Notre Dame forward Tae Davis OUT Saturday vs. Florida State
Notre Dame men’s basketball was dealt a considerable blow before its matchup with Florida State at 2:15 p.m. ET on Saturday. Sophomore Irish forward Tae Davis will miss the game with a left ankle sprain, according to a team spokesperson.
Davis is in a walking boot, but the injury is not considered serious. He is day to day.
In his first season with Notre Dame after transferring from Seton Hall, Davis has started all 16 games and averaged 8.3 points per game. That’s is tied for fourth on the team with freshman guard Braeden Shrewsberry. He’s also tied for second on the team in rebounds per game at 5.8.
Much of Davis’ value has come on the defensive end this season, as his 6-foot-9 frame, length and guard-like athleticism have made him an asset in first-year Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s system. Davis often guards the other team’s best player, as Shrewsberry explained Thursday.
“We start the game and he’s guarding the best player, and for a guy his size to rotate and switch and move around defensively is really impressive,” Shrewsberry said.
That size and length would have been especially important against Florida State, a team known for having those two qualities in spades.
Davis notched a double-double in Notre Dame’s win over Georgia Tech on Tuesday, his first since Dec. 5 against Western Michigan. He scored 10 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, going 5-for-8 from the field and attacking the basket like the Irish like to see him do.
“The thing I talked to him the most about is just his details,” Shrewsberry said. “Just his details in his passing. I think he’ll get some turnovers where he’s just a little lax throwing the ball, but he’s been handling the ball for us, he’s been attacking and he’s been getting into the paint.
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“We’re trying to work some different things in for him when people aren’t guarding him as much and some other things that he can do. He’s been willing to listen and grow, and he’s doing a lot of good things for us.”
Notre Dame also likes to use Davis as a secondary ball handler, as the Irish don’t have any true point guards aside from freshman Markus Burton. As Shrewsberry said Thursday, that would have been particularly useful against Florida State, who ranks in the top 30 in the country in steals per game.
“This is a game where we’ll need him to take some pressure off of Markus, being able to handle the ball for us, get us in the offense, attack the rim and make some good plays,” Shrewsberry said.
Junior guard Julian Roper II will start in place of Davis. The Irish are going with a three-guard lineup for the first time since Dec. 19 against The Citadel.
