Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry provide hope Notre Dame can post 1st winning season in 4 years

Notre Dame (15-18, 8-12 ACC)

Coach Micah Shrewsberry enters his third season with a solid foundation, and a roster that has his imprint all over it. The Fighting Irish are deep, big and versatile, and there is reason for optimism. Whether that will be enough to propel Notre Dame to its first winning season in four years, its second postseason bid since 2018 or even just a higher finish in the ACC, is unclear. Rather than heavily relying on the transfer portal, Shrewsberry, who was an assistant with Purdue coach Matt Painter, seems to have followed Painter’s philosophy of primarily recruit and develop.

Players to watch

Everything starts with the guards, who are both two-year starters and double-digit scorers: Markus Burton (junior, G, 21.3 points) and Braeden Shrewsberry (junior, G, 14.0 points, 72 3-pointers). Notre Dame needs a stronger supporting cast and 6-foot-10 Kebba Njie (senior, F, 6.1 points, 5.9 rebounds) could be key. He’ a three-year starter who followed Micah Shrewsberry from Penn State to South Bend. If second-year guards Sir Mohammed and Cole Certa provide depth, that could help, too.

Departures and arrivals

Notre Dame’s biggest loss was the departure of second-leading scorer Tae Davis (senior, F, 15.3 points, 5.9 rebounds) to Oklahoma. G Matt Allocco (9.5 points) graduated and backup F J.R. Konieczny (4.3 points) transferred to Florida Gulf Coast. The Irish are hoping second-team All-Big Sky selection Carson Towt (sixth season, F, 13.3 points, 12.4 rebounds at Northern Arizona) can help fill Davis’ void. The only other transfer is 6-9 Matthew MacLellan, a double-digit scorer the past two seasons at NAIA member Madonna, The Irish also will be looking for a heralded freshman class, which features three top 100 recruits plus McDonald’s All-American Jalen Haralson, to make an impact.

Top games

Notre Dame begin a rather friendly schedule by hosting LIU Brooklyn on Nov. 3. The only ranked team they face in non-conference play is No. 19 Kansas in Las Vegas. The Irish also face Rutgers in Las Vegas, have trips to Ohio State and TCU and a home game against Missouri. In conference play, highlights include Jan. 21 at No. 25 North Carolina, Feb. 4 at No. 11 Louisville and a home game against Duke on Feb. 24.

Facts and figures

Burton was the ACC’s 2024 Rookie of the Year. He was a second team all-conference selection last season after averaging a league high 23.5 points in conference games. … Shrewsberry, Micah’s son, missed the last seven games of last season with a lower abdomen injury. … Haralson is the 20th McDonald’s All-American to play for Notre Dame, the first since Shrewsberry took over as coach. … Towt finished his career at Northern Arizona with 1,199 points, 1,098 rebounds and was a unanimous selection to the Big Sky’s all-defensive team last season. He was sixth nationally with 20 double-doubles last season.

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