Irish Breakdown

Notre Dame Men's Basketball Faces First Test Against Georgetown

Notre Dame men's basketball looks to prove itself in a tough early-season matchup against Georgetown. Key storylines to watch.

Nathan Erbach

Nov 11, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Markus Burton (3) celebrates after a basket in the second half against the Buffalo Bulls at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
Nov 11, 2024; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Markus Burton (3) celebrates after a basket in the second half against the Buffalo Bulls at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images
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Notre Dame Men's Basketball opened the season with a dominant win over Stonehill but faced some struggles in a closer-than-expected victory against Buffalo. Despite those challenges, the team remains undefeated at 2-0 and has yet to face a truly difficult test.

That changes on Saturday afternoon when the Fighting Irish travel to Washington, D.C., to take on the Georgetown Hoyas.

Georgetown finds itself in a similar position to Notre Dame. Head Coach Ed Cooley, now in his second year with the Hoyas, brings over a wealth of experience after 12 successful seasons at Providence. Like Notre Dame last season, Georgetown was in a rebuilding phase before Cooley's arrival, and their first year under his leadership was a struggle.

However, with both programs now in their second season under new leadership—Cooley at Georgetown and Micah Shrewsberry at Notre Dame—there are higher expectations for success. Both teams are used to winning, and Saturday’s matchup will serve as the first real test for both in the 2024-2025 campaign.

Notre Dame Looks to Build Offensive Consistency, Improve Defense Ahead of Georgetown

If the first two games are any indication, Notre Dame will rely heavily on Markus Burton, Braeden Shrewsberry, and Tae Davis to fuel the bulk of the offense. All three players are averaging 18 points per game over the first two contests, and they all log significant minutes. Davis was especially brilliant in the game against Buffalo, going off for a career high 27 points.

That said, the Notre Dame offense has been streaky. When the outside shot isn’t falling, the Irish will need consistent contributions from Davis’ slashing ability and Kebba Njie’s size and strength in the post to keep the offense moving.

The veteran presence of J.R. Konieczny, Matt Allocco, and Nikita Kostantynovskyi will also be crucial for Micah Shrewsberry’s squad this season. The latter two were brought in specifically for their final seasons of eligibility to provide leadership and stability, and they’ll need to deliver on that promise.

As the season progresses, true freshman Sir Mohammed is expected to take on a larger role as he acclimates to the college game. While his size and athleticism have been evident—he was a top-50 recruit last cycle—his offensive game has yet to fully click. Still, his potential is undeniable, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds his rhythm.

Lastly, the strong defensive identity that Shrewsberry instilled in the team last season has been missing for stretches in the opening games, particularly during Monday night’s matchup with Buffalo. It’s likely that tightening up defensively has been a major point of emphasis in practice this week, especially with the upcoming showdown against Georgetown and a key tournament in Las Vegas just 10 days away.

Previewing Georgetown & Prediction

As I mentioned earlier, the current version of Georgetown is not a powerhouse program, but they still present the first real challenge for Notre Dame. Ed Cooley is an excellent coach, and improvement in Year 2 should be expected. Additionally, this will be Notre Dame's first road game of the season, and as any college basketball fan knows, winning on the road is never a given.

The biggest challenge for the Irish will be containing Georgetown’s true freshman big man, Thomas Sorber. In just two games, Sorber has put up 22 points and 11 rebounds per game while shooting 60% from inside the three-point line. He’s a budding star in the paint, and keeping Kebba Njie out of foul trouble will be critical for Notre Dame.

The Hoyas also boast a talented backcourt, led by Jayden Epps and Micah Peavy. Epps, a sharp-shooter, is hitting 40% of his three-pointers so far, while Peavy, the bigger and stronger of the two, prefers to attack closer to the rim. I expect Tae Davis to spend much of the afternoon guarding Peavy. The third member of Georgetown's backcourt is Malik Mack, a sophomore transfer from Harvard, who averaged 17 points per game last season. The trio of guards is a dangerous unit, and Notre Dame will need to be prepared.

Cooley relies heavily on these four players, all of whom average more than 30 minutes per game and rarely leave the court. In contrast, Shrewsberry uses a deeper bench, so it will be interesting to see if fresh legs become a factor as the game wears on.

I’m picking Notre Dame to come out on top in this one. I believe the Irish will show a much-improved effort on defense, particularly in guarding the three-point line. Notre Dame improves to 3-0 and enters next week feeling good before heading to the Players Era Festival. While I’m tempted to call this a “coming-out” game for Kebba Njie, I’ll temper my expectations for now—just remember where you heard it first if it happens.

Notre Dame vs Georgetown Prediction

Notre Dame 75, Georgetown 67

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Nathan Erbach
NATHAN ERBACH

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