| ACC Tournament: | #12 NOTRE DAME (12-19, 7-13) |
|---|---|
| ACC TOURNAMENT CENTRAL: | CLICK HERE |
| WHERE: | WASHINGTON D.C. | CAPITAL ONE ARENA |
| TICKETS: | PURCHASE ONLINE |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| SOCIAL: | @NDMBB | #GOIRISH |
| 1ST ROUND: | #13 GEORGIA TECH | TUESDAY, MARCH 12, 2 PM ET | ACCN |
| 2ND ROUND: | #5 WAKE FOREST | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 2:30 PM ET | ESPN |
| QUARTERFINALS: | #4 PITT | THURSDAY, MARCH 14 , 2:30 PM ET | ESPN/2 |
| SEMIFINALS: | #1 NORTH CAROLINA/TBD | FRIDAY, MARCH 15, 7 PM ET | ESPN/2 |
| FINALS: | TBD | SATURDAY, MARCH 16, 8:30 PM ET | ESPN |
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – They often say after a tough loss, it’s best to immediately get back out on the court and erase that memory. On Tuesday night inside Purcell Pavilion, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team will look to bounce back and start a winning streak heading into ACC play after the holiday break. To do that, the Fighting Irish (4-6) will have to topple the Citadel Bulldogs (6-5) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. That match will air live on the ACC Network.
CITADEL CLASH
Notre Dame and The Citadel have only met twice before Tuesday with the Irish claiming victory in both. The last meeting was way back in 2006, where ND took it 74-50 inside Purcell Pavilion.
Also, a familiar face returns to Purcell – Citadel’s Elijah Morgan. The graduate guard was a three-year letterman for the Irish, playing in 28 career games. This season, Morgan is averaging the second most points on his team with 11.7 per game.
The contest will feature two defenses who have had solid starts to the season. ND is only giving up 67.8 ppg while Citadel’s number is at 66.4.
HITTING THE MARK(US)
Freshman point guard Markus Burton:
- His 15.8 ppg leads all ACC freshmen and ranks 5th nationally amongst DI freshmen.
- Burton started his career with five straight games in double figures and currently leads the team with eight games in double figures.
- Burton picked up his third game of 20 or more points at #8 Marquette on Dec. 9. The following is a list of the most 20-point games by an Irish freshman: Adrian Dantley (13 in ‘73-74), Troy Murphy (10 in ‘98-99) and David Rivers (10 in ‘84-85).
- Only 3 freshmen in the country are averaging over 15 points and 3.5 assists per game: Burton, Harvard’s Malik Mack and USC’s Isaiah Collier.
- He ranks ninth in the ACC in Assists (3.7) and 12th in Free Throw Percentage (.829).
D-UP!
If you are looking for an early Coach Shrewsberry stamp on the program, look no further than the defensive effort by this young Irish squad. In six of the last seven games, the Irish have allowed 65 points or fewer in regulation. Most notably, limiting the Hurricanes to a season low in points – 24 points fewer than their season average of 86 points per game.
Notre Dame’s scoring defense of 67.8 ranks fifth in the ACC.
HOME BOOST
The Georgetown game on Dec. 16 kicked off a six-game homestand for the Irish. The last time the Irish had six straight inside Purcell Pavilion -> games 2-7 at the start of the 2019-20 season.
At home, the Irish are averaging 72.0 points on 47.0% shooting from the floor, with a .331 mark from three-point range. Away from Purcell, the Irish are averaging just 56.8 points on 34.2% shooting, with a .212 mark from three.
Two Irish in particular have thrived at home – Markus Burton and Julian Roper II – both averaging double figures. Burton is scoring 18.4 ppg on 45.8 percent shooting, while Roper II checks in at 10.8 ppg on 48.8 percent shooting. Burton is also averaging 4.2 assists at home.
#TRENDING
Burton has produced a stellar three-game stretch, totaling 54 points (18.0 ppg). He scored 17 points against Western Michigan and 20 points at #8 Marquette. Then he came on strong late in the Georgetown game, scoring 12 of his 17 points in the second half plus overtime.
Burton has also upped his assist numbers as of late. He’s dished out 28 over the last six games (4.7 apg in that span).
Next, J.R. Konieczny has recorded double-digit points in five of the last eight games. If you take out those first two games of the season and look at this eight-game stretch, Konieczny is averaging 11.3 points on 29-of-70 (.414) shooting.
Lastly, there’s Julian Roper II. The junior guard over the last 3 games – 13-of-24 from the field and 7-of-16 from three-point range. He’s totaled 36 total points in the three-game span (12.0 ppg).
ARE YOU REA-TAE FOR IT
Speaking of trending, Tae Davis’s trajectory is shooting up. Over the last five games, Davis is averaging 10.6 points and 7.4 rebounds.
In that five-game stretch, he had back-to-back games with double-doubles and three straight games in double figures before he ran into a game Marquette squad.
Coach Shrews has talked often about these guys making the most of their opportunities, whether its freshmen or transfers who haven’t had a chance. Take Davis for example – in the 11th game of the season this Tuesday night against Citadel, Davis could already amass more season points this year than what he did his freshman year total at Seton Hall.
With that said, he now averages the third most points (9.0) and the most rebounds (5.9) on the team.
SECOND HALF SURGE
As previously alluded, Burton has had a knack for surging at the right moments in the second half. Four times this season, Burton has scored double-digit points in the second half alone: Niagara, Oklahoma State, Western Michigan and Marquette.
Burton is averaging a team-best 8.5 points in the second half.
QUOTABLE FROM GEORGETOWN
“You have to play with that level of intensity every day. We’ve had good practices leading up to this focusing on our intensity. I thought we came out hard, we just have to be more disciplined down the stretch. Mainly on the defensive end.” – Roper II
— ND —