Notre Dame (6-2, 0-1) will try to put its tough test against Maryland behind when it takes on Boston College (4-5, 0-1) on Saturday in South Bend. If recent history is an indication, the Irish will get back on track as they have won all 13 meetings with the Eagles since joining the ACC. A 14th consecutive victory over their perpetual home-and-home opponent would tie for the third-longest winning streak against one team in program history.
This will be the Irish’s first game since key bench player Robby Carmody’s season ended prematurely for a second straight year, this time with a left ACL injury. That means more will be required from already productive second-unit players Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski. Whether Mike Brey replaces Carmody in the rotation with Nikola Djogo, the next highest minutes average on the bench at 8.6, remains to be seen.
The most important thing for the Irish will be to limit turnovers after committing 10 in the Maryland game. It was the fifth time in eight games Notre Dame has lost the ball that many times. The good news is the Irish have committed 4.8 fewer turnovers a game than their opponents, so as long as they keep that trend going, they’ll have a better chance of adding to their win total.