On Saturday, the Notre Dame men's basketball team will battle Syracuse (8-9, 2-4 ACC) for a second time this season after defeating the Orange 69-64 at home on Dec. 7. The Irish (8-9, 2-4 ACC) will have the chance to win consecutive conference games for the first time since February 2024 in Upstate New York.
The new year in review
Entering the toughest part of ACC conference play, sophomore guard Markus Burton’s well-timed return from injury gave Notre Dame a fighting chance against three Elite Eight-finishing North Carolina schools. Despite the boost from last season’s ACC Rookie of the Year, the Irish lost all three of these games by close margins but bounced back against Boston College to bring the record to 8-9.
Without Burton, Notre Dame struggled mightily offensively in December. The six-foot, 190-pound sophomore exited the Nov. 26 matchup against Rutgers with a knee injury and returned on Jan. 4 at home against North Carolina. Bringing a spark off of the bench, Burton provided 23 points on 50% shooting from the field. The Irish battled back from a 12-point deficit early to bring the halftime lead down to just seven at 39-32.
Despite this explosive return, the Irish gave up 27 points to Tar Heel freshman Ian Jackson, 18 in the first half. Graduate guard Matt Allocco made two free throws to bring the lead to 73-70 with merely 14 seconds remaining. However, on defense, Allocco fouled Elliot Cadeau on a three-pointer, allowing the sophomore guard to complete the gut-wrenching four-point play and give the lead back to the Tar Heels at 74-73. With four seconds left, Burton raced down the floor and hoisted a desperation layup as time expired into contact that did not fall through the net. Despite holding the Tar Heels guards, RJ Davis and Cadeau, to just eight points and 10 points respectively, the critical mistake cost the Irish a chance in overtime.
Following the heartbreaking defeat on home court against a blue blood program, the Irish traveled to usually sunny, warm and hospitable North Carolina to take on NC State, then Duke. An unexpected turn in the weather brought a historic ice storm in Raleigh and Durham, and that coincided with more unexpected struggles offensively for Notre Dame against the Wolfpack. Leading 33-26 at halftime, the Irish looked back on track defensively. NC State battled back from as many as eight points down to close in on the Irish lead at the end of the game, led by Marcus Hill with 15 points and Jayden Taylor with 14. The Irish shot well at 44% from the field — and an impressive 42% from three-point range — but could not execute down the stretch when it mattered the most. The Irish failed to score in the last two minutes of the game, letting a 65-61 lead slip away to an underachieving Wolfpack team. A shooting foul on junior forward Tae Davis with 11 seconds remaining let Ben Middlebrooks, the only returning member of last season’s Final Four team, sink the game-winning free throws to hand the Irish another disappointing loss.
Notre Dame was next tasked with the best team on the schedule thus far in Duke at the historic and challenging Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils started on fire led by freshman phenom Cooper Flagg, and the Irish fell quickly to a 14-0 deficit. Flagg scored 16 points in the first half and was impossible to guard all game. A miraculous buzzer-beater shot from sophomore guard Braeden Shrewsberry closed the lead to eight at halftime, which felt like a victory for Notre Dame.
The Irish struggled to match up against Duke’s size, especially 7-foot-2 center Khaman Maluach, who terrorized Notre Dame in the paint with 19 points and 10 rebounds. The Irish relied on three-point shooting to keep them in the game and eventually closed the lead to five points at 79-74 with 34 seconds remaining. Shooting 58% from beyond the arc, the Irish scored to keep up with Duke but could not slow down the Blue Devil offense well enough to give themselves a chance and lost 86-78.
After the game, head coach Micah Shrewsberry said, “[The Blue Devils] took their foot off the gas. They missed some shots. Credit to our guys, who kept fighting.”
Duke coach Jon Scheyer said, “I think what [the Irish] are building is really good. They play modern basketball. They ran different actions on offense that we have not played against before.”
Cooper Flagg sealed the deal for the Blue Devils back on offense as he knocked down another four free throws to put the game out of reach. The Blue Devil freshman set a new ACC record with 42 points and did not miss a single shot other than a free throw in the second half. One of the greatest single college basketball performances by a freshman shows the firepower and pedigree of a Duke program that the Irish aspire to emulate.
Looking for a rebound at home, the Irish took on Boston College for Video Game Night in Purcell Pavilion. The promise of a PlayStation 5 filled up the student section, which watched the Irish earn a much-needed victory against a struggling, now 9-8 Boston College team. Tae Davis led the way for the Irish with 26 points, one shy of his career high, on 9-for-14 from the field. After a Markus Burton jumper with 12:39 to play, the Irish would regain the lead and control the final stretch. Burton struggled at 5-for-15 from the field but added 20 points with nine free throws. A stark contrast from the previous Saturday’s game against Duke, when Notre Dame only scored three-pointers, it went 3-for-15 or 20% from beyond the arc on Monday, the worst performance of the season. Despite these metrics, the Irish earned a much-needed conference victory to regain some momentum.
“I am proud of our guys for keeping the faith. We haven’t gotten the results we wanted to, but they have never wavered. We buckled down and made plays when we needed to,” Micah Shrewsberry said after the game.
Saturday at Syracuse
Sitting at 8-9 overall, and 2-4 in conference play, Notre Dame heads to Syracuse to take on a struggling Orange team, who they have already beaten at home. Looking to get back on track, Notre Dame enters a much easier portion of conference play with ample opportunities to regain the winning record and turn the season back around. While Markus Burton’s return from injury did not lead to any miraculous upsets, it has helped refocus a team in desperate need of a boost in conference play.
Syracuse comes off a 24-point home loss to Louisville on Tuesday, but it did win ACC games against Georgia Tech and Boston College before that. The Orange have had a tough time keeping key players healthy recently, as top-scoring guard J.J. Starling missed all of December — including what would have been his return to South Bend. He performed well upon returning two weeks ago, averaging just under 20 points per contest in his first three games back. However, he accumulated more turnovers (six) than points (four) on Tuesday, so Syrcause will have to get him back on track.
Right after Starling returned, forward Donnie Freeman, the team’s second-highest scorer, went down with a leg injury. He’s missed the last three games, so the Orange have leaned on Jyare Davis, who stepped up against the Irish during Starling’s absence, and double-double machine Eddie Lampkin Jr.
Notre Dame and Syracuse will tip off at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
