Notre Dame is back on familiar ground after opening the season in Rome.
The Fighting Irish (1-0) will try to continue their winning ways after a hard-fought game Sunday and an international flight home. They will tip off against Mercyhurst (0-1) on Thursday night in South Bend, Ind.
Notre Dame had only three full days to recover after storming back for a 74-72 win over Villanova in the Eternal City Tip-Off on Sunday in Italy. Brady Koehler and Braeden Smith scored 16 points apiece for the Fighting Irish.
Now comes the tough turnaround.
Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said he feels confident that his players can avoid any signs of sluggishness from the long trip.
“(It all comes down to) having a great plan for this before we left,” Shrewsberry said. “Before we left … our whole performance team was big time. (They said), ‘Here is when we need to start preparing for when we leave.’ It started a week in advance of when we played. And when the game ends, ‘Here’s what we need to do to arrive back and be ready to play on Thursday.’ So really we’re just trying to follow that plan for each day.
“Having mature guys that know what it is, what it takes, (helps with the transition). They had to get back and adjust. So the moment we landed and got back here, we did something. We got up the next morning and did something before they went to class. Then we came and practiced. The practice time, the practice length, the intensity, all those things lead into us feeling the best we can going in.”
Besides Koehler and Smith, two Notre Dame players are coming off double-digit scoring performances. Braeden Shrewsberry had 15 points and made a team-high three 3-pointers, and Ethan Roberts scored 11 points.
Meanwhile, Mercyhurst is coming off a 78-43 loss at Marquette in its season opener.
Jake Lemelman scored 16 points to lead the Lakers, who did not have another player in double digits in points.
Thursday will mark the first time Notre Dame and Mercyhurst will play one another in basketball.