With the season coming to a close, the Irish will travel to Syracuse, New York this weekend to take on the Orange. Notre Dame has been on a bit of a hot streak recently, racking up wins against Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Louisville. The win streak has boosted the Irish to 13th in the ACC standings, with Georgia Tech and Louisville as the only two teams below Notre Dame. Prior to their run, the Irish had lost their last seven games.
Considering their opponents, Notre Dame’s recent success is less a result of building team chemistry and working on their skills, and more so taking on teams that have been struggling just as much as they have on the court. At 10-16 overall, the Irish are just trying to end the season on high note, building some momentum and confidence going into next year.
Wednesday’s 22-point win over Louisville is the Irish’s largest margin of victory since they beat Virginia by the same amount on Dec. 30. Freshman guard Braeden Shrewsberry led the team in points, scoring 23, with fellow rookie guard Markus Burton not far behind at 16 points for the evening. While both freshmen have gotten a lot of playing time, Shrewsberry has struggled to stay consistent with his scoring.
Syracuse has had a mildly successful season so far, going 17-10 with a disappointing 8-8 mark in conference play. The Orange pulled off an upset Tuesday night over North Carolina State, who currently rank seventh in the ACC standings. The Wolfpack struggled from the free throw line, missing five in what would turn out to be a 4-point game.
This game also holds some significance for Notre Dame fans as this is the first meeting between the teams since former guard J.J. Starling transferred to Syracuse, following the announcement that former head coach Mike Brey would be leaving Notre Dame. While there are very few remaining members of last year’s team still with Notre Dame, Starling’s Irish past will have to be on everyone’s minds throughout the game.
So far, Starling has been averaging 13.7 points per game, an increase from last year where he averaged just over 11 points per game. Having seen an increase in almost every notable stat from last year, Starling will likely try to make a big impact in the game to prove to his former team that he made the right decision in leaving.
Tip-off between the two squads is set for 3:45 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
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