4. First Major Road Test Awaits - Ohio State on Sunday

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The first major road test is here and it comes in the form of the 3-0 Ohio State Buckeyes on Sunday, November 16. Two early undefeateds will battle on the hardwood floor of the Schottenstein Center, with tip-off slated for 12:30 p.m. ET on FS1.

Something will have to give on Sunday. Notre Dame is averaging 89.7 ppg on 50.0 percent shooting, while Ohio State is averaging 95.7 ppg on 56.6 percent shooting. The Buckeyes’ effective field goal percentage of .664 ranks sixth in the country. They are also averaging 25.3 free throws per game, which ranks ninth nationally.

OSU is led by senior guard Bruce Thornton, who ranks fifth in the country in scoring with his 25.7 ppg. He’s shooting an impressive 70.6 percent (24-34) from the field.

Notre Dame trails in the overall series vs. Ohio State, 5-9. The last time these two met in Columbus was November 16, 1999 – the result was a 59-57 Irish win.

A win this Sunday would certainly be a staple one for Coach Shrewsberry in year three with the Irish. Last season, ND was just 3-9 in true road games, earning wins at Georgetown, Virginia and Boston College. FWIW, Coach Shrewsberry won his last trip to Columbus as Penn State’s head coach, beating Ohio State 75-71 on Feb. 23, 2023.

WHOSE NIGHT IS IT GOING TO BE, A STORY OF A 3-O START

Eleven different Irish scored in the season opener and in game two, six different Irish finished in double figures. The depth was on full display in week one. In game three, Coach Shrews found a lineup that clicked in the second half, dropping 47 points in that period to win by 20.

The Irish are getting 39.0 points from their bench, which ranks 43rd nationally and 2nd in the ACC.

Game 1 – Burton popped off for 24 points as Cole Certa exploded onto the scene with 22 points behind six triples. Ryder Frost scored all 15 of his points in the second half.

Game 2 – Notre Dame recorded 19 assists on 36 made field goals. Carson Towt recorded his first double-double in an Irish uniform with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Sir Mohammed was the MVP with 10 points, six rebounds and a career high six assists. Brady Koehler netted his first game in double figures with 10 points.

Game 3 – Braeden Shrewsberry was 6-8 from three to total 18 points. Jalen Haralson scored 13 of his 17 in the second half and finished the night a perfect 6-6 from the field. Burton led again with 21 points.

Coach Shrewsberry:

“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.”

SHARPSHOOTERS

The Irish have plenty of sharpshooters at their disposal and the threes have been raining in Purcell. ND is averaging 12.3 made threes per game, ranking 21st nationally and 3rd in the ACC. They are converting 42.5 percent from three, which ranks 26th nationally and 2nd in the ACC.

Who’s behind the early-season surge? Let’s start with Braeden Shrewsberry, who has the hot hand. He’s fresh off a 2nd half vs. Eastern Illinois in which he went 5-6 (6-8 overall in the game). He’s now 11-16 from three over the last two games, amassing 37 points in that span. Shrewsberry is shooting 61.1 percent from beyond the arc on the young season, which ranks 29th nationally, 2nd in the ACC.

Next, there’s Cole Certa, who went off in the season opener, dropping a career best 22 points on 6-9 three-point shooting.

Then there’s Ryder Frost, who didn’t miss a single shot in the second half of the season opener, going 4-4 from deep. He then recorded double-digit points in game two vs. Detroit Mercy. This year, Frost is 6-11 from deep (.545).

NOTRE NOTABLES

• Burton has posted two 20+ point performances in three games. He now has 30 in his career.
• Frost is averaging 8.3 ppg on 10.1 minutes per game.
• Notre Dame is shooting 50.0 percent as a team and averaging 89.7 points.
• Their .601 effective shooting percentage ranks them in the top-35.
• According to CBB Analytics, ND’s offensive rating of 131.5 puts them 23rd nationally.
• For the first time since the 2016-17 season, the Fighting Irish have opened the season with three straight 20+ point victories.
• Notre Dame was voted to finish 10th in the ACC in the preseason poll. USA Today ACC Preseason Poll predicted the Irish to finish in 8th place. They also placed Burton on its Preseason All-ACC First Team.
• Notre Dame posted a +20 in 876 minutes with Burton on the floor, including an impressive offensive rating of 111.4 points per 100 possessions.

REBOUNDING TRANSLATES

Graduate transfer Carson Towt picked up right where he left off as the country’s leading rebounder last season, for 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; then 11 boards (season best eight offensive rebounds) vs. EIU.

The only other Irish player since 1996 to achieve three straight games with double-digit rebounds to start the season was Nate Laszewski (2022-23). So if Towt would go for double-digit rebounds again on Sunday, it would be the best rebounding start since that 1996 mark.

His 40 rebounds through 3 games ranks 5th in the country. His 13.3 rpg ranks 4th nationally. Both rank 1st in the ACC.

He is averaging 6.0 offensive rebounds per game which ranks 4th nationally and 1st in the ACC. Because of Towt’s prowess, the team is now averaging 19.3 second chance points, which ranks 15th in 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 1,118 career rebounds, which leads all active players. Towt’s 8.9 career rebounding average ranks 11th amongst active players.

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.

— ND —