One of the best college rivalries is making its way to the NCAA Tournament. Yes, Notre Dame and Michigan will face each other in the second round in South Bend. And the intensity at Purcell Pavilion should match that of any occasion in which these schools meet on the gridiron.
What you’ll notice below as you look at these team stats is that the Irish are significantly better than the Wolverines in both shooting and defense. That should give the Irish a clear advantage in this game. And besides, most people would be shocked if they didn’t advance out of the tournament’s first weekend.
This is not to say the Irish can’t lose this game. The unpredictability of the tournament means they absolutely can. It’s just that the chances of it happening are very slim.
For the sake of absolute fairness, here are how the teams rank and compare nationally:
Scoring
Notre Dame ranks fourth in scoring nationally with 85.4 points a game and ranks 117th nationally with 61.9 points against a game.
Michigan ranks 21st in scoring nationally with 78.3 points a game and is tied for 218th nationally with 66.0 points against a game.
Rebounding
Notre Dame ranks sixth nationally with 43.2 rebounds a game and is tied for 125th nationally with 34.5 rebounds against a game.
Michigan is tied for 116th nationally with 37.6 rebounds a game and is tied for 87th nationally with 33.5 rebounds against a game.
Assists
Notre Dame is tied for 14th nationally with 17.7 assists a game and is tied for 49th nationally with 11.1 assists against a game.
Michigan is tied for 43rd nationally with 16.0 assists a game and is tied for 216th nationally with 13.3 assists against a game.
Field-goal percentage
Notre Dame ranks fourth nationally with a .490 field-goal percentage and ranks 13th nationally with a .362 field-goal percentage against.
Michigan is tied for 42nd nationally with a .451 field-goal percentage and is tied for 220th nationally with a .414 field-goal percentage against.
3-point field goal percentage
Notre Dame ranks first nationally with a .394 3-point field-goal percentage and is tied for 10th nationally with a .267 3-point field-goal percentage against.
Michigan is tied for 33rd nationally with a .353 3-point field-goal percentage and is tied for 81st nationally with a .292 3-point field-goal percentage against.
Free-throw percentage
Notre Dame is tied for 20th nationally with a .775 free-throw percentage and is tied for 317th nationally with a .743 free-throw percentage against.
Michigan is tied for 62nd nationally with a .753 free-throw percentage and ranks 213th nationally with a .719 free-throw percentage against.
Steals
Notre Dame ranks 13th nationally with 11.7 steals a game and is tied for 91st nationally with 6.9 steals against a game.
Michigan is tied for 124th nationally with 8.4 steals a game and is tied for 130th nationally with 7.3 steals against a game.
Blocks
Notre Dame is tied for ninth nationally with 5.5 blocks a game and is tied for 70th nationally with 2.6 blocks against a game.
Michigan is tied for 88th nationally with 2.2 blocks a game and is tied for 90th nationally with 2.7 blocks against a game.