SOUTH BEND, Ind. – They often say after a tough loss, it’s best to immediately get back out on the court and erase that memory. On Tuesday night inside Purcell Pavilion, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team will look to bounce back and start a winning streak heading into ACC play after the holiday break. To do that, the Fighting Irish (4-6) will have to topple the Citadel Bulldogs (6-5) at 6 p.m. on Tuesday. That match will air live on the ACC Network.
CITADEL CLASH
Notre Dame and The Citadel have only met twice before Tuesday with the Irish claiming victory in both. The last meeting was way back in 2006, where ND took it 74-50 inside Purcell Pavilion.
Also, a familiar face returns to Purcell – Citadel’s Elijah Morgan. The graduate guard was a three-year letterman for the Irish, playing in 28 career games. This season, Morgan is averaging the second most points on his team with 11.7 per game.
The contest will feature two defenses who have had solid starts to the season. ND is only giving up 67.8 ppg while Citadel’s number is at 66.4.
HITTING THE MARK(US)
Freshman point guard Markus Burton:
- His 15.8 ppg leads all ACC freshmen and ranks 5th nationally amongst DI freshmen.
- Burton started his career with five straight games in double figures and currently leads the team with eight games in double figures.
- 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.
- He ranks ninth in the ACC in Assists (3.7) and 12th in Free Throw Percentage (.829).
D-UP!
If you are looking for an early Coach Shrewsberry stamp on the program, look no further than the defensive effort by this young Irish squad. In six of the last seven games, the Irish have allowed 65 points or fewer in regulation. Most notably, limiting the Hurricanes to a season low in points – 24 points fewer than their season average of 86 points per game.
Notre Dame’s scoring defense of 67.8 ranks fifth in the ACC.
HOME BOOST
The Georgetown game on Dec. 16 kicked off a six-game homestand for the Irish. The last time the Irish had six straight inside Purcell Pavilion -> games 2-7 at the start of the 2019-20 season.
At home, the Irish are averaging…