29. Irish, Tigers & Purcell, Oh My!

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Glenn & Stacey Murphy Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry said back in the preseason that he planned for his team to be playing their best basketball come March. The Irish have now emerged on the other side of adversity and have won four of their last five, including a momentous 70-65 victory over Wake Forest. Up next, another ACC team near the top of the standings who’s NCAA Tourney bound – Clemson. The Irish and Tigers will tip off Saturday night at 7:45 p.m. ET inside Purcell Pavilion.

Also, be sure to arrive early to catch the Senior Day ceremony taking place with 15 minutes remaining on the pregame clock. The program will honor its three departing seniors: Matt Zona, Tony Sanders Jr. and Raheem Braiton.

HITTING THEIR STRIDE

During this five game stretch in which Notre Dame has gone 4-1, it’s none other than freshman sensation Markus Burton leading the way, averaging 21.8 ppg. He’s followed by Braeden Shrewsberry’s 13.4 ppg, Tae Davis’ 9.4 and Carey Booth’s 8.2. Burton has also recorded 27 assists and 19 steals during this five-game stretch as well.

Also in this five-game swing: Notre Dame’s offense is averaging 71.8 ppg compared to its season average of 63.4. They are shooting 43.9 percent compared to the season’s 40.6 percent. Another big difference is the fact that the Irish are taking better care of the basketball, averaging 8.8 turnovers compared to the season’s 12.9.

Clemson arrives to South Bend with a 10-7 ACC record and 20-8 overall. The Tigers are powered by the trio of PJ Hall (18.5 ppg), Joseph Girard III (15.8) and Chase Hunter (12.6). Clemson ranks highly in FT% (13th in the country – .781) & defensive rebounds/game (24th – 27.9). The Tigers have won six of their last seven games.

Notre Dame leads the overall series 8-3, with a 4-1 record at home.

BURTON LEAVING A FRESHMAN YEAR LEGACY

Freshman guard Markus Burton is grabbing the attention of Irish fans, ACC opponents and the national media, but what’s crazy about it all is that he’s doing something that has never been done before in the history of the program.

Burton is currently averaging over 17.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals. If that stat line holds up upon season’s end, he’ll be the first player to put up those numbers in Notre Dame history (aka at least 17 points, 4 assists and 2 steals). ND great Chris Thomas would be the closest one to that with his 15.6 points, 7.6 assists and 2.2 steals for the 2001-02 season.

Furthermore, Burton is 1-of-5 players in the entire country averaging at least 17p – 4a – 2s.

BURTON SURGING

Burton was a man-possessed in the win over Wake Forest on Feb. 27, pouring in a career-high 31 points, which included 19 in the first half. He converted a career-best 11-for-11 from the free throw line. He also tallied three rebounds, three assists and four steals.

Burton is now 1-of-4 ND freshman all-time to record a 30-point game, joining the likes of Troy Murphy, Chris Thomas and Adrian Dantley.

Furthermore, Burton’s 31-point outburst was just a game after dropping 28 at Syracuse, which included 20 points in the 2nd half. Thus, over the last 2 games: 59 points (29.5 ppg), 11 assists, 5 steals; 54.3 percent (19-35) from the field; 4-12 3PT; 17-18 FT.

ACC ROOKIE OF THE YEAR?

Notre Dame has never taken home an ACC Rookie of the Year award and Markus Burton is looking to change that. He has proven himself to be one of the most dynamic freshman guards in the country. Here are some quick hitters for those who aren’t acquainted with the local standout from Mishawaka:

• His 17.2 ppg leads all ACC freshmen, with the next highest being Duke’s Jared McCain at 13.6. He also ranks 4th nationally amongst DI freshmen.
• ACC freshman rankings: 1st in scoring, 2nd in assists/game (4.3), 1st in steals/game (2.0).
• Double-digit points in all but 2 games. He’s currently riding a 21-game streak.
• He’s scored at least 16 points in 8 straight games.
• Overall rankings: 8th in the ACC in scoring, 5th in Assists (4.3), 4th in Steals (2.0), 8th in FT% (.830).
• ACC play only rankings: 17.4 points (5th), 2.4 steals (1st), 4.9 assists (3rd), .844 FT% (9th).
• Produced two games with 15+ point, 5+ assists, 5+ steals. Since 1996, only one other Irish player (Chris Thomas) had produced two games in the same regular season with at least 15 points, 5 assists and 5 steals.
• Burton is 1-of-3 Power Five players this season with multiple 15p-5a-5s games.
• Averaging 9.0 points in the 2nd half – has scored double-digit points 12 times in the 2nd half alone this season, including a season high of 20.
• Averaging 17.9 points at home, shooting 44.1 percent from the field.
• 57 steals (2 away from cracking the program top-10 for a season); 2.0 spg — would become just the 4th player in program history to average 2 spg in a season (Chris Thomas, David Rivers, Jerian Grant).
• Three-time ACC Rookie of the Week – ties Blake Wesley for most at ND.

1ST YEAR STAMP ON THE PROGRAM – DEFENSE

The year one Coach Shrewsberry stamp on the program has been the defensive intensity. 17 ACC games and 12 different ACC opponents – all but one (Syracuse on Feb. 24) were held under their season average, with Miami, Duke and Louisville each held to season low point totals.

Of the 17 ACC matchups that have already happened, only 4 opponents have reached the 70-point park against the Irish defense.

Notre Dame’s scoring defense of 65.6 ranks 30th in the country, plus 2nd in the ACC. According to KenPom, Notre Dame’s defensive efficiency ranks 28th nationally.

In ACC play only, Notre Dame ranks 2nd in scoring defense (64.7) and 2nd in field goal percentage defense (.414).

BURTON WINS 3RD ACC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK

Burton has now tied Blake Wesley for most ACC Rookie of the Week awards with three. He earned his third on Feb. 26 after averaging 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.0 steals in a 1-1 week for the Irish. After scoring 16 points in the win at Louisville, Burton was a man-possessed in the 2nd half at Syracuse. The freshman scored 20 points in the 2nd half, where he shot 8-of-13 from the field, which included two treys. Burton finished with 28 points plus a career-high tying 8 assists.

Markus Burton won his second ACC Rookie of the Week award on Feb. 12 after pouring in a team-best 19 points then posting an incredible stat line in the win over Virginia Tech. Burton balled out with 16 points, a season-high tying eight assists and a season-best six steals – as the latter tied for the third most steals in a single game in program history. Since 1996, only two other Irish have finished with at least 16 points, eight assists and six steals in a game – Chris Thomas in 2001 and Jerian Grant in 2013.

FRESHMAN RECORD WATCH

We are officially on Burton freshman scoring record watch as we head into the final stretch of the season. The freshman guard enters Saturday’s matchup with 481 points on the season – which already puts him in the No. 5 spot. Next up is No. 4 Blake Wesley at 504 points.

From a scoring average perspective, Burton’s 17.2 ppg ranks 3rd all-time behind Troy Murphy (19.2) and Adrian Dantley (18.3).

ANOTHER FRESHMAN IN THE RECORD BOOKS

Markus Burton won’t be the only freshman leaving his name in the ND record book this season after Braeden Shrewsberry continues to light it up from three.

Let’s first start with his prolific performance at Louisville on Feb. 21. Shrewsberry tied the program single-game record for made three-pointers by a freshman after draining seven against the Cardinals. He tied the likes of Pat Connaughton, Chris Thomas and Ryan Hoover. Shrews’ 23 points marked his second-highest points total on the season.

Then there’s the fact that Shrewsberry has knocked down 52 three-pointers in ACC play, breaking the Notre Dame ACC record. The previous record was 51 held by Prentiss Hubb, Matt Farrell and V.J. Beachem.

FWIW – those 52 threes in ACC play are tied for the fourth most this season and sit six behind UNC’s RJ Davis (58) for the most.

Lastly, Shrewsberry is shooting 43.3 percent from deep in ACC play – that number would rank 5th all-time in Notre Dame ACC program history.

SHREWSBERRY’S HOT HAND

Braeden Shrewsberry has secured 11 double-digit scoring performances over the last 14 games.

Overall on the year: team best 2.5 made threes/game – ranks 7th in the ACC. His 2.5 made threes ranks 2nd nationally amongst DI freshmen.

He’s now averaging 11.7 points in ACC play (2nd most on team), shooting 42.0 percent from the field & 43.3 percent from deep – latter ranks 2nd amongst ACC players. Also averaging 3.1 made threes/game in league play – ranks 4th.

#TRENDING

Here are some other under-the-radar stats to keep an eye out for this week.

• Over the last 5 games for Braeden Shrewsberry: 13.4 points on 41.5 percent shooting; 46.5 percent from three; 4.0 threes/game.
• Carey Booth has totaled 33 points over the last 3 games (11.0 ppg). He notched his 5th game in double figures with 15 points in the win over Wake Forest, which included three treys. Booth’s 15 points were the most since his 17-point outburst against Virginia on Dec. 30.
• Tae Davis has made 21 of his last 25 from the free-throw line, raising his percentage from .618 to its current .688.
• Davis has recorded three double-digit scoring performances over the last four games.
• Team-wise, Notre Dame is 5-0 this year when limiting their turnover total to single digits.

IN YOUR BAG

Speaking of trending, Markus Burton has ratcheted up his defensive intensity down the final stretch. The starting point guard is now up to 57 steals (2 away from cracking the program top-10 for a season).

He’s averaging 2.0 spg. If that holds, he would become just the 4th player in program history to average 2.0 spg in a season (Chris Thomas, David Rivers, Jerian Grant).

His 2.0 steals per game ranks 4th in the ACC. Furthermore, his 2.4 steals/game in league play leads all ACC players.

— ND —