SOUTH BEND, Ind. – When game number 10 rolls around on Saturday, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team (4-5) will have two reasons to be merry – finals will have concluded for the fall semester and a six-game homestand commences. It marks the first time in four years in which the Irish will have six straight games inside Purcell Pavilion. Up first, none other than another old Big East foe, Georgetown (6-4). That match will tip off at 2:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, Dec. 16.
BIG EAST TOUR ROLLS ON
After completing the home-and-home with Marquette on Dec. 9, the Irish will start a new home-and-home on Dec. 16 with Georgetown. The Hoyas lead the series 16-13, but the Irish lead in Purcell at 8-6. The two sides haven’t met since Jan. 21, 2013. The series began back in 1948.
Georgetown enters the contest with a 6-4 record on the year, but 0-1 in true road contests. The Hoyas’ best statistical category is free throw attempts per game, where they rank 39th in the nation and 1st in the Big East at 24.1 per game. Next best category – 65th in three-pointers per game with 8.9.
HITTING THE MARK(US)
Freshman point guard Markus Burton continues to impress in the first part of the 2023-24 season. To help you get more acquainted with the Mishawaka native, read up on the following stats below:
- His 15.7 ppg leads all ACC freshmen and ranks 6th 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 now leads the team with seven double-digit games.
- Burton picked up his third game of 20 or more points at #8 Marquette on Dec. 9. 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 3 freshmen in the country are averaging over 15 points and 3.5 assists per game: Burton, Harvard’s Malik Mack and USC’s Isaiah Collier.
- Burton ranks 9th in the ACC in Assists (3.7) and 9th in FT% (.857)
#TRENDING
Burton is coming off a stellar individual week in which he totaled 17 points against Western Michigan and 20 points at #8 Marquette. Burton has also upped his assist numbers as of late. He’s dished out 24 over the last five games (4.8 apg in that span).
J.R. Konieczny is emerging as an early season standout for the Irish. He has recorded double-digit points in four of the last seven games. If you take out ND’s first two games and look at…