers, with just 107 in 11 games.
Notre Dame is also 10th in personal fouls committed. That’s translated to 11th in the country in free throw attempts allowed (11.5 per game). Indiana relies on free throws to score a large part of its offense, ranking fifth in the country in percentage of points off free throws.
Lastly, Notre Dame ranks second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio in the nation. They move the ball well without turning it over.
John Mooney: Best rebounder in the nation
Notre Dame 6-foot-9 forward John Mooney leads the nation with 13.4 rebounds per game. He’s also Notre Dame’s leading scorer, averaging 14.8 points per game.
Indiana has shown a tendency to struggle against athletic, dynamic forwards – particularly against Wisconsin and Connecticut – so Joey Brunk, Trayce Jackson-Davis and company will have their hands full on the inside with Mooney too.
Notre Dame's weak schedule
These numbers all seem dominant but when viewed through the lens of Notre Dame’s strength of schedule, they don’t seem as daunting for a young Indiana team. Notre Dame’s strength of schedule, according to KenPom.com, is ranked 306th in the country.
The Irish have defeated one opponent inside KenPom’s top-100. That was No. 95 Toledo, who pushed Notre Dame into overtime. Outside of that Toledo win, Notre Dame is coming off its best win over No. 115 UCLA. The Irish have lost No. 7 Maryland, No. 40 North Carolina and No. 129 Boston College.
That strength of schedule likely contributes directly toward Notre Dame’s No. 66 rating.
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