Although it took Notre Dame almost the whole game to pull away, the Irish came up victorious against a struggling Blue Demons at home. The Irish are now 9-3 in the Big East while DePaul falls to 2-10.

Jack Cooley and Jerian Grant led the way in scoring with 22 points each. Cooley had his 8th double-double of the season with 14 rebounds as well. Grant had 15 of his points in the second half, helping the Irish run away later in the game.

Feb. 11, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Jack Cooley (45) dunks over DePaul Blue Demons guard Jeremiah Kelly (11) in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Here’s the box score from the game.

Moment of the game:

The score was 68-all when DePaul’s bench was charged with a technical foul. Notre Dame scored the next seven points to go up 75-68 with 5:30 to play. I can’t imagine this play not being the turning point of the game. It definitely game the Irish the extra momentum to take the lead. Bad move on DePaul’s part, but hey, I’ll take it.

Notre Dame’s next game is home against Rutgers. The Irish have a chance to get revenge on a bad loss a few weeks back. The game will be played on Wednesday.

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Home court advantage:

The Fighting Irish are 96-7 in their last 103 games played at home. That .932 home winning percentage over the course of the last six seasons ranks third nationally. Losing to Depaul just doesn’t make sense, at least according to these statistics.

Notre Dame seems to play well when the students show up and cheer on their team. The 12pm (eastern time) start time might be a little early for the students if they have homework and such, but I fully expect the student section to be crazy starting at game-time.

Feb. 4, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Eric Atkins (0) goes up for a shot as Marquette Golden Eagles forward Jae Crowder (32) defends in the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame won 76-59. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Players to watch for:

For Depaul, look to see how Cleveland Melvin plays. He averages the most minutes (31.8), rebounds (6.8), and points (18.2) on the team. Depaul isn’t a strong team, but look for the action to run through him.

For Notre Dame, look for Jack Cooley to play well. He had his 7th double-double of the season last Wednesday against West Virginia. Cooley was expected to fold against WVU’s powerful front-line, but he steeped up and was the factor that decided the game. I can’t see the Blue Demons stop him and I think he will have his 8th double-double of the season.

Score Prediction:

Notre Dame 68, Depaul 46

Notre Dame will roll over Depaul at home. The perimeter shooting for the Irish should be pretty decent (35-40%) and will help them pull away in the second half. The Irish will move to 8-3 and be “that much closer” to second place Marquette.

Game-time: 12pm eastern time

TV: Big East Network (Regional)
          ABC 57 (South Bend area)

Online: ESPN3.com

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