Game Thread | Oklahoma State vs. Notre Dame | Legends Classic
Oklahoma State (1-2) vs. Notre Dame (1-2) | Legends Classic
Date: November 17
Time: 4:30 PM ET
Where: Barclays Center | Brooklyn, N.Y.
TV: ESPNU | Dave O’Brien and Jon Crispin
Line: Oklahoma State -6.5
O/U: 133.5
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame is the only ACC program Oklahoma State has yet to face.
- Cowboys head coach Mike Boyton Jr. has also never faced Notre Dame.
- Oklahoma State assistant coach David Cason was Notre Dame’s Director of Operations for the 1999-2000 season.
- Cowboys guard Javon Small is a native of South Bend.
- The Irish are shooting 13-for-69 on the year from 3, including going 2-for-26 on Thursday night.
PROJECTED STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Markus Burton | 19.3 | 4.0 | 2.7 |
| JR Konieczny | 7.3 | 4.7 | 0.3 |
| Julian Roper II | 7.7 | 4.7 | 0.3 |
| Tae Davis | 7.7 | 5.0 | 0.7 |
| Matt Zona | 2.7 | 4.3 | 1.7 |
Oklahoma State
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Javon Small | 9.5 | 5.0 | 6.0 |
| John-Michael Wright | 10.0 | 1.3 | 2.0 |
| Quion Williams | 6.3 | 5.3 | 1.7 |
| Eric Dailey Jr. | 10.0 | 5.0 | 2.7 |
| Mike Marsh | 8.3 | 6.3 | 1.7 |
TEAM STATS
| STAT | OKLAHOMA STATE | NOTRE DAME |
| Scoring Offense | 69.3 | 63.3 |
| Scoring Defense | 66.7 | 72.3 |
| FG% | 44.2% | 40.5% |
| Rebounds | 33.3 | 36.0 |
| Assists | 16.0 | 9.3 |
| Steals | 6.3 | 4.7 |
| Blocks | 2.7 | 2.0 |
THOUGHTS
- Notre Dame will face another veteran backcourt on Friday as Javon Small (JR) and John-Michael Wright (SR) lead the Cowboys against the Irish. At this point in the season, Notre Dame facing veteran guards is an immediate concern as Micah Shrewsberry is forced to let true freshman Markus Burton, Braeden Shrewsberry and Logan Imes figure life out on the fly.
- The Irish will get lucky as Oklahoma State’s leading scorer Bryce Thompson (14.3 ppg) is doubtful for Friday after he suffered an injury against St. Bonaventure on Thursday evening.
- Notre Dame has an offensive problem as the scouting report is out on the Irish. Teams have forced the Irish to win one-on-one battles and it’s been an uphill challenge at just about every position. Notre Dame has had major issues shooting from three-point range, but in general, Thursday highlighted the lack of scoring ability on the roster.
Julian Roper II: 1-5
Markus Burton: 4-20
Braeden Shrewsberry: 4-11
Matt Zona: 0-1
Carey Booth: 0-4
Logan Imes: 0-2
The lone bright spots were JR Konieczny going 7-of-11 from the field and Tae Davis finishing 5-of-8 on the night. Davis needs to build on Thursday as his points come in bunches and then isn’t heard from for long stretches.
Burton will have nights like Thursday, especially this year as he figures out college basketball, and Notre Dame will have to live with it as he’s the only player who consistently can create separation for himself and attack the rim.
"It's not high school, right?" stated Shrewsberry. "Northern Indiana Conference doesn't have 6-11, 7-foot dudes in there trying to block his shot. He's got to learn through mistakes, but he also has to learn during the game to play off two feet, to shot fake, to find other guys. He's got to make other guys better.
"When he figures that part out, he's going to be a real good player."
- Notre Dame is averaging just 9.3 assists per game and the Irish have recorded double-digit assists just once this season (10 vs. Western Carolina, which tells the story of the offense. Notre Dame hasn’t been able to move the ball as Shrewsberry hoped and have been forced into playing iso ball.
It’s never good for opponents to know the blueprint for wins against your team, but three games into the season, it’s a significant concern for Notre Dame.
Notre Dame Fighting Irish Cybernetic Raglan Quarter-Zip Hooded Top
