Tag: Kebba Njie

Notre Dame defeats Buffalo for second victory in as many games

The Irish gave the right amount of effort in the win.

(This story has been updated to correct a typo.)

A less experienced Notre Dame team might have panicked when a mid-major opponent was making a run. For a while, Buffalo was doing just that at Purcell Pavilion. But the Irish stayed strong, retook control and held onto it just long enough in an 86-77 win.

The Irish (2-0) saw their eight-point lead turn into a seven-point deficit in the first half. A Ryan Sabol 3-pointer in the final seconds gave the Bulls (2-1) a two-point lead going into halftime.

The Irish moved the ball much better at the start of the second half and tightened up their defense, going on a 24-2 run to begin the frame. But the Bulls whittled that 20-point lead down to seven more than once, so this game’s outcome was in doubt up until the final minute.

[autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] capped his career-high 27-point night with four clutch free throws to create enough distance and ensure the victory, one in which the Irish couldn’t take their eyes off the Bulls for very long except for the hot start to the second half. Davis made 12 of 13 free throws during the game.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 19 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. He also registered a game-high three steals.

[autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] also scored 19 points and was the only Irish player to make two 3s on a night the team made only five of 20 attempts from beyond the arc. [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] had 12 points with four of his five field goals coming on dunks.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Notre Dame earns opening-night victory over sister school Stonehill

Great way to start the year.

(This story was updated to add new information).

The Notre Dame men’s basketball team opened its season against sister school Stonehill. Both Notre Dame and Stonehill were founded by the Congregation of the Holy Cross over a century apart, so it was natural they would face each other at some point.

While the Irish are a mainstay in college athletics though, the Skyhawks only are in their third season at the Division I level. Talent likely would have decided this game anyway though as the Irish won, 89-60.

The Irish (1-0) trailed the Skyhawks (1-1) for only the first 100 seconds of the game, then dominated in all aspects soon afterwards, at least once their lead reached double figures in the first half. Though they fell three points short of matching their first-half scoring output (46) in the second half, there were times when the latter frame felt more dominant.

Either way, this looked like a team that knew how to play together throughout. [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] was able to empty his bench at the end, which was a sure sign of a good night.

[autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] and [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] tied for the game high with 18 points each with Burton also tallying five assists. Princeton transfer [autotag]Matt Allocco[/autotag] scored 10 in his first Irish game. [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] scored all nine of his points in the second half and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Jon Rothstein projects Notre Dame to finish 12th in ACC in 2024-25

Is this a fair ranking?

College basketball is a few months away, but that doesn’t mean predictions can’t be made now. Jon Rothstein has taken this to heart and written an early preview for how he things the new-look ACC will shape up during the 2024-25 season. With 18 teams to rank, Rothstein has the Irish finishing 12th, or the tail end of the conference’s middle tier.

Rothstein also highlights a couple of Irish players to watch. He lists [autotag]Matt Allocco[/autotag], who came over from Princeton, as one of 15 under-the-radar transfers. He also has picked [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] as one of 10 breakout players with the stipulation that players who previously have averaged double figures in scoring are not eligible to be considered breakout players.

Both Allocco and Davis are projected to be starters on the Irish alongside returnees [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag], [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] and [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag]. You won’t get much of an argument with that starting lineup right now. We’ll see how much, if at all, that changes once we’re through training camp.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame’s Carey Booth enters transfer portal but could return

Hopefully, he comes back.

When a player enters the transfer portal, they generally don’t go back to where they came from. Not so fast in the case of Notre Dame forward [autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag]. In an Instagram story and in speaking to On3’s Joe Tipton, Booth announced his that he’s entering the transfer portal. However, he has not ruled out coming back to the Irish as indicated in the following statement:

“I’m beyond thankful for getting to wear the blue and gold this year. I’m especially thankful to Coach Shrewsberry and his staff for believing in me and bringing me to South Bend. With that being said, I’ve decided to enter the transfer portal to keep all of my options open – including a return to Notre Dame.”

IT’S BRACKET MADNESS: Enter USA TODAY’s NCAA tournament bracket contest for a chance at $1 million prize.

Booth, the highest-rated player in Notre Dame’s 2023 recruiting class on 247Sports, played all 33 games for the Irish this past season, starting 19 of them. In his first collegiate season, he averaged 6.4 points, 4.3 rebounds and 0.6 blocks a game.

At 6-foot-10, Booth was tied with [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] for the tallest player on the team, and it’s possible he felt he couldn’t compete with Njie for a starting spot going forward. Whatever the case, hopefully, he isn’t gone for good.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame beats Virginia Tech to end seven-game losing streak

A victory!

Notre Dame hadn’t lost eight consecutive games since the 1965-66 season. This season has been bad enough that it wouldn’t have been surprising for the Irish to tie that mark Saturday against Virginia Tech. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case as the Irish beat the Hokies, 74-66, snapping their seven-game skid.

The Irish (8-16, 3-10) trailed by nine late in the first half before turning the tables on the Hokies (13-10, 5-7). They scored 14 unanswered points to take a five-point lead early in the second half.

The Hokies later tied it at 51, and the Irish responded with a 9-0 run. They never led by less than six the rest of the way. While the outcome still was in doubt during the game’s final minute, the Irish made the plays they needed to on both ends to close it out, something they’ve struggled with this year.

In 35 minutes, [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] led the Irish with 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting, but that only was the beginning. He dished out eight assists to tie his career high, which came during the Irish’s last home victory against Virginia. He also had six steals to not only set his career high but also tie the Irish record for steals in an ACC game, which first was reached by [autotag]Demetrius Jackson[/autotag] in 2016.

All of [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag]’s 12 points came on four 3-pointers. [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame drops another close contest to Boston College

The Irish still can’t win a close game with the Eagles.

When Notre Dame lost a close road contest to Boston College over a week-and-a-half ago, much of it had to do with Quinten Post getting hot. When the teams met again Saturday in South Bend, Post scored 10 points before fouling out with 4:03 left.

Despite losing Post for the stretch run, the Eagles had their biggest lead at seven, and it proved to be just enough to deal the Irish a 61-58 loss. Devin McGlockton led the Eagles with 15 points.

Neither team shot the ball well in the first half, but when points started coming more frequently in the second half, the Irish (7-13, 2-7) simply didn’t score enough. Although they only trailed, 57-55, in the final minute, Jaeden Zackery made a close shot with 30 seconds left to put the Eagles (12-8, 3-6) up four. [autotag]Braeden Shrewsberry[/autotag] missed a 3, and Zackery got the rebound before being fouled by [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] and making two free throws.

Surprisingly, that didn’t end the game. A Shrewsberry 3 cut the Eagles’ six-point lead in half with barely any time remaining. The Eagles then couldn’t inbound the ball cleanly, and a replay review gave the Irish a chance to send the game to overtime with 0.8 seconds left. [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] got an open look from 3-point range at the very top of the key, but he missed at the buzzer.

Konieczny flirted with a double-double by virtue of 15 points (13 in the first half) and eight rebounds. Shrewsberry scored all of his 14 points in the second half with 12 of them coming on four 3-pointers. [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] had 10 points (eight in the second half) and a game-high seven assists, but he also committed a game-high five turnovers.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Micah Shrewsberry speaks after Notre Dame loses to Florida State

Here a few thoughts from the head man.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – If there’s one thing Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry doesn’t do, it’s deflect blame. He understands that whenever his team loses, it falls back to him. He isn’t going to change that mindset anytime soon.

The Irish lost to Florida State, 67-58, and Shrewsberry wasn’t about to throw his players under the bus in his postgame news conference. If anything, he partially blamed not having [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] available because of a sprained ankle he suffered in practice the day before. He said it took all of the energy and emotion out of his team. It always is hard to soldier on when one of your players suddenly isn’t available, but Davis’ absence really seemed to bother Shrewsberry.

It’s unknown if Davis will be available Monday at Boston College in a quick turnaround for the Irish. What is known though is that Shrewsberry wasn’t short on words after this home defeat to the Seminoles. Here’s his opening statement and his answers to the questions asked by Fighting Irish Wire:

Notre Dame unable to keep up with Florida State in loss

Not quite enough to win on a cold and snowy day.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – The souls that braved the snowy and icy conditions in South Bend saw a good contest between Notre Dame and Florida State. It was a game that ultimately wasn’t decided until late in regulation. However, the Irish still are a young team learning how to win, and it didn’t happen in a 67-58 Seminoles victory.

The Irish (7-10, 2-4) trailed by four at halftime but have held the lead but for an 0-for-6 showing at the free-throw line from [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] and [autotag]Matt Zona[/autotag]. The second half saw the Seminoles (10-6, 4-1) increase their lead to as much as 14.

While the Irish slowly chipped away and were able to cut that deficit to three with 1:25 to play, the Seminoles proved capable of weathering the storm and held on to win a game in which they had more success on offense as well as smothering defense.

Primo Spears led the Seminoles with 13 points off the bench. Jamir Watkins scored 12, and 10 points apiece came from Darin Green Jr. and Jalen Warley.

Despite the loss, [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] led all scorers with 20 points. [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] contributed 11 points but also committed five turnovers.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame drops heartbreaker to NC State after leading throughout

The epitome of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

Notre Dame appeared to be headed for another wire-to-wire win, this time against NC State. But youth means inexperience, and that includes in closing out games. The Irish trailed only once in this contest, but it was when it really counted. D.J. Burns Jr. made a layup with 0.6 seconds left, the last of his team-leading 13 points, to give the Wolfpack a stunning 54-52 win at Purcell Pavilion.

The Irish (6-8, 1-2) led by as much as 12 in the first half and had a pair of 11-point leads in the second. But they combined with the Wolfpack (10-3, 2-0) to shoot 15 of 58 (25.9%) in that second half and got their clock cleaned on offensive rebounds throughout the game, 17-5. It came back to haunt the Irish as after a [autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] bucket with 2:10 left put them up, 52-46, they never scored again.

Nursing a two-point lead in the final minute, Konieczny was called for a travel thanks to intense defensive pressure from the Wolfpack, who called a timeout. The 6-foot-9, 275-pound Burns then found a matchup he liked and got a layup to tie the game at 52.

With only seven team fouls, the Wolfpack intentionally fouled [autotag]Julian Roper II[/autotag], a 58.3% free-throw shooter entering the game. Roper missed the front end of the one-and-one, and Michael O’Connell got the last of his team-high seven rebounds, enabling the Wolfpack to call a timeout and set up Burns’ heroics. A last-second long inbound pass went nowhere for the Irish, and the Wolfpack had stolen one in South Bend.

The Irish wasted a solid effort from [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag], the reigning ACC Rookie of the Week who had a game-high 18 points along with four assists. [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] grabbed 11 rebounds in the losing effort.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Notre Dame has shocking blowout of Virginia in ACC home opener

Did anybody expect this?

Notre Dame began its real ACC schedule at home Saturday against Virginia, a program that has been receiving Top 25 votes. You would have been forgiven had you chosen to opt out of viewing this game. But if you had, you would have missed the Irish’s biggest win of the season. They never trailed in a 76-54 upset victory.

The Irish (6-7, 1-1) scored the game’s first 13 points, and nearly five minutes passed before the Cavaliers (10-3, 1-1) got on the board. From there, it was a perfect display of offensive and defensive execution. The Irish got good looks when they had the ball and frustrated the Cavaliers by staying in front of the ball and taking care of it when it was up for grabs. At halftime, they were shooting an obscene 69.6% from the field.

The second half began with the Cavaliers scoring seven unanswered points to cut the deficit to 10. After [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] called a timeout, the Irish got back on track and never allowed the game to get any closer than that. By the time they increased their lead to 20 with less than nine minutes to go, it was clear that there would be no collapse on their part.

[autotag]J.R. Konieczny[/autotag] scored all 17 of his points in the first half, making all six of his field-goal attempts, including four from 3-point range, during that time. He was kept out of the scoring column in the second half but grabbed seven of his eight rebounds in that frame.

[autotag]Carey Booth[/autotag] also scored 17 and came within a rebound of a double-double. [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] also flirted with a double-double by picking up 15 points and a game-high eight assists. [autotag]Kebba Njie[/autotag] had 10 points and six boards. [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] briefly exited with an injury but returned to the game to record five rebounds and make his only shot attempt.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89