3. Irish Host Panthers in Homestand Finale

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Chapter three of the 2025-26 Notre Dame Men’s Basketball story is set to unfold on Tuesday, November 11, when Eastern Illinois visits Purcell Pavilion, presented by Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. The contest will tip off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ACCNX. The Fighting Irish enter the matchup 2-0 on the young season, averaging 95.5 points on 50.8 percent shooting.

Despite roughly 250 miles separating the two campuses, Tuesday night marks the first basketball encounter between Notre Dame and Eastern Illinois. The Panthers are 1-1 on the season after a 63-66 loss at Valpo, followed by a 65-57 victory vs. Nicholls State. Zion Fruster is 1-of-2 Panthers averaging double figures, leading with 18.5 ppg. He owns four of the team’s 7 made three-pointers. The second and final EIU player in double figures is Terry McMorris, who also averages a team best 11.0 rpg.

WHOSE NIGHT IS IT GOING TO BE TONIGHT

Eleven different Irish scored in the season opener and in game two, six different Irish finished in double figures. The depth has been on full display to start the year. The Irish are getting 46.0 points from its bench which ranks 11th nationally.

Coach Shrewsberry in the Game One Post-Game Presser:

“We have 11 guys that are capable. Sometimes in practice you’ll have separation, but there hasn’t been much separation in practice. Every day a different player plays great and we have so many guys. So we don’t have that ‘ok you’re doing this and this is your spot.’ We have options now so we can keep mixing. If it’s not your night, that’s fine, we can go with someone else and that’s ok. We are going to keep trying to press the right buttons.”

GAME 2 TAKEAWAYS

• The Irish recorded the first 30-point win of the Coach Shrews era in the 102-70 victory over Detroit Mercy.
• The last time Notre Dame had recorded consecutive 20+ point wins was the 2020-21 season, when they defeated Pitt (1/30/21) and Wake Forest (2/2/21) in large fashion.
• Notre Dame recorded 19 assists on 36 made field goals, shooting 52.2 percent from the floor.

IRISH OPEN 122ND SEASON

Notre Dame kicked off its 122nd season with an 89-67 victory over Long Island. Markus Burton did Burton things and led all Irish with 24 points on 7-13 shooting from the floor, plus 8-9 from the charity stripe. But what was ultimately great to see was the huge depth they flexed in the win. Sophomore Cole Certa exploded for a career high 22 points, draining six triples. Freshman Ryder Frost scored all 15 of his points in the second half.

REBOUNDING TRANSLATES

Graduate transfer Carson Towt picked up right where he left off as the country’s leading rebounder last season as he tied his career-high 19 rebounds in the win over LIU. That number set a new record for an Irish debut performance. He also becomes the 16th different Irish player all-time to record at least 19 rebounds in a game.

Towt followed that up with an 11-point, 10-rebound double double against Detroit Mercy.

Because of Towt’s prowess, the team is now averaging 20.5 second chance points, which ranks 16th in the country.

Towt’s 29 rebounds through two games leads the country.

“He’s energy personified. There have been a ton of transfers that transferred up and there scoring output doesn’t necessarily follow. Rebounding translates at every level. It’s heart and it’s effort. That’s what he does.”

Towt now has 1,107 career rebounds, which leads all active players. Towt’s 8.9 career rebounding average ranks 5th amongst active players.

SHARPSHOOTERS

Adding on to the depth note from earlier, the Irish have plenty of sharpshooters at their disposal and the threes have been raining in Purcell.

First up, Cole Certa. The sophomore guard exploded from beyond the arc in the opener, converting 6-9. His now eight made triples are tied for 15th most in the country.

Then there was Ryder Frost. The freshman didn’t miss a single shot in the second half of the season opener, going 4-4 from deep (5-5 FG overall). He then went 2-5 in game two and is now 6-10 on the season. Furthermore, Frost is averaging 12.5 points on 13.4 minutes.

In the Detroit Mercy win, it was Braeden Shrewsberry’s time. The junior recorded a team high 19 points behind 5-8 shooting from beyond the arc.

Overall, the Irish now have 28 made three-pointers over two games – tied for 9th most in the country. They are shooting 47.5 percent from three which ranks 17th in the nation.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES FOR BURTON

The collegiate landscape is starting to pick up on what Notre Dame fans already knew – Markus Burton is a special player. The junior guard picked up two major preseason accolades

• First Team Preseason All-ACC – last Irish player to garner Preseason First Team honors was senior forward John Mooney in 2019.
• Bob Cousy Award Watch List – recognizing the top-20 point guards in the country.
• Naismith Trophy Watch List – recognizing the top men’s collegiate player.

KNOW THE NAME – MARKUS BURTON

If you don’t know the name Markus Burton, you should. The 6-0 junior guard, who is playing in front of his home town, recorded a sensational sophomore season and is poised to have an even bigger junior campaign.

Burton averaged 21.3 ppg last year, which ranks third nationally amongst returners.

1. PJ Haggerty, Kansas State – 21.7

2. Jaron Pierre Jr., SMU – 21.6

3. Markus Burton, ND – 21.3

4. Terrence Brown, Utah – 20.6

5. Nick Martinelli, NW – 20.5

The last Irish player to average 20+ points in a season was Luke Harangody (21.8 ppg) in the 2009-10 season.

Burton continued to write his name in different areas of the record book, alongside the all-time Irish greats. Here’s one for example – Burton joined David Rivers as the only Irish players to average 20+ points and 3+ assists in a season. He averaged a team best 3.0 apg last season.

He averaged 23.5 ppg in conference play which led all ACC players. His 423 points in ACC play broke the program record he set his freshman season. He now boasts 722 career ACC points which already ranks him fifth all-time at ND.

MASTER OF THE MIDRANGE

Burton is most dangerous attacking the basket and utilizing his quickness. He shot 46.9 percent from two-point range overall. More specifically he was 44.6 percent from the midrange and 46.4 percent from the paint.

Burton’s true shooting percentage climbed to 54.8 percent and his turnover rate dropped to 14.7 percent.

And more likely than not, Burton will get fouled attacking the basket and last season he was the team’s best free-throw shooter. He converted 84.8 percent from the stripe, which ranked 6th in the ACC. He drew 5.3 fouls per 40 minutes.

If that wasn’t enough, Burton improved from beyond the arc from year one to year two. He went from a 30.0 percent shooter from three as a freshman to 37.5 percent as a sophomore. In ACC play, Burton converted 40.2 percent from deep.

BRAEDEN, YEAR ‘3’

Braeden’s sophomore campaign was shortened by seven games with a lower-abdomen injury, but he certainly showed the world that he added to his game. He averaged 14.0 ppg, which was up from his freshman year’s 10.2. He also shot 41.3 percent from the floor, which also marked an improvement.

The 6-4 guard connected on 2.8 threes per game on a .369 clip – both ranked third in the ACC. In ACC play, he knocked down 40.0 percent from deep which ranked fifth. Shrewsberry’s sweet spot? He converted 45.5 percent from corner threes (15-for-33).

Furthermore, Braeden shot 48.7 percent from two-point range. Specifically, he shot 43.2 percent from the midrange and 44.9 percent from the paint.

Like Burton, Shrewsberry ended on an extreme high note. He totaled 49 points over the last three games before his injury.

He netted 16 points at BC, 12 points vs Louisville and a team high 21 points vs. SMU. Braeden averaged 16.3 ppg over that three-game span on 16-39 shooting (.410), plus 11-24 from beyond the arc (.458).

BIG PRESENCE INSIDE WITH THE ADDITION OF TOWT

The nation’s top rebounder from last year transferred to South Bend and will be paired with a top-5 scorer in the country in Markus Burton. Transferring in from Northern Arizona, Carson Towt led the nation with 12.4 rebounds per game last season. Notre Dame is the only school in the country to have players on the top-10 returning scorers and rebounders list.

Towt was a 2025 Second Team All-Big Sky selection and a unanimous Big Sky All-Defensive Team member.

Towt set a Big Sky conference single-season rebounding record, grabbing 423 rebounds across 34 games. The 423 rebounds also led the country.

The 6-8 forward averaged a nation’s best 8.9 defensive rebounds per game and 3.5 offensive boards per game – latter ranked 14th nationally.

Towt broke a 63-year record reeling in a career 1,044 rebounds. He also amassed 1,199 career points.

Last season, Towt averaged 13.4 points per game and produced 20 double-doubles which ranked sixth in the nation. He shot .569 overall from the field which ranked second in the Big Sky and 26th nationally

A KEY FOR THE SEASON

One of the major keys for a turnaround season for the Irish, as stated by Coach – gotta be better in close games; being mentally tough down the final stretch.

Last season, the Irish were in 14 games that finished by six points or less (two possessions). They went 7-7 in those games. They were 5-5 in one-possessions and 0-3 in games decided by one-point.

— ND —