9. Tale As Old As Time

MILWAUKEE – A tale as old as time – well, 1920 to be exact. Over a century ago, Notre Dame men’s basketball and Marquette clashed on the hardwood for the very first time. On Saturday night in Milwaukee, the rivalry adds another chapter to the story. The Fighting Irish will tip off against the Golden Eagles at 9 p.m. ET on FOX.

There is no team that Notre Dame has played more over the years than Marquette. Notre Dame holds a distinct edge in the series at 81-38 with a 32-23 record on the road. Though the two sides have never met in Fiserv Forum. Saturday’s game wraps up a home-and-home series between the two.

ARE YOU REA-TAE FOR IT

The hottest player on the team right now is Tae Davis. He’s produced back-to-back games with a double-double and three straight games in double figures. He has amassed 46 points (15.3 ppg) and 28 rebounds (9.3 rpg) over that three-game span.

And that’s making the most of your opportunity. Those 46 points in three games are over half of what he scored in an entire season at Seton Hall last year. With that said, he now averages the second most points (10.4) and the most rebounds (6.3) on the team.

ALSO #TRENDING

J.R. Konieczny is emerging as an early-season standout for the Irish. He has recorded double-digit points in four of the last six games. If you take out ND’s first two games and look at that six-game stretch, Konieczny has since averaged 11.7 points on 42.9 percent shooting.

D-UP!

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. For the fifth straight game, the Irish defense has held its opponent to 65 points or fewer. Most notably, limiting the Hurricanes to a season-low in points – 24 points fewer than their season average of 86 points per game.

Notre Dame’s scoring defense of 66.0 now ranks 3rd in the ACC and 70th in the country.

“We can guard, even for a group of freshmen and sophomores,” Coach Shrewsberry said. “They’re believing in what we’re talking about. We’re sitting in a stance and guarding. It’s all positive.

“We’ve emphasized the defensive end so much. We’re guarding people. We’re getting people into the right shots that we want them to take. That part there is what we’ve hung our hat on. It’s given us a chance to be in every game. For a team that doesn’t see the game or understand it defensively yet, we’re really guarding. That’s purely effort right now. Wait until we start understanding what’s going on and seeing it and talking to each other. Holy smokes.”

ANOTHER GREAT OPPORTUNITY

“Another great opportunity for us.” Those are the words Coach Shrewsberry has echoed to his squad leading up to Saturday’s matchup. The Irish just had a crack at a top-10 ranked team on the road in Miami and hung in there – just couldn’t get over the edge down the stretch. Now, it’s an old foe in a top-10-ranked Marquette squad.

A win on Saturday would not only mark Coach Shrewsberry’s first top-10 ranked victory on the road as a head coach, but also Notre Dame’s first top-10 road win since a 95-91 victory against Duke in Cameron Indoor on Jan. 16, 2016.

HOME SWEET HOME

Eight games into the season and the Irish have spent four of them away from the friendly confines of Purcell Pavilion. At home, the Irish are averaging 73.0 points on 49.3% shooting from the floor, with a .359 mark from three-point range.

Away from Purcell, the Irish are averaging just 56.8 points on 34.2% shooting, with a .212 mark from three.

The Irish are coming off their best offensive game of the season, pouring in a season-high 86 points against Western Michigan, on a season-best 59.2 percent shooting. And the good news for the Irish – after Saturday’s contest against #8/7 Marquette – six straight games inside Purcell Pavilion. That six-game stretch includes the likes of Georgetown, Virginia, NC State and Duke.

CRASHING THE GLASS

The Irish dominated the offensive boards at #8 Miami as they outrebounded the Hurricanes 15-6. It marked the first time Notre Dame achieved at least 15 O-boards since they grabbed 19 against High Point on Nov. 16, 2021.

Tae Davis was a big part of that, reeling in four offensive rebounds to ultimately collect a career-high 10 boards. Davis now leads the team in offensive rebounding with 2.1 per game, which ranks 14th in the ACC.

HITTING THE MARK(US)

Everyone is starting to take notice of freshman point guard Markus Burton. To help you get more acquainted, read up on the following stats:

• His 15.1 ppg leads all ACC freshmen and ranks 7th nationally amongst DI freshmen.
• Burton started his career with five straight games in double figures before the streak ended with 8 points at South Carolina. He has six games in double figures now on the season.
• Burton picked up his second game of 20 or more points against Oklahoma St on Nov. 17. 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).
• Only four freshmen in the country are averaging over 15 points and 3 assists per game: Burton, Harvard’s Malik Mack, USC’s Isaiah Collier and Tulsa’s PJ Haggerty.
• Back-to-back games with a season-high six assists. He’s recorded 22 assists total over the last four games (5.5).

SECOND HALF SURGE

Speaking of Burton, he’s had a knack for surging at the right moments in the second half. Three times this season, Burton has scored double-digit points in the second half alone: Niagara, Oklahoma State and Western Michigan. Lastly, Burton is averaging a team-best 8.6 points in the second half.

— ND —