Game 01 - Irish Hoops Begins Anew on Monday Night vs. LIU

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The 122nd season of Notre Dame men’s basketball tips off Monday night inside Purcell Pavilion. It’ll showcase the Fighting Irish against the Long Island University Sharks at 7 p.m. ET, streaming live on ACCNX. Tickets are still available for purchase here.

Notre Dame begins the year with 1,978 all-time wins, 22 shy of becoming the eighth program to reach 2,000. Historically, in season openers, the Irish are 100-21.

Two years ago, Irish fans watched Markus Burton take the court for the first time and break Laphonso Ellis’ freshman debut scoring record. Burton poured in 29 points against Niagara in the win.

CORE NUCLEUS INTACT

For Notre Dame and Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry, retention and player development has been key. For the second consecutive year, the Fighting Irish return the highest scoring by percentage of any ACC school. Leading those returners is one of the best backcourt duos in the ACC – junior guards Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry. Approaching their third year together on the court, the duo combined for a league-best 35.3 ppg.

ABOUT LIU

LIU was selected to win the conference in the NEC Preseason Poll, a year after finishing second with a 17-15 overall record and 12-4 mark in league play. The Sharks season ended in the semifinals of the NEC Tournament.

The Sharks enter the 2025-26 season with three returning All-NEC selections: Malachi Davis (First-Team All-NEC), Jamal Fuller (Second-Team All-NEC), and sophomore Shadrak Lasu (NEC All-Rookie Team). Davis averaged 17.7 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game last winter, while Fuller averaged 12.5 points, 6 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game.

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 has 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.

Burton recorded a sensational sophomore season in which he averaged 21.3 ppg, 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.

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 in 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 when 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 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.

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.vTowt 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-possession games and 0-3 in games decided by one point.

EXHIBITION ROUND-UP

Notre Dame called up its old Big East foes and got battle tested before the 2025-26 campaign tipped off. The Irish first travelled to Hinkle Fieldhouse and took down Butler 77-76. Then the Irish hosted DePaul and incurred a 62-69 loss. A major standout in these October preseason bouts was sophomore guard Sir Mohammed who totaled 25 points over the two contests.

The Irish never trailed against Butler and led by as much as 16. Thirteen total Irish saw time on the floor and four finished in double figures.

If the stats officially counted, sophomore guard Cole Certa would have tied his career high of 12 points and set a new personal best for three-pointers made with four. Junior guard Markus Burton tied him for the team high with 12 points as well.

Sir Mohammed would have netted his second career double-digit scoring game as he finished with 10 points. He converted 2-of-3 from deep.

Freshman Brady Koehler also shone with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting. Fellow freshman, Jalen Haralson, impressed with seven points and team highs in rebounds (6) and assists (4).

For DePaul, the Irish suffered from a cold 4-for-24 shooting start while the Blue Demons converted four triples in the first 10 minutes. The Irish fought back and claimed a second half lead but ultimately fell short down the final stretch.

It would have been a career-high night for sophomore guard Sir Mohammed. The Charlotte native dropped a team-best 15 points on 5-12 shooting. He also grabbed six rebounds, which would have tied his career best.

Another Irish standout tonight was guard Logan Imes. The junior recorded eight points on 3-3 shooting, which included two triples. Jalen Haralson supplied eight points on 4-9 shooting to go with his five boards. Burton joined Mohammed in double figures with 10 points, going 8-8 from the free-throw line.

HIGHLY TOUTED FRESHMEN CLASS TAKES FLOOR FOR FIRST TIME

On Monday, Notre Dame’s highly touted and highly ranked freshemen class takes to the hardwood for the first time officially. Last November, that class was ranked fourth in the nation by 247Sports, fifth by ESPN, fifth by Rivals and sixth by ON3. It was the top-rated class in the state of Indiana; second overall in the ACC.

The class is comprised of Tommy Ahneman, Ryder Frost, Brady Koehler and Jalen Haralson – the latter (at the time of his signing) was the highest rated recruit for Notre Dame in the modern era.

• Haralson became the 20th McDonald’s All-American in program history and the first of the Shrews Era.
• Frost was on Paul Biancardi’s 2025 top shot-makers list. In 2024, he led the UA summer circuit in three-point percentage, converting 45.2 percent.
• Koehler was a 2025 AP Indiana Boys Basketball All-State First Team selection. He attended Coach Shrews’ high school and averaged 16.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
• Ahneman was the top-ranked prospect in the state of Minnesota and led Cretin-Derham to a Class 4A Station runner-up finish as a senior. He averaged 16.3 points and 10.6 rebounds. Unfortunately, Ahneman is out indefinitely rehabbing his knee.

A PROGRAM OF PLAYER DEVELOPMENT

In the first note, we mentioned that Coach Shrews maintained his core nucleus, spearheaded by Markus and Braeden. In this section, we look at the other returners.

• 6-6 guard Sir Mohammed was slowed as a freshman as he worked through a lower-body injury. He ultimately played in 23 games, with eight starts, and shot 51.1 percent from two.
• 6-11 forward Garrett Sundra shot 53.3 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from two in 21 games. He was 8-of-20 (.400) from three-point range.
• 6-5 guard Cole Certa recorded a few clutch moments down the stretch of last season. In a 76-72 win over Pitt, Certa recorded all 12 of his points in the 2nd half but it all stemmed from a 125-second period in which he drained 3 triples. Then, down one with 18 seconds left vs. Stanford, Certa drained a corner three right in front his bench for the eventual 56-54 win.
• Rounding out the returners are senior forward Kebba Njie and junior guard Logan Imes. Njie is the only player on the current roster to play four years under Coach Shrewsberry (freshman year at Penn State). Last season, Njie shot a career best 55.5 percent from the floor. Imes played in 26 games and shot 46.4 percent from two.   

2025-26 SCHEDULE NOTES

The Blue & Gold will hit the road for the first time of the season when they travel to Columbus to take on Ohio State on Nov. 16. This marks the start of a home-and-home series, with the Buckeyes traveling to South Bend for the 2026-27 season.

Year three of the ACC/SEC Challenge is approaching and for the first time, Notre Dame men’s basketball will get to host a challenge game inside Purcell Pavilion. The Fighting Irish will host the Missouri Tigers on Tuesday, Dec. 2. Notre Dame trails in the all-time series to Missouri, 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.

Thanksgiving week marks a return to the Players Era Men’s Championship in Las Vegas. The Irish will clash with both Kansas and Rutgers with a third opponent TBD. ND and KU have not squared off since 1988.

The last road non-con will be a trip to TCU on December 5, beginning another home-and-home with the Horned Frogs returning the trip to Purcell for 2026-27. It’ll be the program’s first trip to Fort Worth with a 5-0 mark in the all-time series.

In terms of the ACC schedule, Notre Dame will kick things off with their first West Coast trip, taking on Stanford then Cal. The Irish will also make their first ACC trip to SMU on Feb. 10.

The Irish can receive a big home crowd boost with four of their last six inside Purcell Pavilion. Those home games include Georgia Tech, Duke, NC State and Stanford.

THE BEND

The Fighting Irish basketball programs announced a new black and gold jersey, “The Bend.” A jersey that pays tribute to the characteristics and history of South Bend.

TYING IN TO OUR TOWN

• The “Bend” script across the chest, which was inspired by the marquee “South Bend” wall on the side of Madison Oyster Bar in the heart of downtown.
• The numbers – a custom font inspired by classic Studebaker cars, which got their start here in South Bend.
• The side of the shorts – the lines running up the side of the uniform pull directly from the South Bend flag, which gives a nod to the St. Joseph River.
• The Irish will first wear The Bend jerseys against Detroit Mercy on Nov. 7.

— ND —