For the first time all season, Notre Dame men’s basketball was finally tested by a team of equal talent in Ohio State, but fell just a two-points short of a road victory.
The Big Ten isn’t nearly as good as the ACC, but the Buckeyes should be good enough to make the NCAA Tournament. It definitely had that kind of feel towards it, with the two teams battling to the end.
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Notre Dame suffered its first loss of the year, but that shouldn’t mean much in the long run. While there hasn’t been much of the season played so far, here are a few thoughts on what I’ve seen from the Irish this year.
Notre Dame will live and die with Markus Burton
As the Irish’s best player, Burton is what makes this team go and on Sunday, he struggled. Just 3-for-14 from the field, as he did most of his damage from the free throw line. This was the second-lowest output of the year, and the first one he only played 18-minutes in a blowout win over Detroit Mercy. If Burton can find some consistency in scoring, Notre Dame can win a lot of games this season.
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Carson Towt was a great addition via the portal
Towt doesn’t have the idea height for a center, but he has the mindset of a 7-footer. He relentlessly crashes the glass, as he’s averaging 13-per-game so far this year. Towt isn’t much of a scorer, but he can get a bucket here and there if needed. He’s an absolute load in the middle of the court for the Irish, and is looking like a great transfer addition to the program.
Jalen Haralson is the real deal
He’s played in three of the four games, but Haralson is third on the team in scoring while shooting 56.5% from the field. He’s not much of a three-point shooter, just one missed attempt on the year, but he gets to his spots and to the line. Haralson is a solid rebounder, but that’s not his strong suit yet. He’ll have to get better with limiting turnovers, but he oozes with potential and is going to be a very good player.
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Multiple players have earned the right for more playing time
At this point with who the Irish have remaining on their non-conference schedule, Micah Shrewsberry probably won’t see what Cole Certa, Ryder Frost, and Brady Koehler could do with more court time. There are multiple opponents over the next few weeks that will be very tough, but there will be a stretch of three games starting in mid-December where Notre Dame should be heavily favored. Shrewsberry should use that time to rest his regulars and see what some of the others can do.
Braeden Shrewsberry needs to shoot at a higher volume
It could be that Shrewsberry is shooting so well this season, 57.1% from the field and 61.9% from three, due to his limited attempts, but he’s making very good decisions with his shots. I don’t think that he’s been forcing many bad attempts, and has found a very good rhythm. A second scoring option emerging would be huge for this Notre Dame team.
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Notre Dame has a good chance to make the NCAA Tournament
After seeing four games of this team, I think they have a legit shot at making the NCAA Tournament. A top-four finish in the ACC most likely isn’t in the cards, but a good amount of middle of the pack teams do make it. The Irish are good enough to finish in that area, and about 20 wins should do it. I think that’s reachable with this team, and should be Shrewsberry’s best team in South Bend to date.
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: Notre Dame basketball: Thoughts on the Irish after the first two weeks
