What to know, how to watch: Notre Dame men’s basketball vs. Syracuse
Notre Dame men’s basketball returns from a four-game road trip on Saturday, when second-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry’s group will take on Syracuse in its Atlantic Coast Conference opener. The Irish finished the road trip 0-4, and they’ve lost five straight games overall.
“It’s good to be home,” Shrewsberry said. “It’s good for us to play at home. It’s good for us to play in our own gym. I know we gotta play better for people to come watch us, but we need you now more than anything.”
Home attendance in South Bend early this season has been sparse, to put it mildly. But Shrewsberry is hoping a league game on a Saturday brings fans back to Purcell Pavilion. Those fans won’t get to watch Notre Dame’s best player, though, as sophomore guard Markus Burton recovers from a knee injury suffered Nov. 26 in Las Vegas.
The Irish haven’t had answers on offense since Burton went down, but beating the Orange would go a long way toward making something out of a season that’s veering down the wrong path.
“What’s gonna be more beneficial for this group, who we have right now?” Shrewsberry said. “Building off what we already have in, but then how do we keep maximizing the guys that we have to make them more efficient and better while Markus is out?”
Here’s everything you need to know about Saturday’s game against Syracuse.
Notre Dame vs. Syracuse game information
- Teams: Notre Dame (4-5, 0-0 ACC) vs. Syracuse (4-3, 0-0 ACC)
- Dates: Saturday, Dec. 7
- Times: Noon ET
- Location: Purcell Pavilion in South Bend
- Television: The CW
- Radio: 960 WSBT-AM in South Bend
Matchup notables
• Much like Notre Dame, Syracuse will be without its leading scorer and best player. Ex-Irish guard JJ Starling averaged 19.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game, but he’s out indefinitely with a hand injury. Starling transferred to Syracuse after Shrewsberry replaced Mike Brey.
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“We’re kind of in the same boat, right, with them losing JJ,” Shrewsberry said. “Both teams have really important pieces down that they’re trying to deal with. Whoever handles that the best way is probably going to be at their best.”
• Without Starling, the Orange will have to rely on its size in the front court. Six-foot-9 freshman forward Donnie Freeman has been a monster on the glass, averaging 8.4 rebounds per game. Graduate student center Eddie Lampkin Jr., now on his third team after transferring from TCU and then Colorado, has long been one of the nation’s better rebounders. He averages 6.9. Off the bench, 6-foot-7 senior forward Jyare Davis — a Delaware transfer — grabs 6.1 boards per game.
• Lampkin and Freeman can both score, but junior wing/forward Chris Bell will have to step up the most in the absence of Starling. He puts up 13.3 points per game.
• Three-point shooting has been a problem for Syracuse, who makes 27.7 percent of its shots from beyond the arc. Notre Dame is significantly better at 35.9 percent. Interior defense and rebounding from junior forwards Kebba Njie and Tae Davis will be huge for the Irish, as will shooting from sophomore guard Braeden Shrewsberry.
