Between the injuries and losses piling up and less than artful offense in the wake of it, this season has been a slog. It started as a promising victory lap for the best 4-year run in Notre Dame history but came off the rails quickly in conference play. It shifted from exciting potential to the uncertainty of a 7-man roster to the dead-man-walking slog of of a 7-game losing streak, to now a fight to the finish for relevance and tournament life. If we’re lucky, it can morph one more time to a redemption story.

We’re going to go a slightly different direction here today than we have in the past. In this post, we’ll preview Saturday afternoon’s tilt in Chestnut Hill, provide a few things to watch for and maybe even predict a few story lines. We’ll try to offer some useful insights after the game here as well (which assumes we’ll have some useful insights), but regardless, this post can open the comment section for all things associated with this game. Let us know in the comments what you think and we’ll adjust accordingly!

What It Means

The Irish enter the game at 5-8 in conference play and battling for their lives. Assuming we fall to Virginia on the last day of the regular season, Notre Dame’s path to 9-9 includes winning it’s next 4.

The good news: The cavalry is here! DJ Harvey is back after a 1-month absence and rumors are that Bonzie Colson is (slightly) ahead of schedule and could be back soon as well.

Boston College is KenPom’s 76th ranked team and toughest (non-Virginia) road game left and KP would suggest that a win on Saturday is less difficult than a home win vs. Miami on Monday, making this the hardest of the four must-wins remaining.

What I’m Watching For

  • DJ Harvey’s return! Let’s start with the hopeful things to watch for. Without Harvey on the floor over the last month, the offense has sputtered. Outside of the point guards, Harvey was one of the only players who looked comfortable with the ball in his hands for more than a dribble or two, which added an additional threat to the offense. Yes, he was up and down in his 19 games this year but I’ll be watching to see how much his mere presence on the court helps create for everyone else.
  • Matt Farrell – Chucker. The 2nd most important thing I will be watching is whether senior captain Matt Farrell reverts to chucking the ball at the rim as we saw in Chapel Hill. Regardless of defenders or situation, Farrell grew impatient and launched repeatedly from deep. Farrell is a dangerous weapon if deployed smartly, but he can be his own worst enemy on the court. Whether or not he stays in control and lets the game come to him or pushes outside his comfort zone to take the game on his shoulders will be a fascinating watch.
  • Supporting Cast – The supporting cast has shared its ups and downs over the last month. Between Nik Djogo, John Mooney and Elijah Burns, someone(s) has had to fill in behind our main four of Farrell, Gibbs, Geben and Pflueger (plus now Harvey). It was Mooney’s turn on Monday against UNC and even his absolute heroics weren’t enough. Can someone step up to compliment the core group and can the core take advantage when one of those three delivers?
  • Ky Bowman vs. Jerome Robinson – In South Bend, it was Robinson’s turn to shine. He went for 46 points in 40 minutes on a ridiculous 7-12 from downtown, while previous Irish killer Ky Bowman was held to just 11. Who’s turn is it Saturday? Can they both get going at once?

What other things are you watching for on Saturday? Match-ups? Mindsets?

Predictions

Saturday’s game is either a pick’em or BC -1, so no line is needed for these projections. The total is set at 143. Place your bets in the comments section below:

  • ND +1 vs BC?
  • ND/BC over/under 143?
  • Matt Farrell total shots over/under 15.5?
  • DJ Harvey total minutes over/under 16.5?
  • Ky Bowman total points over/under 17.5?
  • Austin Torres turnovers + fouls, over/under 4.5?

I think I’ll take the Irish in a close one but this is about as coin-flip as they get.

What are you watching for on Saturday? Matchups? Body language? Let us know in the comments below!