NOTRE DAME VS. MARQUETTE
Where: Purcell Pavilion (9,149), at Notre Dame
Records & Rankings: Notre Dame (14-8, 6-3 Big East); No. 15 Marquette (19-4, 8-2)
Time/TV: 1 p.m. EST on CBS
Last Meeting: The Irish lost the first matchup with Marquette last season but topped the Golden Eagles 80-75 at Purcell Pavilion a few weeks later on Jan. 22, 2011.

Notre Dame Notes
The Fighting Irish have won three straight games over Syracuse (67-58), Seton Hall (55-42) and Connecticut (50-48), the last two having come on the road.

Notre Dame is 79-36 all time against Marquette, with the last ten meetings having occurred since 2005 when Marquette joined the Big East. The league series leans Marquette’s way as the Golden Eagles have a 6-4 record against ND.

Irish head coach Mike Brey has relied on his team’s defense this season, one that ranks first in the conference after allowing only 58.2 points per game to this point. Over the last three contests, Notre Dame has surrendered 49.3 points per game. Notre Dame limited those three teams to a combined 33.1 percent (52-157) shooting from the field and 24.0 percent (12-50) from three-point range.

The Fighting Irish are 95-7 in their last 102 games played at home — a .931 winning percentage over six seasons that ranks fourth nationally.

Jack Cooley — The junior forward has a team-best six double-doubles this season and is third in the Big East a .594 (82-138) shooting percentage. He is averaging 12.3 points and 9.4 rebounds per game in Big East play.

Eric Atkins — The sophomore point guard leads the Irish with a 12.9 points per game this year and has scored 20 or more points in a game a team-best three times this season.

Jerian Grant — As a redshirt sophomore, Grant ranks 11th nationally and first in the Big East with a 2.92 assist-to-turnover ratio. His 5.3 assists per game in conference play ranks fifth in the league. He has scored in double-figures a team-best 17 times this season and leads the Irish with a 78.5-percent average from the foul line.

Pat Connaughton — The athletic freshman has started six contests and is averaging 6.2 and four rebounds per game.

Scott Martin — The fifth-year senior has scored in double-figures in six of the last seven games. He is averaging 10.7 points. and 8.3 bounds in the last seven contests.

Marquette Overview
There’s no team in the Big East hotter than Marquette, which has rattled off seven straight wins and is only a game behind 9-1 Syracuse in the league standings. But head coach Buzz Williams realizes his luck will soon run out if his squad continues to play from behind. The Golden Eagles have rallied from double-digit deficits multiple times this year, including in their most recent victory over Seton Hall (66-59), a game that featured 12 first-half turnovers by Marquette.

Darius Johnson-Odom and Jae Crowder are averaging 18.3 and 16.6 points per game, respectively, with Crowder also pulling down a team-high 7.6 rebounds per game. Starter Davante Gardner missed the last game with a sprained left knee and is listed as day-to-day.

Marquette is averaging 76.1 points per game and boasts a 12-point average margin of victory. The Golden Eagles spread the ball around and have 401 team assists — 20 more than any other conference opponent.

Outlook
Statistically, Marquette is better than Notre Dame in nearly every category. However, the Irish have the kind of confidence few thought such a young team could find. Notre Dame has been spectacular at home, and they’ll have to be again Saturday. Marquette will try and outrun the Irish with a smaller lineup, but Brey’s burn offense has done the trick against that kind of attack. The key for Notre Dame is continuing to slow things down and dictating the overall flow of the game, then making sure it takes advantage of the familiar confines of Purcell and making every possession count.

Morgan’s prediction: Notre Dame 68, Marquette 66.