Wake Forest @ Notre Dame preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 24, 2018 ) Notre Dame 76, Wake Forest 71

Two teams that are rebuilding and struggling for conference wins square off Tuesday evening as Wake Forest visits Notre Dame. The Demon Deacons have lost two straight and seven of eight in ACC action, while the Fighting Irish have just three conference wins, although two of those have come in the last four games.

It has been a difficult season for Wake Forest and Saturday was no exception as the Demon Deacons were crushed at home 95-57 by No. 9 North Carolina. "We came out and didn't do a lot of things well," Wake Forest coach Danny Manning told the media after the game. "Carolina came out, made some shots, rebounded the ball, put us in a tough spot. ... And then from there, it just kind of snowballed." Notre Dame put up a fight against one of the best teams in the country on Saturday but came up just short in losing at No. 3 Virginia 60-54. "That's about as good as we got," coach Mike Brey told reporters after the game when asked about his team’s effort. "I'm proud of our group because (Virginia is) really good and can win the whole thing."

TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPNU

ABOUT WAKE FOREST (9-15, 2-10 ACC): Little went right for the Demon Deacons on Saturday and it began with freshman Jaylen Hoard - the team’s second-leading scorer at 13.9 points per game - oversleeping and not getting the start, although he wound up scoring a team-high 17 points in 18 minutes off the bench. Leading scorer Brandon Childress (14.5 points) had one of the worst games of his career, going scoreless in a 0-for-12 effort from the field. Wake Forest shot 32.8 percent from the floor and 17.4 percent from long range while turning the ball over 20 times.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (13-12, 3-9): Defense kept the Irish in it against Virginia as they held the Cavaliers to 36.5 percent from the floor and 34.8 percent from 3-point range. Offensively, T.J. Gibbs scored 17 points on 6-of-14 shooting, including his team's first 10 points as no other player was able to score until 6:41 remaining in the first half. Junior forward John Mooney, the team’s leading scorer and league's top rebounder, continued his stellar play as he finished with 11 points and 15 rebounds for his ACC-leading 16th double-double.

TIP-INS

1. Notre Dame has beaten Wake Forest five times in a row, dating back to the 2015 season, and leads the all-time series 5-3.

2. The Irish commit 9.6 turnovers per game, the fifth-lowest mark in the nation.

3. Freshmen make up three of the Demon Deacons’ top-five scorers with Hoard (13.9 points), Sharone Wright Jr. (6.9) and Isaiah Mucius (6.6).

PREDICTION: Notre Dame 68, Wake Forest 61