Notre Dame Men's Hoops Falls Just Short vs. North Carolina as Markus Burton Returns

Markus Burton was brilliant in his return after a 7-game hiatus, but the Irish fell just short Saturday afternoon against North Carolina

Nathan Erbach | Jan 4, 2025

Jan 4, 2025; South Bend, Indiana, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels guard Elliot Cadeau (3) and Notre Dame Fighting Irish guard Matt Allocco (41) react after Nadeau was fouled by Allocco on a three-point basket at the end of the second half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-Imagn Images / Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

It wasn’t a pretty first half, but Notre Dame found a way to stay in the game and ended up only trailing by seven after the first half. The return of star point guard Markus Burton provided a much-needed spark. He finished with 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting and was also 9-of-10 from the free-throw line.

If there were any doubts before, it’s clear now: Notre Dame needs Burton to remain competitive in the ACC for the remainder of the season.

The Tar Heels had their own key moments and ultimately had the last laugh. Freshman guard Ian Jackson had a breakout game for UNC, leading all scorers with 27 points. He also provided 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

Notre Dame mounted a comeback and held the lead for most of the final five minutes. However, with under five seconds left, Elliot Cadeau hit a three-pointer, was fouled, and converted the free throw. At the time, Notre Dame led 73-70. By the end of the possession, North Carolina was up 74-73. Cadeau had been shooting just 21% from beyond the arc entering the game. The foul call, especially in that moment, was questionable at best. Equally debatable was the no-call on Notre Dame’s final attempt to win the game.

First look at Markus Burton in warmup’s. The sophomore is NOT starting but it is good to see on the floor with @NDmbb pic.twitter.com/mFDMrAy44p
— LeVon Whittaker TV (@levonwhitt_tv) January 4, 2025

I say questionable because, in my opinion, either both fouls should’ve been called, or neither.

Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry called a timeout to reset his team. With 4.8 seconds left, the ball was inbounded to Burton, who drove to the hoop. It appeared that his arm was grabbed before he went up for the shot, and there was significant contact as he attempted the layup. However, no foul was called, and the shot didn’t fall.

The game ended there, and Notre Dame fell to 7-7 on the season, with a 1-2 record in conference play.

final. #GoIrish pic.twitter.com/LEHCGguRQQ
— Notre Dame Men's Basketball (@NDmbb) January 4, 2025

Learning to Win

While the focus will undoubtedly be on the waning seconds of the game, that is not ultimately why Notre Dame lost. Coach Shrewsberry will likely face criticism for not fouling North Carolina in those final moments, but this is a decision we see made all the time in college basketball. There is no perfect answer. I would argue that letting a career 21% three-point shooter take the shot was the right call. The odds were in Notre Dame’s favor that it wouldn’t go in. The odds were also in their favor that a graduate senior would prevent the officials from making that foul call. Unfortunately for Notre Dame, both things went against them.

Notre Dame took the lead at the 13:09 mark in the second half, and from there, it was a back-and-forth battle. After Braeden Shrewsberry hit a three-pointer to give the Irish a 2-point lead with 7:40 remaining, they had ample opportunities to secure a victory. Notre Dame was in the bonus for a long stretch of the second half, but missed crucial one-and-ones at the free-throw line. They also stalled offensively for a solid stretch.

Even with under a minute left and a three-point lead, Notre Dame still had a chance to ice the game. Unfortunately, Burton turned it over with 25 seconds left and gave North Carolina the opening they needed, and the rest is history.

This Notre Dame team is close. That much is clear. Now, they just need to learn how to finish games and take advantage of the opportunities that are there for the taking.