UNF men’s basketball will play their first Division I game that counts toward winning a championship Nov. 14 vs. two-time National Champion Notre Dame. The Irish are led by two-time All-American selection senior forward Luke Harangody. The Spinnaker spoke with Harangody Nov. 9 about his team’s upcoming game versus UNF and his final season of college basketball.

Spinnaker: Against Lewis, you had 33 points opposed to the next closest total of 12 points by your teammate Ben Hansbrough. Do you feel at this point in the season, your team is leaning on your experience?

Harangody: I wouldn’t say that. The first game was different because a couple guys were in new roles for the first time, and of course you always have to get those first game jitters out.  If you look at our second game against Quincy the scoring was a lot more spread out and everyone did a better job across the board.

S: In the game against Lewis, they were only down by four points with 9:13 remaining in the game. Do you feel like you have to focus on games against smaller schools in a different way because they come in with an underdog mentality?

H: At this level, you have to be prepared for any game. Anyone can hang with anyone on any given day, and you have to put forth the same amount of effort whether you’re playing against a Quincy or a Syracuse.

S: UNF’s head coach Matt Driscoll said he could use anyone from 6-foot-6-inch Andy Diaz to 5-foot-10-inches William Wilson to guard you during your game. What’s the most innovative approach you’ve seen to guarding you or another player?

H: Every time I hit the floor is a different experience for me. Every team is different. A lot of people will try to double or triple me, but in general, I haven’t seen anything that out of the ordinary.  Although what y’all’s coach is talking about sounds really funny. I also think it’s funny that one of you guys [Diaz] didn’t know my name.

S: Is the planning and preparation for games against smaller schools and preseason games different from the planning for Big East games?

H: We pretty much prepare for every game the same way.

S: Have you guys already started planning for UNF?

H: We will probably start really getting into preparation by Wednesday watching film and making adjustments.

S: What are your goals for this season for you and for your team?

H: Well I am always trying to make myself a better player all around. I’ve been doing a lot of work lately to put myself in a position where I can compete to the best of my ability. For the team, I think we want to win and make the tournament. And there’s a lot of opportunity and potential for us to do great things this season, but we need to keep focused and keep working every day.

S: Do you remember your game against UNF two years ago?

H: I remember it because it was on New Year’s Eve. I don’t remember anything about the game play or the way the game went.