Notre Dame at Virginia Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
Fresh off a 74-56 victory over Boston College, the Hoos are now 9-10 (2-6 in ACC play) and will look to get back to .500 on the year as they host Notre Dame this Saturday. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 and will air on ESPN2.
About Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are led by second-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry. An Indiana native, Shrewsberry has a career 58-61 record including going 21-30 so far at Notre Dame. This season, the Irish are 8-10 (2-5 in ACC play) and are coming off a 77-69 loss at Syracuse last Saturday.
Also of note for Wahoo fans, Shrewberry’s top assistant is former UVA assistant coach Kyle Getter. Getter was with UVA for five seasons, including the last two as an assistant coach. Joining the Notre Dame staff as Associate Head Coach was a nice and well deserved jump up for him.
Line Up
The Irish have dealt with injuries for much of the season, including missing their top player for an extended stretch. They’re a very top heavy group, with four players averaging double figures. Retention is also a key piece for Notre Dame, as four starters and six of the nine who played last Saturday were with the team last season. Last time out against Syracuse, they went with the following starters.
G - #3 Markus Burton (5’11” Sophomore, averages 19.8 points per game)
G - #11 Braeden Shrewsberry (6’3” Sophomore, averages 14.8 points per game)
G - #41 Matt Allocco (6’4” Senior, Princeton transfer, averages 10.2 points per game while hitting 47.1% from three-point range)
F - #7 Tae Davis (6’9” Junior, averages 16.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game)
F - #14 Kebba Njie (6’10” Junior, averages 6.7 points and 6.1 rebounds per game)
Lead Man
Markus Burton was the 2024 ACC Rookie of the Year and is easily the best player for Notre Dame. As mentioned earlier, he missed extended time earlier this season due to injury. He has been ramping up minutes played most of January and is now back in the starting lineup and appears to be close to full health.
Containing Burton will be the main point of concern for the Hoos. He’s an electric guard who routinely gets into the lane with ease and is wired to score. With him, the Irish are a much better team than their record shows.
I’m expecting UVA to start with Dai Dai Ames checking him. Dai Dai will need to have one of his better performances, specifically on the defensive end, for the Hoos to find success. But don’t be surprised if they continue to throw different looks at Burton. It'll quickly become an all hands on deck situation if he finds his groove.
LRA Event
We're also holding our annual LRA event this weekend, a gathering for fans before the game. Event details can be found on the forum. As always, we hope to see everyone there. It’ll be a great time.
The next game on the schedule is next Wednesday as the Hoos head to Miami. With five of the next six games coming against teams with losing records, it's a great opportunity for the Hoos to get rolling. Locker Room Access will have it covered the entire way.
(Featured Image Credit: Josie Drumheller/UVA Athletics)