Game Preview: Notre Dame vs #22 Ohio State

Notre Dame gets another crack at one of the best the Big Ten has to offer. After dropping its season opener to Michigan State, the Irish host the #22 Ohio State Buckeyes.

Location: South Bend, Ind.
Game Time: 7:30 PM ET
Network: ESPN2

The loss to the Spartans looks a lot better now that Michigan State went on the road and beat Duke (75-69). A win over the ranked Buckeyes would certainly provide the Irish with a significant confident boost.

OHIO STATE OVERVIEW

Ohio State is off to a 3-0 start, and the Buckeyes have been convincing in their victories.

The season started off with a 94-67 victory over Illinois State. Ohio State had five players in double figures and they beat the Redbirds on the glass by a 43-33 margin. Ohio State hit 26 free throws in the win.

UMass-Lowell was tied with Ohio State 33-33 at the half in game two, but the Buckeyes pulled away and won 74-64. The Buckeyes again got to the free throw line over 30 times, making 26-33 from the charity stripe.

Ohio State steamrolled Morehead State for a 77-44 win in their most recent outing. All five Buckeye starters reached double figures and the Buckeyes won the rebounding margin by double digit for the third straight game.

Cal transfer Justice Sueing leads Ohio State at 15.0 points per game. Sueing has hit 64% of his shots so far this season, and he's grabbed 5.7 rebounds per game to start the season.

Junior guard Duane Washington Jr. is averaging 14.7 points per game and has a team-leading eight three-pointers so far this season. Point guard C.J. Walker is scoring 11.3 points per game and leads the Buckeyes with 5.0 assists per contest. Walker has more made free throws (17) than he does made shots from the field (8), so the Irish guards will need to avoid getting into foul trouble.

6-7 forward E.J. Liddell is scoring 14.3 points per game and is grabbing six boards per contest. Liddell is another player that has benefitted from Ohio State's penchant for getting to the line. He has made 13 free throws and 15 shots from the field this season.

NOTRE DAME KEYS

There are three keys to Notre Dame pulling off the home upset of the Buckeyes:

1. Keep the ball moving - When Notre Dame has the ball moving on offense, both with perimeter passes and the guards penetrating things go really well. It creates open looks on the perimeter and that is when the offense can roll.

When the offense stalls its usually because the offense isn't crisp moving the ball and there is a lot more dribbling and a lot of rushed shots, and not enough movement.

2. Attack the glass - Ohio State has dominated on the boards so far this season, and they are especially good on the offensive glass, at least through three games. Notre Dame needs to keep Ohio State to one shot per possession.

3. Perimeter defense needs to be strong - Notre Dame needs to mix up its man looks with some zone, which has given the Buckeyes problems so far this season. Ohio State has good shooters from outside, but they can be streaky, especially against length and good close out defenders.

Notre Dame needs to keep Ohio State off balance by mixing up the defensive looks and using its length on the perimeter to extend the Ohio State offense out. Do that and the Buckeyes will make enough misses for the Irish to stay in, and possibly win this matchup.

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Notre Dame's Prentiss Hubb vs. Ohio State's CJ Walker - When Hubb is good the Irish are very good, when Hubb gets into ruts the offense stalls out. Walker is a steady leader at point guard and he's a good defender. Hubb needs to attack Walker, but also avoid getting into foul trouble, and the Irish guard needs to knock down shots.

NOTRE DAME ROSTER/STATS

OHIO STATE ROSTER/STATS

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