Notre Dame guard Markus Burton makes preseason first-team All-ACC; Irish picked 10th

On the heels of his Atlantic Coast Conference Rookie of the Year campaign, Notre Dame men’s basketball guard Markus Burton is gunning for more. Burton was named to the All-ACC first team Tuesday evening, his first preseason honor with the Irish.

Burton, who grew up down the road from Notre Dame in Mishawaka and went to Mishawaka Penn, averaged 17.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game in his first season. He led all ACC freshmen and ranked third among freshmen nationally in scoring, and his 557 points set a new Fighting Irish freshman record.

Internally, second-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry and his staff fully expect the sophomore to be one of the conference’s best players.

“He’s been phenomenal this fall, this summer,” Shrewsberry said Sept. 25. “You can tell he’s worked. He’s put some time in.”

Listed generously at 5-foot-11, Burton quickly proved that his size would not be a problem in the ACC. His ability to get to the rim and finish through contact wowed opposing coaches, and when they loaded up to stop that, he burned them with his lethal mid-range game. His quick hands and feet made him a pest on the defensive end, too, and he finished fifth in the league in steals.

Burton also led the ACC in turnovers by a significant margin, with 3.7, but Notre Dame expects that number to drop.

His usage rate last season led all high-major players, even Purdue star and former Shrewsberry pupil Zach Edey. With the acquisitions of Princeton transfer guard Matt Allocco and freshman guard Sir Mohammed, the Irish added two players who can lighten Burton’s workload and allow him to do what he does best.

“The talent level around me, it’s gonna help me become a better player,” Burton said in July. “I’m also gonna help my team become better players, too.”

Burton earned 41 voting points for the preseason All-ACC first team. He joins North Carolina guard and preseason ACC Player of the Year RJ Davis (54 voting points), Wake Forest guard Hunter Sallis (52), Duke forward and preseason ACC Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg (52) and Miami guard Nijel Pack (37).

Burton, Notre Dame men’s basketball picked to finish 10th in ACC

Led by Burton, Notre Dame ranks 10th in the ACC preseason media poll. Duke is the runaway preseason favorite, with 42 first-place votes.

The Irish finished 12th in the league last season — after being picked 15th out of 15 teams — and lost to Wake Forest in the second round of the conference tournament. The ACC’s membership in men’s basketball now stands at 18, with the additions of California, Stanford and SMU.

Notre Dame is considered a program on the rise, with an outside shot to challenge for the NCAA Tournament in 2025. Burton, Allocco and sophomore guard Braeden Shrewsberry should form one of the ACC’s best backcourts, while junior forward Tae Davis anchors a defense that finished third in the league with 67.2 opponent points per game last year.

The question, and what could hold the Irish back, is the offense. Notre Dame scored 64 points per game in 2023-24, which ranked 14th in the ACC. Shrewsberry believes, though, that more skill and a change in play style will put the Irish over the top.

“Our pace is a lot faster,” Shrewsberry said. “I think the hardest thing for us to guard when we’re really good is the randomness of each possession. That’s where I think we’ve taken a huge step this year.”

Here’s the full ACC preseason poll:

1. Duke (42 first-place votes) — 956 points
2. North Carolina (11) — 924
3. Wake Forest (1) — 800
4. Clemson — 765
5. Virginia — 743
6. Miami — 659
7. Pittsburgh — 636
8. North Carolina State — 550
9. Louisville — 518
10. Notre Dame — 462
11. Syracuse — 454
12. Georgia Tech — 433
13. SMU — 344
14. Virginia Tech — 252
15. Florida State — 251
16. California — 206
17. Stanford — 165
18. Boston College — 116