Everything you need to know about Notre Dame basketball game at TCU

FORT WORTH, Texas − Thirty-five years.

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That’s how long it’s been since Notre Dame basketball ventured to the great, big state of Texas to play a regular-season basketball game. That was before the days of the Big East and, now, the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame was independent when it last visited Texas. That was February 8, 1990, the second-to-last year under head coach Digger Phelps, when the schedule took them to suburban Dallas to play SMU.

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Notre Dame (6-3) is back for the first of two Texas hoops stops during the 2025-26 regular season. While an ACC game at SMU awaits in February, Notre Dame is in Fort Worth on the first Friday in December to face TCU (5-2).

This is a long way for the Irish to go and not get a win. Might as well get one.

Notre Dame basketball (6-3) versus TCU (5-2)

• Date: Friday, December 5

• Start time: 8 p.m. (South Bend time).

• Site: Schollmaier Arena (8,500), Fort Worth, Texas

• Tickets: Available.

What channel is Notre Dame basketball at TCU on?

• TV: ESPN+

• Radio: 960 WSBT-AM in South Bend. Also on SiriusXM on ACC Radio and channels 955 and 956. You can also listen live free on Audacy.

• Live streaming: https://www.fubo.tv/stream/tv/?

Series history between Notre Dame basketball and TCU

Notre Dame leads 5-0 – 2-0 at home and 3-0 at neutral sites, dating back to the first meeting in the 1971 NCAA Tournament in Houston.

Notre Dame and TCU last met on March 18, 1997, in Purcell Pavilion, with Notre Dame winning 82-72 in the second round of the postseason National Invitation Tournament. Former Irish All-American and current general manager Pat Garrity had 20 points, six rebounds and six assists. Phil Hickey added 13 points, 12 rebounds and three assists while Pete Miller had 16 points and four rebounds.

Notre Dame basketball storylines versus TCU

∎ The Horned Frogs have been idle since Thanksgiving week wins over then-No. 10 Florida and Wisconsin in the Rady Children’s Invitational in San Diego.

∎ TCU is 3-2 at home with a pair of four-point losses to New Orleans (oof!) and No. 2 Michigan (whoa!)

∎ Notre Dame is 0-2 against Big 12 teams this season (10-point losses to Kansas and Houston in Las Vegas), and 75-38 (66.3 percent) all-time against current Big 12 teams. It last beat a Big 12 team on November 17, 2023, a 66-64 overtime win over Oklahoma State in the Legends Classic.

Keep an eye on ...

Notre Dame G Cole Certa

Certa is due for his 3-point game to travel. He’s been good at home, averaging 10.8 points, shooting 45.1 percent (14-of-31) from 3 and scoring at least 12 points, including a career-high 22 in the season opener against LIU Brooklyn, in five home games.

Away from home, the 6-foot-5, 205-pound Certa is averaging 3.2 points on 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from 3. He doesn’t care if he’s missed five straight or 10 in a row. Certa’s ultra confidence keeps him believing that his next shot is going in, as evidenced by Tuesday’s decisive deep 3 with 16.2 seconds remaining in a 76-71 win.

Somebody off the Irish bench is due for a big road game. A bust-out road game. Why not Certa?

TCU G Brock Harding

The 6-foot, 160-pound junior guard from Moline, Illinois, by way of two seasons at Iowa under former Notre Dame assistant coach Fran McCaffery, hauled home some hardware while helping the Horned Frogs win the Rady Children’s Invitation in San Diego during Thanksgiving week.

Harding had 19 points, four rebounds and 12 assists in an 84-80 victory over defending national champion Florida. He followed with 16 points, four rebounds and five assists in 36 minutes in a 74-63 win over Wisconsin to earn tournament most valuable player.

Harding, the 2023 Illinois Mr. Basketball, is averaging 10.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 6.2 assists in a team-high 33.3 minutes per game. He’s shooting .394 percent from the field, .292 percent from 3 and .688 percent from the free throw line. He ranks third in the Big 12 in assists (6.2) and 13th in assist/turnover ratio. Last season at Iowa, Harding had five or more assists in 20 games.

A deeper dive into Notre Dame basketball

Notre Dame basketball 2025-26 schedule

• Oct. 17 at Butler (W, 77-76) Exhibition

• Oct. 24 DEPAUL (L, 69-62) Exhibition

• Nov. 3 LIU BROOKLYN, 7 p.m. (W, 89-67; 1-0)

• Nov. 7 DETROIT MERCY, 7 p.m. (W, 102-70; 2-0)

• Nov. 11 EASTERN ILLINOIS, (W, 78-58; 3-0)

• Nov. 16 At Ohio State, (L, 64-63; 3-1)

• Nov. 19 BELLARMINE, 7 p.m. (W, 86-79; 4-1)

• Nov. 24 vs Kansas (L, 71-61; 4-2)

• Nov. 25 vs Rutgers (W, 68-63; 5-2)

• Nov. 26 vs. Houston (L, 66-56; 5-3)

• Dec. 2 MISSOURI (ACC/SEC Challenge), (W 76-71; 6-3)

• Dec. 5 At TCU, 8 p.m. (ESPN+)

• Dec. 10 IDAHO, 7 p.m. (ACCNX)

• Dec. 13 EVANSVILLE, 2 p.m. (ACCNX)

• Dec. 21 PURDUE FORT WAYNE, 12 p.m. (ACCNX)

• Dec. 30 At Stanford, 9 p.m. (ESPN2)

• Jan. 2 At California, 11 p.m. (ESPN2)

• Jan. 10 CLEMSON, 6 p.m. (ESPN2/U)

• Jan. 13 MIAMI (Fla.), 7 p.m. (ESPN2/U)

• Jan. 17 At Virginia Tech, 12 p.m. (ACCN)

• Jan. 21 At North Carolina, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

• Jan. 24 BOSTON COLLEGE, 6 p.m. (ACCN)

• Jan. 27 VIRGINIA, 7 p.m. (ESPN2/U)

• Jan. 31 At Syracuse, 6 p.m., (The CW)

• Feb. 4 At Louisville, 7 p.m. (ESPN/U)

• Feb. 7 FLORIDA STATE, 4 p.m. (ACCN)

• Feb. 10 At SMU, 7 p.m. (ACCN)

• Feb. 14 GEORGIA TECH, 12 p.m. (The CW)

• Feb. 21 At Pittsburgh, 2 p.m. (ACCN)

• Feb. 24 DUKE, 7 p.m. (ESPN2/U)

• Feb. 28 NORTH CAROLINA STATE, 12 p.m. (The CW)

• March 3 STANFORD, 9 p.m. (ESPNU)

• March 7 At Boston College, 12 p.m. (ESPNU)

• March 10-14 ACC Tournament (Charlotte) TBD.

Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at [email protected]

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: A big week for Notre Dame basketball wraps with rare visit to Texas