Notre Dame (13-20, 7-13 ACC)
Coach Micah Shrewsberry endured a rough first season in South Bend, but Year 2 already looks different. Second-year guards Markus Burton and Braden Shrewsberry are the cornerstones of the 2024-25 team. They were the only two scorers to average in double figures last season. Plus, they have a stronger supporting cast. Notre Dame’s freshman class is ranked among the nation’s top 20 and three key transfers add experience, depth and scoring ability that seemed to be lacking in 2023-24. Can Notre Dame replicate the Year 2 jump Micah Shrewsberry had in his second season at Penn State when the Nittany Lions reached the NCAA Tournament? Perhaps now that they have the bodies to play at a more up-tempo pace.
Players to watch
Burton (5-foot-11 G, 17.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 2.2 spg). The 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball was as good as advertised in his first college season. He posted the highest averages among ACC freshmen in scoring and steals, broke Notre Dame’s freshman scoring record all while also leading the Irish in assists. Notre Dame expects even more from their budding star this season.
Braden Shrewsberry (6-3 G, 10.2 ppg). The son of Notre Dame’s coach started 15 of 33 games last season and was the team’s No. 2 scorer. He also led the Irish with a 3-point percentage of 37.1% and broke the school’s single-season record for most 3s in ACC play (55).
Matt Allocco (6-4 G, 12.7 ppg). Several players could be here, but the two-time all-Ivy League selection made it because he was the only Division I player to shoot 50% from the field, 40% on 3s and 90% on free throws last season. And he was a full-time starter on Princeton’s Sweet 16 team in 2022-23.
Departures and arrivals
Notre Dame lost only one key player, 6-10 forward Carey Boothe, who transferred to Illinois after following Micah Shrewsberry from Penn State. But the Irish made up for his departure with some strong newcomers. Freshman guards Cole Certa and Sir Mohammed were both top 100 recruits, and the Irish added a shooter in Allocco, bulk with 6-10 Ukrainian forward Nikita Konstantynovskyi (8.1 rebounds), a transfer from Monmouth, and depth with 6-8 forward Burke Chebuhar, a transfer from Lehigh.
Top games
Nov. 6 opener vs. Stonehill; Nov. 16 at Georgetown; Nov. 28 vs. Houston at Las Vegas; Jan. 4 vs. North Carolina; Jan. 11 at Duke; Feb. 1 at Miami; March 5 vs. Stanford; March 8 vs. California.
Facts and figures
Notre Dame lost four of its final six games last season and finished with rankings of No. 342 in scoring (64.0 points) and No. 330 in field goal percentage (40.7%). ... In Micah Shrewsberry’s previous two head coaching jobs, his teams made nine-game improvements from Year 1 to Year 2. ... The Fighting Irish spent the summer making a basketball tour of Spain and have been practicing with a 24-second shot clock to speed up the offense.
