North Dakota @ Notre Dame preview
Purcell Pavilion
After a big road win over Georgetown, Notre Dame returns home Tuesday night to take on North Dakota in South Bend, Ind.
Matt Allocco played a key role in that 84-63 win over the Hoyas, scoring 17 points, and he's proven he'll be a player the Irish can count on this year. Allocco not only scored in double figures, but he also grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists.
The grad transfer from Princeton was a two-time All-Ivy League selection.
Interestingly enough, he had played 32 minutes in an 86-77 win against Buffalo and didn't take a single shot. But he proved against Georgetown he's not a player opponents can overlook.
"Allocco is just a gamer," head coach Micah Shrewsberry said in a postgame interview after the win over Georgetown. "When the lights come on the brightest, he's at his best. He was an absolute great pickup for us this summer."
Allocco is averaging 9.3 points this year, one of five players putting up nine or more points per game so far.
Markus Burton leads the Irish at 17.7 points per outing. Tae Davis is pouring in 16.3 points per contest and Braeden Shrewsberry is scoring 15.3 points per game.
North Dakota (2-1) is coming off a 77-71 win over Utah Valley last Thursday and faces one of its biggest road tests of the year when it takes on the Irish.
Treysen Eaglestaff led the way in the Fighting Hawks' last win, scoring 31, the second 30-point game of his career.
"I wasn't perfect," Eaglestaff told the Grand Forks Herald. "I messed up a few plays. Quite a few turnovers, but nothing's pretty."
Eaglestaff is the leading scorer for the Fighting Hawks, averaging 20 points per game. He's a consistent scorer who has reached double figures 39 times in 68 career games.
Amar Kuljuhovic is also averaging in double figures (12.0) for the Fighting Hawks, who are 0-1 on the road.
--Field Level Media