Game Thread | Notre Dame at North Carolina
Notre Dame (12-17, 7-11) at No. 7 North Carolina (23-6, 15-3)
Date: March 5th
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Where: Dean E. Smith Center | Chapel Hill, N.C.
TV: ACC Network | Wes Durham, Cory Alexander and Jim Boeheim
Line: North Carolina -15.5
O/U: 137.5
QUICK FACTS
- North Carolina leads the all-time series 27-9
- The Tar Heels won the last meeting 63-59 in February of 2023
- Freshman Markus Burton has scored in double figures in 22 straight games
- Burton has scored 502 points this season, which is No. 5 all-time for a Notre Dame freshman
- North Carolina guard RJ Davis broke the Smith Center scoring record by scoring 42 points last Monday
- The Irish are 6-0 on the year when having less than 10 turnovers
- ESPN’s Matchup Predictor: 96.3% in favor of North Carolina
PROJECTED STARTERS
NOTRE DAME
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Markus Burton | 17.3 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| Braeden Shrewsberry | 10.0 | 2.5 | 0.8 |
| Tae Davis | 8.6 | 5.2 | 0.9 |
| Carey Booth | 6.3 | 4.2 | 0.4 |
| Kebba Njie | 4.3 | 5.4 | 0.7 |
NORTH CAROLINA
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Elliot Cadeau | 7.9 | 1.9 | 4.2 |
| RJ Davis | 21.4 | 3.8 | 3.4 |
| Cormac Ryan | 10.7 | 2.9 | 1.4 |
| Harrison Ingram | 12.5 | 9.1 | 2.1 |
| Armando Bacot | 14.0 | 10.3 | 1.6 |
TEAM STATS
| STAT | NORTH CAROLINA | NOTRE DAME |
| Scoring Offense | 81.4 | 63.6 |
| Scoring Defense | 70.4 | 65.4 |
| FG% | 44.8% | 40.6% |
| Rebounds | 40.8 | 36.3 |
| Assists | 14.4 | 10.1 |
| Blocks | 4.2 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 5.9 | 5.9 |
| Turnovers | 10.4 | 12.7 |
THOUGHTS
Notre Dame has won five of six and has become one of the hottest teams in the ACC heading into Tuesday’s road trip to Chapel Hill. It’s a fitting matchup as it relates to a measuring stick of growth for the program. Notre Dame took an early season trip to then-No. 8 Marquette and got run out of the building. Micah Shrewsberry’s group will have a chance to show they can handle an intense atmosphere but also compete with one of the best teams in the country - or show they still aren’t ready for the moment.
North Carolina will honor seven players on Senior Day and that includes former Notre Dame guard Cormac Ryan, who has become a key piece for the Tar Heels. Ryan will enter the game averaging 10.7 ppg and hitting 1.9 threes per game.
The night will also feature two of the best guards in the country: Markus Burton and RJ Davis. Burton has scored in double figures in 22 straight games and RJ Davis is a walking bucket. Davis has scored 20 or more points 17 times this season, including 42 points last week.
Notre Dame competing on the boards will be crucial as the Tar Heels hit the offensive glass hard and will look to run in transition. The Irish also turned it over 32 times combined in the last two road losses to Duke and Syracuse. Valuing the basketball to eliminate points off turnovers and second-chance will be a huge part of this one.
Defensively, Syracuse kind of gave a blue print on how to attack Notre Dame’s defense and North Carolina can do the same. Opposing guards can get downhill on the Irish and Davis is one of the best in the conference. It will be interesting to see how Shrewsberry adjusts if UNC attacks similar to Syracuse.
Offensively, Notre Dame will continue to need to have two players step up behind Burton, if not more. Tae Davis, Carey Booth and Braeden Shrewsberry have all proven they are capable of getting key buckets, but Notre Dame will need all three to raise their level of play to get out of Chapel Hill with a win.
Davis starting aggressively by attacking the rim is essential. Shrewsberry noted Davis picks and chooses the times he attacks, but the Irish need him to attack early and often. The Irish will also need to hit the deep ball. It’s hard to see Notre Dame leaving with a win if they lose the three-point battle.
This is a statement game for Notre Dame. They aren’t expected to win, but if they do, it would be a huge selling point for recruiting and heading into the offseason with something to feel good about.
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