2025 North Carolina Sports Network
Atlantic Coast Conference Basketball Spotlight:
University of Notre Dame

By David Glenn
North Carolina Sports Network

School: University of Notre Dame

Location: Notre Dame, Ind. (just north of South Bend)

Previous Conference Affiliations: Independent (1896-1995), Big East (1995-2013)

ACC Member Since: 2013-14

ACC Ranking Among 32 Leagues (KenPom): 5th (2025), 5th (2024), 7th (2023), 5th (2022), 5th (2021), 4th (2020)

NCAA Tournament Bids: 37 (1953, 1954, 1957, 1958, 1960, 1963, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2022)

NCAA Championships: 0

Final Fours: 1 (1978)

Conference Titles: 1 (2015 in ACC)

Conference 1st-Place Finishes: 1 (2001 in Big East)

Head Coach: Micah Shrewsberry (48, 2nd season)

As A Player: Hanover (1995-99)

Record As Head Coach (through Jan. 7): 57-58 (.496) in 3+ NCAA seasons

Previous HC Experience: IU South Bend/NAIA (2005-07), Penn State (2021-23)

AC Experience: Wabash (1999-2000), DePauw (2001-03), Butler (2007-11), Purdue (2011-13; 2019-21), Boston Celtics/NBA (2013-19)

Assistant Under: Brad Stevens (Butler and Celtics), Matt Painter (Purdue)

2023-24 Record: 13-20, 7-13 (12th in 15-team ACC)

2024-25 Preseason Prediction (Coaches): 10th in 18-team ACC

2024-25 Record (Through Jan. 7): 7-7, 1-2 ACC

2024-25 Midseason Ranking (KenPom): #91 nationally (9th in ACC)

Upcoming Schedule: at NC State (1/8), at #4 Duke (1/11), Boston College (1/13), at Syracuse (1/18), at Virginia (1/25), Georgia Tech (1/28), at Miami (2/1), at FSU (2/4)

Although Notre Dame may finish in the bottom half of the ACC standings for the sixth time in the last eight seasons this year, the Fighting Irish appear to be on an upward trajectory for the first time since coach Mike Brey built back-to-back Elite Eight squads (and captured the 2015 ACC championship) almost a decade ago.

Second-year coach Micah Shrewsberry has impressive credentials, and he’s showing many signs of building Notre Dame back into a regular NCAA Tournament participant. The Irish played in the Big Dance 13 times during Brey’s 23-year tenure, but they’ve been there only once in the past seven seasons.

Although the Big Bracket almost certainly will have to wait another year, Shrewsberry may have the Irish poised for a turnaround in 2025-26. Four of the top five players from this year’s competitive and well-coached team are eligible to return next season, and there’s a top-10 recruiting class (led by 6-foot-7 prep All-American combo guard Jalen Haralson) on the way.

Shrewsberry, who coached under legendary leader Brad Stevens both at Butler and with the NBA’s Boston Celtics, led Penn State to the 2023 NCAA Tournament — just the Nittany Lions’ second bid to the Big Dance in a 22-year stretch — during his second season in Happy Valley, after taking over a perpetually mediocre program.

During his season and a half at Notre Dame, Shrewsberry has underlined his coaching chops on the court and his prowess on the recruiting trail.

In 2023-24, working with an offensively challenged group, Shrewsberry built one of the better defensive teams in the ACC. This season, with more skill but still minimal depth, the Irish are much-improved offensively but not quite as strong on defense.

Sophomore point guard Markus Burton, Indiana’s “Mr. Basketball” as a high school senior in the Irish’s home state, earned the ACC’s Rookie of the Year honor last season, and he has a lot more help this year.

Braeden Shrewsberry, the coach’s son, is a highly competitive two-way guard with a very high basketball IQ. Princeton grad transfer Matt Allocco, a two-time second-team All-Ivy League selection, is an excellent passer and elite shooter in the backcourt. Junior forward Tae Davis, once a little-used role player at Seton Hall, has blossomed over the past two seasons into a highly efficient starter and scorer with the Irish.

Nevertheless, Shrewsberry admits that the Irish’s margin for error remains razor-thin, as he implied in a recent plea to Notre Dame’s famously football-centric fan base.

“I know we’ve got to play better for people to come and watch us, (but) we need you now more than (ever),” Shrewsberry said. “We don’t really need you when we’re undefeated and rolling. I need you when we lost five in a row to help us get back on the right track.”

Given the team’s decent 7-7 start, quality starting lineup, manageable schedule … and maybe even a late boost from Notre Dame students and fans once the school’s fabulous football season finally ends, a winning record — and perhaps even an NIT invitation — may be realistic goals in the coming months.

In the longer run, much greater things may be on the horizon.

2024-25 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
(7-7, 1-2 ACC; through Jan. 7)

STARTERS (stats = 2024-25 numbers)

PG Markus Burton*, So. (6-0/190) — 3-star HS signee (Indiana Mr. Basketball)
28 mpg, 19 ppg, 4 rpg, 48% FG, 86% FT, 31% threes, 28/11 ATO, 0 blocks, 10 steals

G Matt Allocco, Gr. (6-4/190) — 2024 Princeton transfer (2x 2nd-team All-Ivy)
34 mpg, 10 ppg, 4 rpg, 45% FG, 77% FT, 46% threes, 50/14 ATO, 3 blocks, 5 steals

G Braeden Shrewsberry, So. (6-4/200) — 3-star HS signee (head coach’s son)
35 mpg, 16 ppg, 3 rpg, 43% FG, 91% FT, 37% threes, 23/18 ATO, 2 blocks, 9 steals

F Tae Davis*, Jr. (6-9/215) — 2023 Seton Hall transfer (backup)
29 mpg, 17 ppg, 6 rpg, 53% FG, 75% FT, 26% threes, 24/30 ATO, 1 block, 12 steals

C Kebba Njie*, Jr. (6-10/250) — 2023 Penn State transfer (starter)
22 mpg, 6 ppg, 6 rpg, 56% FG, 74% FT, 38% threes, 5/21 ATO, 9 blocks, 2 steals

KEY RESERVES (stats = 2024-25 numbers)

G Julian Roper II, Sr. (6-4/220) — 2023 Northwestern transfer (backup)
17 mpg, 2 ppg, 2 rpg, 27% FG, 58% FT, 13% threes, 11/5 ATO, 3 blocks, 19 steals

F JR Konieczny*, Sr. (6-7/205) — 3-star HS signee (St. Joseph’s in South Bend)
16 mpg, 5 ppg, 3 rpg, 42% FG, 67% FT, 31% threes, 11/11 ATO, 4 blocks, 3 steals

G Logan Imes, So. (6-4/195) — 3-star HS signee (Zionsville HS in Indiana)
13 mpg, 3 ppg, 2 rpg, 41% FG, 70% FT, 25% threes, 11/10 ATO, 2 blocks, 3 steals

F Garrett Sundra, Fr. (6-11/215) — 3-star HS signee (St. Paul VI HS in Virginia)
10 mpg, 2 ppg, 2 rpg, 54% FG, 0 FT, 44% threes, 3/4 ATO, 1 block, 1 steal

F Nikita Konstantynovskyi, Gr. (6-10/260) — 2024 Monmouth transfer (starter)
9 mpg, 3 ppg, 3 rpg, 64% FG, 38% FT, 0 threes, 2/5 ATO, 1 block, 3 steals

Departures from 2023-24: BF Carey Booth* (Fr./transfer/Illinois), BF Tony Sanders Jr (Sr.), C Matt Zona (Sr./transfer/Fordham)

*—2023-24 starter (started at least 50% of Notre Dame’s games last season)