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Notre Dame Staggers into ACC Opener vs. Syracuse
Notre Dame hopes to rediscover its form at home when it hosts Syracuse in both teams’ Atlantic Coast Conference opener Saturday afternoon.
Notre Dame Seeks Relief at Home
The Fighting Irish (4-5) return to South Bend, Ind., after a grueling stretch on the road, including a 69-48 defeat at Georgia on Tuesday. Notre Dame hasn’t played at home since a shocking loss to Elon on Nov. 22 and carries a five-game losing streak.
“It’s good to be home. It’s good for us to play at home. It’s good to play in our own gym,” Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “I know we have to play better for people to come watch us, but we need you more than anything.”
Adding to the Irish’s challenges, leading scorer Markus Burton (18.2 points per game) is unlikely to play as he continues to recover from an MCL sprain. While surgery isn’t expected, Shrewsberry emphasized caution.
“His future is more important than winning one or two extra games,” Shrewsberry said. “We care more about his future than anything else.”
In Burton’s absence, Braeden Shrewsberry (15.2 points per game) and Tae Davis (14.4) will need to shoulder the scoring load.
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Syracuse Aims to Tighten Defense
Syracuse (4-3) is also looking to rebound after a 96-70 blowout loss at No. 3 Tennessee on Tuesday. Defensive struggles have been a recurring issue for the Orange, who are allowing an average of 80.9 points per game.
“We got to defend,” Syracuse coach Adrian Autry said. “No matter what defense we try to play, whether it’s man or it’s zone, we have to defend. And it’s five guys. It’s not one guy. It’s five guys. We have to defend as a team.”
The Orange have relied on a strong offensive output, averaging 79.4 points per game. J.J. Starling leads the way with 19.8 points per game, followed by Chris Bell (13.3) and Donnie Freeman (11.7).
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Key Matchup
With Burton potentially sidelined, Notre Dame will need its secondary scorers to step up against Syracuse’s high-scoring trio. At the same time, Syracuse must shore up its defensive lapses to avoid letting the Fighting Irish gain confidence at home.
What’s at Stake
Both teams enter the game searching for consistency and looking to start ACC play on the right foot. For Notre Dame, ending the losing streak at home could be a much-needed confidence boost. Meanwhile, Syracuse will aim to prove it can lock down defensively and compete on the road.
