| GAME 12: | NOTRE DAME (6-5) |
|---|---|
| OPPONENT: | LE MOYNE (5-8) |
| WHERE: | SOUTH BEND, IN | PURCELL PAVILION |
| WHEN: | SUNDAY, DEC. 22 | 6 PM ET |
| WATCH: | ACC NETWORK |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| LIVE STATS: | STATBROADCAST |
| TICKETS: | PURCHASE ONLINE |
| SOCIAL: | @NDMBB | #GOIRISH |
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The rest will come later, for Notre Dame men’s basketball must immediately put the Florida State loss behind them and jet out to Boston College for its second game in a 53-hour span. Then after Monday’s road contest, Notre Dame will have eight days off before its next game against Miami on Jan. 24.
It’s a rare ACC Saturday-to-Monday turnaround and it’s against two programs looking for a needed boost in the form of a league victory. The Fighting Irish enter Monday’s matchup 2-4 in ACC play while the Eagles sit at 1-4. Notre Dame versus Boston College will tip off at 7 p.m. ET inside the Conte Forum on ESPNU.
QUICK TURNAROUND TO BC
The Eagles’ 1-4 record in league play consists of losses against NC State, Wake Forest, Syracuse and Clemson. Its lone win – a 95-87 victory over Georgia Tech. Overall, BC is 6-2 inside Conte Forum this season.
Boston College averages 78.9 ppg, shooting 46.9 percent from the field. They rank 32nd in the country and fifth in the ACC in fewest turnovers per game at 10.2. The Eagles rank 6th in the league in assist/turnover ratio (1.41), scoring offense and free-throw percentage (.750). Individually, they are led by Quinten Post (16.9 ppg) and Claudell Harris Jr. (15.7 ppg).
Notre Dame leads the series against BC, 25-15, but have lost four of the last five. The Irish are 9-9 inside Conte Forum.
SHREWSBERRY BREAKS OUT
In just his second attempt, Coach Shrewsberry and company got their first ACC road win – and did it by gutting it out in overtime. After Georgia Tech hit a dagger of a three with five seconds left to send the game to OT, the Irish outscored the Yellow Jackets 9-2 to seal the win.
Braeden Shrewsberry put the team on his back with a season-best 25 points. He connected on a season-high five made three-pointers.
Marcus Burton added 12 points and dished out seven assists. Plus, Tae Davis (10p/10r) and JR Konieczny (10p/11r) each recorded double-doubles.
The Irish also outrebounded the Yellow Jackets 48-33, as the 48 boards were the most since ND grabbed 54 against High Point on Nov. 16, 2021.
1ST YEAR STAMP ON THE PROGRAM – DEFENSE
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.
Because of the defensive effort, Notre Dame’s 2-4 ACC record could easily be flipped to 4-2. The Irish have held all six of its ACC opponents to under their season averages, with Miami and Duke being held to season lows at the time.
Furthermore, an Irish opponent has not recorded 70 points or more since Georgetown on Dec. 16 (seven-game streak).
With that said, Notre Dame’s scoring defense of 65.2 now ranks 2nd in the ACC and 42nd in the country. According to KenPom, Notre Dame’s defensive efficiency ranks 52nd.
In ACC play only, Notre Dame ranks 2nd in scoring defense (62.0), field goal percentage defense (.373) and three-point field goal percentage defense (.289).
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 16.2 ppg leads all ACC freshmen and ranks 4th nationally amongst DI freshmen.
- He is 1-of-3 players in the ACC averaging over 15 points and 4 assists.
- If the season ended today, Burton’s 16.2 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 leads the team with 15 double-digit scoring games.
- Burton picked up his 5th game of 20 or more points against Florida State on Jan. 13. 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, 9th in Assists (4.0), 15th in steals (1.4) and 8th in FT% (.833).
- Averaging 5.2 assists in ACC play only which ranks 3rd.
#TRENDING
- Burton has produced 10 straight games in double figures, totaling 171 points (17.1 ppg). He’s also averaging 4.3 assists in that span.
- Braeden Shrewsberry is averaging 15.0 points over the last three games. He’s 11-of-21 (.524) from three in that span and shooting 14-of-30 overall (.467).
- J.R. Konieczny has produced back-to-back games in double figures. He had a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double at Georgia Tech. Konieczny is averaging 9.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in ACC play.
BOARDS BATTLE
Kebba Njie has been a rebounding machine the last four games, reeling in 38 boards (9.5 rpg). That stretch includes a career high 11 rebounds vs. NC State. He also nearly achieved his first career double-double when he had nine points and 10 rebounds against #14/13 Duke.
Njie is averaging 6.0 points and 7.7 rebounds in ACC play.
Njie leads the team in offensive boards (2.2), which ranks 12th in the ACC. He also leads the team in rebounds/game (6.0).
— ND —