Syracuse men’s basketball continues conference slate with rematch against Notre Dame

If history really does tend to repeat itself, then Syracuse men’s basketball can expect a rollercoaster of a game come Saturday.

Back in the ‘Cuse’s ACC opener in early December, the Orange narrowly escaped South Bend with a 62-61 win over Notre Dame. In a game that featured 12 ties through 40 minutes, it was Judah Mintz played hero for SU. The freshman knocked down the game-winning basket with just 13 seconds remaining, the biggest shot of his nine points on the day.

Since that win, Syracuse has gone 7-2 over its last nine, most recently capturing a bounce-back victory over Virginia Tech on Wednesday night. After a tough loss to UVA down in Charlottesville, the Orange had a shot to defeat its neighbor at home. The ‘Cuse took down the Hokies 82-72, leading by as many as 22 at one point.

Joe Girard III paved the way for the Orange racking up 24 points on the night. After this performance, the senior is now averaging 21.8 points per game in conference play. The guard was oozing with confidence throughout his performance and had the green light all night, shooting 50 percent from the floor.

“He’s been able to get his own shot, which I don’t think he was able to do until this year,” head coach Jim Boeheim said postgame. “He’s just played really good basketball. You have to give him a lot of credit, he’s really played well.”

As much as Orange fans want to forget the slump that plagued Girard earlier this season, it was against Notre Dame that the NY native finally broke free. Following a 2-25 shooting slide, Girard bounced back amidst all the negativity to give SU exactly what it craved offensively. The senior scored 20 points and even was active on the defensive side with two steals. It’ll be this Joe Girard that the team will need come round two with the Irish on Saturday.

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So, while Syracuse has been bathing in success as of late, Notre Dame has been the opposite. Since December 3rd, the Irish have gone a disastrous 1-4 in conference play and are hanging out in the basement of the ACC standings. The lone win came Tuesday in overtime against a struggling Georgia Tech team.

Forward Nate Laszewski has been the top scorer on the season for ND. The senior is averaging just under 14 points per game and notched a double-double in the win over the Yellow Jackets. But maybe his kryptonite is Orange. Laszewski managed to score just two points over 34 minutes in the last meeting between the squads.

“It was a rough game,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey said. “It’s different for him versus a zone trying to find his stuff, and I felt for him.”

One guy who was able to find success against the zone was guard Dane Goodwin. The senior notched 16 points behind a 3-4 day from the perimeter, and has not slowed down since. The Ohio native has scored in double-digits in five straight games, most recently 19 against Georgia Tech.

Freshman guard JJ Starling is a Baldwinsville, New York, native and picked the Irish despite competition from schools including Syracuse and Duke. The freshman has been stellar in his first year, scoring in double figures in 76 percent (13-of-17) of his games. But one of those four games where he didn’t was against the ‘Cuse, where Starling slotted just seven.

The Orange (10-6, 3-2 ACC) and Irish (9-8, 1-5 ACC) go for seconds on Saturday in the JMA Wireless Dome. Notre Dame has a chance to play spoiler on the road and start a much-needed flame to get back on track this season. Meanwhile, the ‘Cuse aims to move up the conference ladder and sweep the season series against ND. Game time is at 7:00 with WAER’s Coverage starting at 6:30 with McClurg Team Countdown to Tipoff.