With the football team coming down the home stretch and playoff hopes still very much alive, many Irish fans may have missed out on the start of Notre Dame's basketball season. No need to worry if so, here's a quick recap of the start of both teams' seasons before the real action really gets underway with a lot of great, high-profile matchups coming up soon.
Photo by Aden Johnson / The Irish Tribune
The Men's Team
Micah Shrewsberry's squad now sits 4-0 to start the season after their most recent wins against Georgetown and North Dakota. Their impressive 84-63 win at Georgetown has been the best they have looked this year, but they seem to struggle with consistency, as there have been a few not-so-stellar performances mixed in. Nonetheless, Notre Dame is undefeated with some big games coming down the pike.
To start the season, Notre Dame dominated Stonehill with an excellent shooting display, going 11-23 from the three-point line. Notre Dame star point guard, Markus Burton, and the coach's son, Braeden Shrewsberry, both tallied 18 for a team-high in scoring.
The Irish then had a bit of a scare in their next game against Buffalo. This was a close game for most of the contest, even seeing a Buffalo lead at the half before Notre Dame pulled away late in the second. Despite a rough shooting night, Notre Dame's second-half surge was led by Burton, who was one rebound and two assists away from a 19-point triple-double. However, the bulk of Notre Dame's offense came from junior forward, Tae Davis. The forward led the team with 27 points. Davis gave Buffalo fits all game, getting to the foul line 13 times. In the end, Notre Dame secured a victory and avoided a major upset to start the year.
Notre Dame looked like a different team from the one that played Buffalo when they traveled to the nation's capital to take on Georgetown. Notre Dame got off to a hot start to open the game, thanks to the shooting of Princeton transfer, Matt Allocco. Allocco was unconscious from the three, as he gave Notre Dame a jolt of offense, leading to a 13-0 run. Despite sloppy play, Notre Dame's 59% shooting from the field was far too much for Georgetown to keep up with, leading them to an 84-63 win.
Most recently, Notre Dame took on North Dakota on Tuesday, Nov. 19th in another warmup game before they dive into the bulk of their challenging non-conference schedule. As a predominately three-point shooting team, Notre Dame relies on their skilled shooters to carry the load on offense. Against North Dakota, this shooting did not show up, and that left the Irish offense limited for most of the game. This poor shooting resulted in Notre Dame only shooting 3-17 from the three-point line. Luckily for the Irish, Burton was a huge difference-maker, scoring 29 points with 9 rebounds. Burton's scoring was also incredibly efficient, going 13-20 from the field. This performance was enough for Notre Dame to finish the game with a 17-point lead, winning 75-58.
Upcoming, this team will travel to Las Vegas during Thanksgiving to take part in the Players Era Festival. In their first game, they will take on No. 24 Rutgers. Rutgers have two of the most talented freshmen in the country, so Notre Dame's defense is going to have their hands full.
As it is a tournament, their only other guaranteed game will be against No. 7 Houston. Houston has been one of the best teams in the country for several years now, and this year is no different. Notre Dame is going to have to shoot the ball well, as there are not many teams that play better defense than Houston.
The Women's Team
In typical fashion, the women's team is looking to have another great season, led by sophomore pre-season All-American, Hannah Hidalgo. Head Coach Niele Ivey and the Irish come into this season after a disappointing end to last season in the Sweet 16, but they have now gotten off to a hot 4-0 start. Notre Dame, currently ranked No. 6, got off to a great start in their first game against Mercyhurst. The Irish pulled off an impressive 105-61 victory. Senior forward, Liatu King led Notre Dame in scoring and rebounding with 24 points and 11 boards.
Notre Dame followed up their opening victory with another dominant win over Purdue, winning 102-58. In this game, Hidalgo shined with 28 points to lead all scorers. This game was never close, as the Irish built a 28-7 lead in the first half and never looked back. King, again, was a force in the paint, raking in 15 rebounds.
In the next two games, Notre Dame would earn their third and fourth wins against James Madison and Lafayette by a combined 78 points. Hidalgo's scoring was on full display, as she scored over 20 points in both. Senior guard, Olivia Miles, has also started off the year strong, filling her role as a do-it-all playmaker. So far this season, Miles is averaging 18 points, 8 rebounds, and nearly 7 assists.
Notre Dame has looked the part of a top-ten team to start the season, but the true nature of this team will be put to the test in the next couple of weeks. On Saturday the 23rd, the Irish will face their first real test against No. 3 USC. USC's star guard, JuJu Watkins, is one of the best players in the country, so her matchup against Hidalgo will surely be fun to watch. After that, Notre Dame will face off against No. 19 TCU on Nov. 29th. December won't get any easier, however, with marquee matchups against No. 4 Texas and No. 2 UConn on the schedule.
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