What channel is Notre Dame men's basketball vs. North Carolina on Saturday? Time, TV, schedule

What channel is Notre Dame men’s basketball vs. North Carolina on Saturday? Time, TV, schedule

Posted by author January 4, 2025 Basketball

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Can there be a must-win conference home game on the fourth day of January?

There can be for Notre Dame men’s basketball, which will play four of its next five Atlantic Coast Conference games on the road, where it dropped a winnable game earlier in the week at Georgia Tech (86-75). The Irish are home Saturday to face one of the league’s biggest brands in North Carolina, also coming off a road loss this week – 83-70 at Louisville.

Both teams are in the same league boat as a new year arrives – searching. For consistency. For contributions. For wins. It’s easier to find most of that at home, something Notre Dame must do given its upcoming road-game gauntlet at North Carolina State, Duke, Syracuse and Virginia.

Good teams win at home. Notre Dame, which went 5-5 at home in ACC play last season, longs to be good. Home offers a chance to get well and get confident. The Irish need all of that, sooner than later.

Saturday is a big moment for Notre Dame. It’s the first sellout of the Micah Shrewsberry era and the first sellout since 2021-22. The second-year head coach has been desperate for his program to play in front of an electric atmosphere at home. This is finally it.

Can Notre Dame deliver?

Notre Dame vs. North Carolina start time

Date: Saturday, January 4

Tickets: The game is sold out.

What channel is North Carolina at Notre Dame on?

Radio: 960 WSBT-AM in South Bend

Streaming: SiriusXM on ACC Radio and channels 955 and 956

Series history

North Carolina leads the all-time series 30-9, including 6-4 at Notre Dame and 9-4 as ACC colleagues. The Tar Heels have won three straight, five of six and 12 of 14 dating back to 2016.

Keep an eye on …

North Carolina (8-6; 1-1)

Another ACC opponent visits South Bend, another former Irish makes his Purcell Pavilion return. Last month, it was guard J.J. Starling, who was out with a broken left hand in a Notre Dame victory over the ‘Cuse. Saturday, it’s former Irish power forward Ven-Allen Lubin.

The 6-foot-8, 230-pound Lubin, like Starling, left Notre Dame at the end of his freshman season during the coaching transition from Mike Brey to Shrewsberry. Lubin spent last season at Vanderbilt, before moving on to his third school in three years.

In 14 games with four starts at Carolina, Lubin is averaging 6.0 points and 4.4 rebounds with a team-high 13 blocks in 15.5 minutes. He’s shooting .717 percent (that’s right) from the field and .692 percent from the foul line.

Notre Dame (7-6; 1-1)

Junior small forward Tae Davis has quietly made an early push for strong consideration for All-ACC and most improved player. He’s been that good, so good that it’s been as Davis goes so go the Irish without guard Markus Burton, out since late November with a right knee injury.

Davis is averaging career bests for points (16.6), rebounds (5.7) and minutes (28.0). He also has 22 assists and 11 steals. He’s shooting .537 percent from the field, .278 percent from 3 and .765 from the foul line, all career highs.

In his last three games, Davis has averaged 23.6 points and 7.6 rebounds. He tied his career best of 27 points with seven rebounds and three assists in 34 minutes Tuesday at Georgia Tech.

Notre Dame vs North Carolina prediction

Notre Dame 76, North Carolina 72: It would be disappointing — disheartening even — if we didn’t see an A+ (or even ++) effort from the Irish after Tuesday’s first-half no-show at Georgia Tech, where Notre Dame trailed by 19 points.

That wasn’t reflective/representative of what this Notre Dame team can and should be. North Carolina has owned this series of late, but this isn’t the same kind of Carolina team of late. We must see Notre Dame at its best Saturday — sold-out house, blueblood opponent, big chance to take a big ACC step. It’s time for the Irish to win a home game like this against an opponent like this.