After starting the 2024-25 season with two convincing home victories, Micah Shrewsberry’s Notre Dame men’s basketball team will travel to the nation’s capital to face the Georgetown Hoyas in the first true road test of the year. Saturday’s contest is the return game of the two-year home-and-home series between the two prestigious Catholic institutions, after Georgetown came to South Bend a year ago, sneaking out of Purcell Pavilion with a 72-68 overtime triumph.
The Irish offense has been firing on all cylinders throughout the first two games of the campaign. The 89-60 opening-night victory over Stonehill and the 86-77 win over Buffalo represented the first time Notre Dame has scored 80-plus points in consecutive games under Shrewsberry. Facing a Georgetown defense that ranked in the bottom-10 nationwide a year ago, the dynamic Irish backcourt will aim to continue to push the pace and fill the stat sheet.
As many have expected, it has been preseason All-ACC First-Team selection Markus Burton leading the Irish charge thus far, as the sophomore guard has averaged 18.5 points per game and flirted with a triple-double last time out against Buffalo. Backcourt mate and fellow sophomore Braeden Shrewsberry is also averaging 18.5 points per contest while shooting nearly 55% from beyond the arc. Perhaps the biggest surprise for the Irish has been the two-way ability of junior forward Tae Davis. The Seton Hall transfer has provided stout rim protection defensively on his second season at Notre Dame while adding 18 points per game on the offensive end, thanks in part to a career-high 27 against the Bulls on Monday night.
As a whole, the Irish offense has taken tremendous strides with their efficiency, as the team is currently shooting over 50% from the field while converting on nearly 38% of their three-pointers along with a solid 75% mark from the free throw line.
Georgetown is also led by a second-year head coach, as Ed Cooley moved across the Big East from Providence two offseasons ago. Cooley's first year in the nation's capital was challenging, with the Hoyas finishing 9-23 and securing only two conference wins as he worked to rebuild the once-proud national program. Like Notre Dame, Georgetown is also 2-0 this season, with close victories at home over Lehigh and Fairfield. Freshman center Thomas Sorber is the anchor for the Hoyas, as he has averaged 22.5 points and 11 rebounds in his first two collegiate appearances. Junior guard Jayden Epps also adds 14.5 points per game for Cooley’s bunch following his breakout campaign a year ago.
This will mark the 31st all-time meeting between Notre Dame and Georgetown, with the Hoyas leading the series 17-13. Notre Dame is seeking its first road victory against Georgetown since Feb. 27, 2010, when Ben Hansbrough’s 21 points led the Irish to a top-15 road win over the Hoyas.
Saturday’s game is set for a 1 p.m. tip-off inside Capital One Arena, and will be broadcast nationally on NBC leading into Notre Dame football’s 3:30 p.m. Senior Day clash with the Virginia Cavaliers.
