14. A Date with NC State

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Momentum – the driving force gained by the development of a process or course of events. The Notre Dame men’s basketball team will look to sustain its momentum after its recent course of events which included the best program win all-time against Virginia. That momentum will be tested by NC State at home on Wednesday, Jan. 3. Tip inside Purcell is slated for 9 p.m. ET on the ACC Network.

HOMESTAND ROLLS ON

Three straight ACC games at home to essentially kick off league play continues on Wednesday night when the Irish host the Wolfpack. NC State enters at 9-3 overall and 1-0 in ACC play after previously defeating Boston College back on Dec. 2.

NC State is led by 6-2 graduate guard DJ Horne, who is averaging 15.0 ppg. Horne has scored 20 or more points in four of the last six games. Furthermore, four of their five starters average double figures: Jayden Taylor (13.0 ppg), Casey Morsell (12.3 ppg) and DJ Burns, Jr. (13.2 ppg).

Notre Dame leads the all-time series 10-9. Last year, the two met in Raleigh with the Wolfpack taking it 85-82. In fact, four of the last six encounters have been decided by single digits.

FIRST SIGNATURE WIN

It took just the second ACC game of his career but Coach Shrewsberry delivered that first signature win in Notre Dame’s 76-54 victory over Virginia. What Shrews’ crew accomplished had never been done by an Irish crew against Virginia .. ever. It was the largest margin of victory against the Cavaliers in the all-time series. In addition, the 76 points were the most scored by an Irish squad against the Cavaliers in regulation. Furthermore, the Irish handed Virginia its biggest loss to an ACC opponent since 2017 (65-41 loss to No. 10 UNC on Feb. 18, 2017).

574 BOYS BALL OUT ON 574 DAY

It was just meant to be. It was 574 Day when Notre Dame hosted Virginia, celebrating the combination of the local 574 community and our three local players on the team. And it just so happened that the 574 boys went off. South Bend native J.R. Konieczny posted 17 points and eight rebounds, shooting 6-of-8 including a 4-for-5 mark from three. Konieczny made his first six shots from the field and scored all his points in the first half. Then there was Mishawaka native Markus Burton, who earned 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting, plus a career-high eight assists. Burton is the first player to dish out eight assists against Virginia since Virginia Tech’s Justyn Mutts on Feb. 4, 2023.

TABLE OR BOOTH

Booth has started two straight games and both have resulted in Irish wins. The freshman earned 11 points and six rebounds against Marist, then notched 17 points and nine boards vs. Virginia. Thus, he is averaging 14.0 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last two games.

Booth was a man possessed in the second half of the Virginia contest. The 6-10 forward scored 14 points from the 11:11 mark to 4:54 on the clock.

HITTING THE MARK

Point guard Markus Burton has put his name amongst the top freshmen in the country with his stellar play thus far. For those who aren’t acquainted with the local standout from Mishawaka, here are some quick hitters:

• His 15.9 ppg leads all ACC freshmen and ranks 3rd nationally amongst DI freshmen.
• He is the only freshman in the country averaging over 15 points, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
• If the season ended today, Burton’s 15.9 ppg would rank 3rd all-time in the ND freshman record book. The two in front of him – Adrian Dantley (18.3) and Troy Murphy (19.2).
• Burton started his career with five straight games in double figures. He now leads the team with 11 double-digit games.
• Burton picked up his 4th game of 20 or more points against Marist on Dec. 22. 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).
• Ranks 12th in the ACC in scoring, 10th in Assists (3.9), 12th in steals (1.5) and 12th in FT% (.816).

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 nine of the last 10 games, the Irish have allowed 65 points or fewer in regulation. Most notably ND’s two ACC contests. First, they limited Miami to a season low in points – 24 points fewer than their season average of 86 points per game. Then they held Virginia to 54 points, which was 12 points below their season average.

With that said, Notre Dame’s scoring defense of 65.6 now ranks 3rd in the ACC.

SECOND HALF SURGE

As previously alluded, Burton has had a knack for surging at the right moments in the second half. Five times this season, Burton has scored double-digit points in the second half alone: Niagara, Oklahoma State, Western Michigan, Marquette and Marist.

Burton is averaging a team best 8.2 points in the second half.

#TRENDING

Burton has produced a stellar six-game stretch in which he’s scored double-digits in every game, totaling 103 points (17.2 ppg). In addition, he has dished out 42 assists over the last nine games (4.7 apg).

J.R. Konieczny has been a great storyline of this season. The junior has recorded double-digit points in 7 of the last 11 games. If you take out those first two games of the season and look at this 11-game stretch, Konieczny is averaging 11.8 points.

As previously mentioned, Carey Booth has made 2 straight starts and it’s been 2 straight Irish wins. Booth is averaging the 2nd most points over the last 2 games at 14.0 ppg.

HOME BOOST

The Irish will start non-stop league play with three consecutive ACC contests at home: Virginia, NC State and Duke. Important to note after the Virginia win – since joining the league for the 2013-14 season, the Irish have never beaten both Virginia and Duke in the same regular season. They’ll have that opportunity on Saturday.

Call it a home bonus, but Markus Burton has thrived inside Purcell Pavilion. The Mishawaka native is averaging 17.6 points on 45.6 percent shooting, with 4.4 assists.

The team as a whole is shooting better at home as well – .439 compared to .323 on the road.

— ND —