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Notre Dame comes home after a successful road trip.
When Notre Dame lost senior Tim Abromaitis to a season-ending injury earlier this season, many fans assumed that the Irish would have a difficult time even competing in the rugged Big East. However, the Irish have proven to be capable of knocking off any team in the conference, and could be in line for another upset. as they lead Marquette, 30-26, at the half.
The Irish have remained competitive due to a commitment on the defensive end of the court. This approach has remained again the Golden Eagles, as Marquette shot only 36.7% from the field as a team in the opening 20 minutes. On the offensive end, Pat Connaughton led the way with a team-high eight points on 3/4 shooting from the field. Scott Martin chipped in six points, two rebounds and two assists for the Irish.
Darius Johnson-Odom was the only guy who was able to find any rhythm in the opening half for Marquette. Johnson-Odom netted a team-high 10 points on 4/6 shooting from the field. However, the rest of the starters combined to shoot only 4/16 against the impressive Irish defense.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this matchup, head over to Notre Dame blog One Foot Down and Big East Coast Bias. For more from around college hoops, visit SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.
Notre Dame has been playing good basketball over the last week, helping its NCAA tournament standing tremendously with a win over Syracuse and road wins over Seton Hall and Connecticut. The Big East grind continues Saturday afternoon with a Marquette Golden Eagles team that hasn't lost a game since Jan. 7.
Related: Know Your Foe: On the Notre Dame Burning Men
One aspect of the game that will be interesting to track will be turnover margin. Marquette takes decent care of the ball and Notre Dame's defense does a poor job of forcing turnovers. At the other end of the floor, the Irish are very good at taking care of the ball, while Marquette's defense thrives on takeaways. With the Eagles unlikely to commit many turnovers in this game, how Notre Dame's offense handles the ball against Marquette's defense could be a big factor in the outcome.
Date & Time: Saturday, Feb. 4, 1:00 p.m. ET
TV: CBS
Odds: Marquette is favored by one point.
Series History: Notre Dame leads 79-36
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this matchup, head over to Notre Dame blog One Foot Down and Big East Coast Bias. For more from around college hoops, visit SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.
Notre Dame Vs. Marquette Score Update: Irish Pick Up Another Signature Victory
In a college basketball season that has been lacking great stories, the play of Notre Dame is one of the few surprises so far. The Irish continued their remarkable rise up the Big East standings with a dominant 76-59 victory over No. 15 Marquette. With the win, the Irish moved within a 1/2 game of second place in the conference.
The Irish won this game thanks to an excellent defensive effort. Marquette shot only 39.1% from the field as a team and hit only two shots from behind the arc. On the other end of the court, Notre Dame continued to produce with great efficiency, shooting 50% as a team and hitting 11/23 from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Pat Connaughton was simply brilliant, scoring a team-high 23 points on 9/12 shooting and grabbing 11 rebounds. Eric Atkins added 18 points and dished out five assists in the victory.
In the loss, Marquette received a strong performance from Vander Blue, who scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Darius Johnson-Odom added 12 points, while Junior Cadougan scored 11 points and dished out a team-high five assists.
For updates, stay tuned to SB Nation Chicago. For more in-depth coverage of this matchup, head over to Notre Dame blog One Foot Down and Big East Coast Bias. For more from around college hoops, visit SB Nation's NCAA basketball news hub.
Feb 04 2:10p by Max Mandel