Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Aims for Season Sweep Against Boston College

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Notre Dame Fighting Irish (10-13, 4-8) are gearing up for a key rematch against the Boston College Eagles (10-13, 2-10) on February 12 at 9 p.m. ET in the Conte Forum. This matchup follows Notre Dame’s previous victory over the Eagles, where they cruised to a 78-60 win at home on January 13. The game will be broadcasted on ESPNU.

In that earlier matchup, Notre Dame’s Tae Davis stood out with an impressive 26 points and a shooting percentage of 64.3% (9-for-14). Additionally, Markus Burton contributed with 20 points, hitting an effective 9-of-10 from the free-throw line. Kebba Njie narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds, while Julian Roper II led the team in plus/minus at +26.

Notre Dame is eager to build on that momentum. Head coach Mike Brey emphasized the importance of consistency for his team, particularly as they have struggled to maintain leads in recent games. “We’ve had double-digit leads in our last three games and failed to close them out,” Brey said. “We need to put together a full 40 minutes, starting on Wednesday.”

Throughout the season, the Fighting Irish have averaged a narrow margin of defeat of just 5.5 points in conference play. They will need to break a pattern of second-half collapses to secure consecutive victories, as they look to complete their first season sweep against Boston College since 2019.

“It’s crucial for us to establish our confidence heading into the latter part of the season,” Davis said. “We know what we can do when we play our game, and we want to prove it on the court.”

Burton, who has emerged as one of the nation’s top scorers, is riding a hot streak. Since returning from a knee injury, he has averaged 22.1 points per game in ACC play and is currently ranked 10th nationally with an overall average of 20.6 points. Burton is also closing in on a significant career milestone, needing just 93 points to reach 1,000 career points.

The Irish are also benefiting from the noteworthy improvement of Davis, who is averaging a career-high 15.6 points per game this season. His shooting percentage has increased to 49.4%, placing him among the top scorers in the ACC.

As Notre Dame heads into its rematch against Boston College, the players are looking to maintain the intensity built during their last meeting. “Facing a team twice in one season is challenging, but we feel confident with the adjustments we’ve made,” Njie stated.

With both teams holding similar records, the pressure is on as they both seek to bolster their standings in the ACC. The overall series favors Notre Dame, who leads 28-13. However, the Irish will be wary of Boston College, especially in their home arena, where both teams are relatively evenly matched with 10 wins each in Chestnut Hill.

The game promises to be a competitive matchup as both teams look to improve their postures as the season progresses. Fans can follow the game action via the Notre Dame Radio Network and social media using #GoIrish.