Pittsburgh @ Notre Dame preview

Last Meeting ( Mar 9, 2019 ) Notre Dame 53, Pittsburgh 56

John Mooney has carried Notre Dame all season, but he may not have played a better game than Saturday's win against Georgia Tech. The only player in Division I averaging 16-plus points and 13-plus rebounds per game this season will lead the Fighting Irish Wednesday as they try to sweep a three-game homestand with a win over Pittsburgh.

Mooney tied his career high with 28 points - 18 in the second half - and added 10 rebounds for his 17th double-double of the season, second most in the nation, in the Irish's 80-72 win over the Yellow Jackets. “Beast,” teammate Rex Pflueger called Mooney. “Once he turns it on, you can just see the switch flip. That’s when we know we need to find him. When Mooney’s in that mood, we’re just in a great spot.” Pittsburgh's Xavier Johnson started 3-of-16 against Miami on Saturday but scored seven of his 13 points in the final three minutes as the Panthers beat the Hurricanes 62-57. "Coach told me to shoot the ball. He yelled at me. I said, 'Alright, Coach," Johnson said of an exchange between the two after a late airball.

TIME: 6:30 p.m. ET. TV: ACC Network

ABOUT PITTSBURGH (14-8, 5-6 ACC): Trey McGowens (12.7 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.8 steals) led Pitt with 17 points versus Miami, including two big 3-pointers, and drained two free throws with two ticks left to ice it, while Au'Diese Toney (8.7 points) scored 15 points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Panthers, who snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Hurricanes. "As a team, we taught ourselves we're right there on the edge of making the tournament," Johnson said. "The last 10 games, we've got to go all out and compete at the highest level." Pitt junior guard Ryan Murphy (10.1 points, team-high 39 3-pointers) sat out his first game of the season after sustaining a concussion in practice.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (13-8, 4-6): Mooney (16.5 points, 13.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists) shot 9-of-18 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the line as Notre Dame reached 80 points in its fourth straight ACC contest. Senior T.J. Gibbs (14.0 points) ranks third in the ACC in field-goal percentage (52.8 percent), second in 3-point percentage (48.1 percent) and first in free-throw shooting (90.2). Sophomore Dane Goodwin (12.1 points), who has scored in double figures in each of Notre Dame’s last six games, is the only player in the ACC averaging double figures this season with less than three games started (1 start).

BUZZER BEATERS

1. The Irish lead the all-time series 34-31, are 18-11 all-time at home, 12-6 in Purcell Pavilion and 2-4 against the Panthers in ACC regular-season competition.

2. The Fighting Irish rank 15th in ACC games in defensive efficiency (110.5 points/100 possessions), 3-point defense (40.5 percent) and opponent offensive rebound percentage (34.2 percent). Notre Dame leads the country in least amount of fouls committed per game (12.3) and assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.78.

3. Pitt has matched its win total from last season and has nine regular season games remaining, including four at home.

PREDICTION: Pittsburgh 73, Notre Dame 69