9. Answer the (SEC) Challenge

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The third installment of the ACC/SEC Challenge is upon us, and for the first time, Notre Dame gets to host. The Fighting Irish will welcome the Missouri Tigers to Purcell Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 2, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPNU.

Notre Dame trails Missouri in the all-time series, 2-7. The two programs have not clashed on the hardwood since Nov. 21, 2011. Mizzou has not visited South Bend since Jan. 12, 1994.

The Irish are searching for their first ACC/SEC Challenge win. Two years ago, they had to go on the road to South Carolina, where they lost 65-53. Last year, without Burton, the Irish had to go to Athens, where they dropped a 69-48 decision to Georgia.

It’s a big week for the Irish, trying to move up in the NET and secure some marquee wins. Notre Dame’s initial NET rating is No. 86, and they’ll play No. 51 Mizzou and No. 54 TCU.

PLAYERS ERA ROUNDUP

Notre Dame left the desert with a 1-2 Players Era record. The Fighting Irish defeated Rutgers but fell to Kansas and No. 3/2 Houston by 10 points each. A commonality of both losses was poor three-point shooting, which was a strength heading into this MTE. Versus Kansas, Notre Dame was 4-24, and against Houston, the Irish were 6-28.

Against the top-three-ranked Cougars, the Irish showed tremendous fight after falling into a 22-point hole, clawing back to just a four-point deficit. A standout in this game was junior guard Logan Imes, who delivered strong minutes and posted the biggest +/- at +10.

Markus Burton led Notre Dame in scoring for all three games in Vegas. The junior averaged 21.3 ppg on 53.3 percent shooting. He recorded 16 rebounds, 11 assists and six steals.

Freshman guard Jalen Haralson kept his double-digit scoring streak alive and against top-notch competition no less. He averaged 14.0 ppg in Vegas on 44.1 percent shooting.

FEED THE HOT HANDS

Two Irish have maintained scoring streaks coming out of the Players Era and it was Markus Burton and Jalen Haralson. Burton has produced five 20+ point performances over the first eight games and has not scored below 13 points in a game.

Burton excels in the midrange, and he continues to be one of the best in the country from that spot. The junior is shooting 57.1 percent in the paint, which is 14.9 percent above the Division I average. Overall, from two, Burton is shooting 56.0 percent.

Meanwhile, Haralson gives this Notre Dame offense a new look. He’s another ball handler who can attack the paint, or post up or get to the front of the rim. Plus, he takes pressure off Burton and gets him off the ball. He also provides length on the defensive end.

Haralson has produced six consecutive games with double-digit points, averaging 14.7 points in that span on 51.6 percent shooting.

Haralson has been strong attacking the rim, where he converts a whopping 75.0 percent.

REBOUNDING TRANSLATES

Coach on Towt: “He’s energy personified. There have been a ton of transfers that transferred up, and their scoring output doesn’t necessarily follow. Rebounding translates at every level. It’s heart and it’s effort. That’s what he does. Carson is just max effort, man. He just plays really hard. His effort on the glass on both ends, his physicality. He’s a big brother to these dudes. He’s feeding their belief because of the energy and the confidence that he gives them.”

Last year’s NCAA rebounding leader Carson Towt has been a high-level impact transfer from Northern Arizona. To start, he tied his career-high 19 rebounds in the season opener, which also set a new record for an Irish debut. He produced two double-doubles in the first five games. In addition, Towt became the first Irish player in the conference era (1995-present) to start the season with six straight games with double-digit rebounds.

Towt’s current rebounding rankings:

• 10.4 rpg ranks 18th nationally, 2nd in the ACC
• 3.6 offensive rpg – 31st nationally, 3rd in the ACC
• 6.6 defensive rpg – 27th nationally, 4th in the ACC
• 1,161 career rebounds – leads all active players

NOTRE NOTABLES

• Notre Dame currently boasts a perfect 4-0 record at home, where they are averaging 88.8 points per game. They are shooting 51.5 percent inside Purcell. They are also averaging 11.0 made threes per game at home.
• The Irish are 17 wins away from 2,000 all-time. They would become the eighth program to achieve this feat.
• Certa is a perfect 14-14 from the FT line.
• Irish defense doing its part against P4 teams – held OSU to 64, Kansas to 71 and No. 3 Houston to 66.
• For the first time since the 2016-17 season, the Fighting Irish opened the season with three straight 20+ point victories.

A KEY FOR THE SEASON

Coach Shrewsberry stated during the preseason that if this program wanted to turn a corner, it had to be mentally tougher in close games down the stretch.

Last season, the Irish were involved 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-possession games and 0-3 in games decided by one point.

At Ohio State, they had a lead as large as 11 in the first half; wound up down six late in the second half; battled back to go up one with two minutes remaining; had two chances to extend the lead after; another chance at the buzzer for the win; but ultimately fell 63-64.

Against Kansas, the Irish fought to cut an 11-point deficit to four, and against No. 3 Houston, they cut a 22-point deficit to four as well. Versus both however, they couldn’t push past that final hump.

“We’re a good team and we were right there in a close game against a good team,” said Braeden Shrewsberry. “We’re angry right now, but we’ve got to build off the good things and get better at the bad things and come out and win the next close game. We gotta close it out and prove we’re a different team.”

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
• Wooden Award Watch List