Tag: Notre Dame Basketball

Micah Shrewsberry revealed angry Notre Dame fan texted him mid-game with a savage message

Texting a coach mid-game takes guts, but it’s also kind of wild.

Notre Dame men’s basketball Micah Shrewsberry really received an angry text from a fan mid-game, and it’s as unhinged as it sounds.

On Tuesday, the Fighting Irish were battling the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets when someone boldly texted Shrewsberry’s phone. What time was it? According to Shrewsberry, it was 10:15 p.m., and the game was still going on. They didn’t say who they were; they just laid into him about his coaching.

“What the [expletive] am I watching?” the fan allegedly said to the Notre Dame coach. “Do you have any plays written up because holy [expletive], your team is unorganized as [expletive]? What are they paying you for?” Whew. Despite the savage message, Shrewsberry seemingly got a kick out of the whole thing, telling the media, “That right there, fellas, is a lesson in humility. As good as you feel, some people think you stink.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/DFbq4PZs3qK/?img_index=2&igsh=YjN4Y3U1ZXgzNXlp

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Getting to know UNC basketball’s next opponent: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

We give you a brief preview about UNC’s next basketball opponent: the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

It’s right back to the drawing board for Hubert Davis and the North Carolina Tar Heels, who struggled down the stretch in Wednesday’s 83-70 loss at Louisville.

UNC (8-6, 1-1 ACC) played fairly solid basketball until the final five minutes, when it only scored one point – on an Ian Jackson free throw. North Carolina never trailed by more than nine points, until the host Cardinals (9-5, 2-1 ACC) pulled away during those same five minutes.

The Tar Heels stay on the road to open up 2025, as they’ll head up to South Bend, Ind. on Saturday, January 4 for a 12 p.m. tip-off against Notre Dame.

UNC owns a 30-9 all-time record against the Fighting Irish (7-6, 1-1 ACC), whom we’re about to give you a deeper dive into.

Notre Dame started the year 4-0 by beating Stonehill College (89-60), Buffalo (86-77), Georgetown (84-63) and North Dakota (75-58), leading to hope amongst fans the Irish were back to their Mike Brey level of winning (13 NCAA Tournaments in 23 seasons).

A loss to a significantly-improved Elon squad on November 22 made the South Bend faithful think again, as Notre Dame began a 5-game losing streak. The Irish then snapped their skid, starting a 3-game winning streak against ACC rival Syracuse, but are fresh off a New Year’s Eve loss at an average Georgia Tech program.

North Carolina’s defense will face a tall task on Saturday, facing a Notre Dame offense with four double-digit scorers.

Markus Burton, a top guard in the ACC and one of the country’s best, leads the Irish with 18.2 points per game. Forward Tae Davis averages 16.6 points per game. Braeden Shrewsberry, starting guard and son of head coach Micah Shrewberry, contributes 16.2 points per game. Matt Allocco adds 10.2 points per game, rounding out Notre Dame’s collection of double-digit scorers.

The Irish are in a similar position to that of our Tar Heels, needing to start a winning streak that shows they’re capable of making the NCAA Tournament. Notre Dame hasn’t made the Big Dance since 2021-2022, while UNC is in danger of missing March Madness for the second time in three seasons.

Can North Carolina escape South Bend with a victory, or will prolonged issues persist and lead to a second-straight loss?

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Analyst believes next two games are must-wins for UNC basketball?

UNC needs to beat Notre Dame and SMU to even think about the NCAA Tournament.

The North Carolina Tar Heels continue to struggle their way through college basketball season, with their latest debacle coming on New Year’s Day, in an 83-70 loss at Louisville.

UNC (8-6, 1-1 ACC) came back from nine down in the second half Wednesday night, tying the Cardinals at 61 on an Ian Jackson 3-pointer.

Fast forward a bit – and North Carolina only scores one point over the final five minutes. The Tar Heel big men struggled once again, highlighted by a rough stretch late from Ven-Allen Lubin (foul, three quick Louisville free throws).

We hoped UNC finally turned a corner entering Wednesday’s ACC battle, thanks to upsetting UCLA before Christmas and beating Campbell comfortably after it, but UNC instead looked like a team that won’t make the NCAA Tournament.

According to Rob Harrington, an InsideCarolina contributor and college basketball analyst, North Carolina needs to win its next two games – at Notre Dame (January 4) and vs. SMU  (January 7) – to even have a shot at the Big Dance.

“There are a lot of games to play that would do wonders for their (Tar Heels) resume,” Harrington said on InsideCarolina’s “The Postgame” show. “They’re probably two wins in a row away from us having a different tone. If they win two in a row, they start to feel good about themselves. Can they put together two in a row? Of course, they have to get one first. The next two are winnable. They need to win them both. If they slump to a 1-3 start (in ACC play), then it’s hard to see them digging out of it. The team already looks like they’re teetering in terms of confidence. They need to make sure that they stay above water. Win the next two, and then we can start having a more positive discussion.”

Despite the Tar Heels’ inability to piece together momentum this year, Harrington is right: their next two games are winnable.

UNC next faces a Notre Dame (7-6, 1-1 ACC) squad that, despite beating 11-2 Georgetown, slumped through a 5-game losing streak earlier this season. Notre Dame most recently lost to an average Georgia Tech squad, 86-75, on the road New Year’s Eve.

SMU (11-2, 2-0 ACC) is a beatable opponent, but the Mustangs already beat a pair of 11-win teams in LSU and Washington State. North Carolina will face SMU at home, but it’ll need a lot more than a home-court advantage to win.

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Notre Dame men’s basketball updates star guard Markus Burton’s injury status

Not the best news, but not the worst

On Tuesday night, Notre Dame men’s basketball star point guard [autotag]Markus Burton[/autotag] went down with an injury and did not return in the Irish’s overtime loss to Rutgers.

With a rare back-to-back game, Notre Dame is scheduled to face off against a ranked Houston tonight, and will be without their star. The official Irish men’s basketball social media account announced that Burton “suffered a non-season-ending knee injury that will hold him out of competition on a week-to-week basis.”

It’s clearly a big blow for the Irish, as they lose the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, along with his impressive production. Burton was off to a great start this season, as he was averaging 18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists while shooting 47.7% from the field.

It looks like Braeden Shrewsberry will need to step up, along with Matt Allocco, who almost single-handedly willed the Irish to a victory last night. Others will have to help fill Burton’s void, but that could be a good outcome to create depth, as he works towards his return to the court.

Nov 16, 2024; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Markus Burton (3) drives past Georgetown Hoyas guard Jayden Epps (10) during the second half at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

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USC No. 3, Notre Dame No. 5 in USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll

No. 3 versus No. 5. USC against Notre Dame in women’s basketball this Saturday in the Galen Center is a top-five showdown. It’s must-see TV on NBC.

The main event this weekend for USC sports fans is actually not one event. It’s two. USC football versus UCLA is always a big deal, regardless of the records of the two teams. However, this Saturday, another massive showdown involving USC will take place. The Trojans and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will meet in women’s basketball. Both teams are in the top five of the latest USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll.

USC fans will be able to attend both games on Saturday. USC-Notre Dame is at the Galen Center and will start just after 1 p.m. local time in Los Angeles. The USC-UCLA football game will start just after 7:30 p.m. local time in Pasadena. That offers Angelenos more than enough time to leave Galen and get to the Rose Bowl Stadium in time for kickoff, even with LA’s infamously nasty traffic.

The USC-Notre Dame game is part of a television tripleheader on NBC. The network has both USC games — women’s hoops and football — with the big Notre Dame-Army football game sandwiched in between at 4 p.m. Pacific time. USC-Notre Dame women’s basketball, though, gets the party started at 1.

USC and Notre Dame share spots in the top five of the USA TODAY Sports Women’s Basketball Coaches Poll with No. 1 South Carolina, No. 2 UConn, and No. 4 Texas.

Visit our friends at Fighting Irish Wire, Buffaloes Wire, Ducks Wire, UW Huskies Wire and UCLA Wire.

Micah Shrewsberry thinks Notre Dame has an elite defender this year

This would be great to see for the Irish

It’s going to be a big junior year for Notre Dame forward [autotag]Tae Davis[/autotag] if his head coach [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] is correct.

The 6-foot, 9-inch and 208-pound front court player had a very good first year with the Irish after transferring from Seton Hall last year. Davis averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds last year, but that doesn’t tell the whole story about his impact for the Notre Dame basketball team.

Shrewsberry believes that Davis is one of the best defenders in the county, as he told CBS Sports Jon Rothstein. Not only that, the reporter believes that the Irish could make the NCAA Tournament this spring.

This will be a very important season for Notre Dame basketball, as Shrewsberry enters his second season at the helm after going 13-20 last year. If we see a jump like he had at Penn State from the first to the second season, the Irish should be dancing in March with an elite defender in Davis.

Feb 24, 2024; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange guard Quadir Copeland (24) tries to move the ball past Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Tae Davis (13) in the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports

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Notre Dame men’s basketball to wear green jerseys for four home games

Dress appropriately for these games.

A big deal always is made whenever the Notre Dame football team wears green jerseys. Typically, it’s reserved for a special occasion once a year. But the men’s basketball team has decided one game of green jerseys isn’t enough.

In a video released Monday, the Irish announced that they will wear green jerseys four times at Purcell Pavilion during the 2024-25 season. The video showcases [autotag]Micah Shrewsberry[/autotag] being asked which one of the four games his team should sport the jerseys in.

After a moment, Shrewsberry decides that Syracuse, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh all need to see the jerseys when they visit South Bend.

The Irish wore green jerseys once last season, and that was a 73-61 loss to Miami. This year, they’ll stick with them of sporting them against ACC competition.

Also of note is that all of the games will be broadcast on network TV. Three of them will be on The CW, and CBS has the game against the Tar Heels. Clearly, the Irish want to look their best while playing for national audiences.

We’ll find out soon enough whether the green jerseys are lucky for the Irish.

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Could another 5-star be heading to Notre Dame basketball’s 2025 class?

This would be another massive get for Shrewsberry

For a good portion of time, the Notre Dame men’s basketball 2025 recruiting class was empty.

During a late September run, the Irish got hot, first with in-state small forward Brady Koehler, then in-state combo guard Jalen Haralson, followed by New Hampshire small forward Ryder Frost and finishing off with Minnesota center Tommy Ahneman.

Head coach Micah Shrewsberry has assembled the No. 3 recruiting class of the cycle according to the 247Sports Composite Team Rankings. Four commitments is a big group, but it seems like the Irish could be adding another.

Haralson is considered a 5-star prospect, as is Virginia power forward [autotag]Nate Ament[/autotag]. According to a report from Dushawn London, the 6-foot, 9-inch and 185-pound prospect will be taking an official visit to South Bend starting on November 9th.

This is a huge development, as Ament is ranked as the No. 4 overall prospect according to the 247Sports Composite Rankings. Adding second 5-star player would be huge for Shrewsberry and the Irish, as we will be watching to see what transpires following the visit.

Notre Dame basketball set to release YouTube documentary next week
Notre Dame men’s basketball players listen to head coach Micah Shrewsberry talk through a drill during an open practice at Rolfs Athletics Hall on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in South Bend.

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CBS to broadcast Notre Dame-North Carolina men’s basketball game

A sign that the Irish are drawing interest.

The Notre Dame men’s basketball team is on the verge of something special. It won’t happen this year, but it likely will when the Irish’s top-ranked 2025 recruiting class comes in. Until then, there’s interest in where the Irish currently stand.

To that end, CBS Sports unveiled its regular-season schedule for its longstanding college basketball coverage, and the Irish will be part of it. Specifically, they will help tip off a tripleheader of games for CBS on Jan. 4 when they welcome North Carolina to Purcell Pavilion.

This will be the first time the Irish have played on CBS since they picked up a 64-63 road victory over Kentucky on Dec. 12, 2020. It didn’t broadcast any of the three games the Irish played during their last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2022.

The last time the network broadcast a game from South Bend was an 82-55 loss to Virginia on Jan. 26, 2019. The Cavaliers went on to win that year’s national championship:

Here’s hoping the Irish will rise to the occasion of getting national exposure on college basketball’s most prestigious broadcast coverage.

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Notre Dame freshman basketball player signs NIL deal with major company

Congrats Sir!

The Name, Image, and Likeness era of collegiate sports has changed the landscape significantly, and Notre Dame has made strides in that department.

Recently, the university announced its collective “RALLY” as they move forward with helping its student-athletes get deals. While Irish freshman basketball player [autotag]Sir Mohammed[/autotag] didn’t get a deal with the school sponsored program, he did sign one with [autotag]Priority Sports[/autotag].

They announced their partnership on Monday, as the full-service sports agency who is based out of three major cities, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta, will have Mohammed as part of its collegiate roster.

As one of the top prospects in the 2024 class, No. 68 overall in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, the 6-foot, 7-inch and 205-pound guard is expected to have a major impact for the Irish basketball team as they set to begin their season in the coming weeks.

Congrats Sir on your NIL deal with Priority, as they are surely more to come as he continues his collegiate career.

Notre Dame basketball set to release YouTube documentary next week
Notre Dame men’s basketball players listen to head coach Micah Shrewsberry talk through a drill during an open practice at Rolfs Athletics Hall on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in South Bend.

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