Notre Dame will host an ACC/SEC Challenge game for the first time when it clashes with Missouri on Tuesday night.
This has the makings of a competitive contest, as Missouri (8-0) has yet to lose and Notre Dame (5-3) is undefeated (4-0) at home.
Most recently, Missouri scored the first 23 points of the game en route to defeating visiting Cleveland State 86-59 on Nov. 28.
Jacob Crews led the Tigers with 20 points and eight rebounds. Missouri dominated the paint scoring with a 40-18 advantage along with a 20-5 edge in second-chance points.
The Tigers’ balanced offensive attack features five double-digit point scorers. Missouri is scoring 92.9 points per game and its margin of victory is 24.7 points. The Tigers also lead the SEC in field goal percentage (55.5).
The average KenPom ranking of the Tigers’ opponents is 281. This game will be a measuring stick that Missouri is eager to rise above.
“I think we’re ready,” Crews said. “I know how we practice. I know how the coaches prepare us. I think we’re excited as well.”
Meanwhile, Notre Dame is coming off a 1-2 trip at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas.
The Fighting Irish concluded the tournament with a 66-56 loss vs. then-No. 3 Houston in the consolation game on Nov. 26. Markus Burton finished with 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
Houston raced out to a 26-4 lead. Notre Dame responded with a furious second-half rally that came up short.
The Fighting Irish compensate for a lack of offensive firepower with defensive intensity. Notre Dame has only once allowed more than 70 points this season (an 86-79 win over Bellarmine).
“We’re a good team and we were right there in a close game against a good team,” Notre Dame head coach Braeden Shrewsberry said. “We’re angry right now, but we’ve got to build off the good things and get better at the bad things and come out and win the next close game. We gotta close it out and prove we’re a different team.”
Overall in the ACC/SEC Challenge, Missouri is 2-0 while Notre Dame is 0-2.
–Field Level Media
