Notre Dame Kicks Off the ACC Tournament Against Pittsburgh
- Jhett Garrett
- Mar 11
- 3 min read
After going 8-12 in conference play this past season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish have slotted themselves in the 12 seed and will take on the 13 seed Pittsburgh Panthers on Tuesday.
Photo by The Irish Tribune
Coming off one of the most exciting games of the college basketball season, a game that took four overtimes and 43 points from sophomore guard Markus Burton for the Irish to win over California on Mar. 8, Notre Dame is entering the conference tournament similar to a season ago. The Irish have won two straight as well as three of their last five including a victory over Pittsburgh in Purcell Pavilion on Feb. 22.
Notre Dame’s victory over the Panthers was a positive sign for the Irish with junior forward Tae Davis leading the way with 21 points on 8-11 shooting. Davis, who fouled out in Notre Dame’s most recent matchup against California after scoring 12 points, is going to be a pivotal part for the Irish if they want to make a run in the conference tournament.
Burton, who is coming off a career game, tallied 20 points on 8-17 shooting against the Panthers along with six rebounds and three assists. The ACC’s leading scorer and top three in scoring in the entire country, is going to look to disrupt the passing lanes more than he did in the first matchup with Pittsburgh after finishing with zero steals.
For Pittsburgh, their priority is to lean on the guard play of sophomore Jaland Lowe and senior Ish Leggett. The two combined for 34 of the Panthers’ 72 points on 13-28 shooting. The two struggled from deep going just 3-11 with Leggett knocking down all three.
On the year, the two lead the Panthers in scoring with Lowe at the top averaging 16.8 points per game on an underwhelming 37.7% shooting. Lowe also leads the team in both assists at 5.5 per game and steals with 1.8. The Panthers lost eight of their last 10 games to close the season out, with Lowe scoring more than his season average just three times in that span.
During that rough stretch, Pittsburgh leaned more on Leggett who scored in double figures in nine straight games averaging 14.1 PPG over that same span. That is a dip from his season average of 16.1 PPG on 45.5% shooting. Against the Irish, however, Leggett scored his second-most points of the season finishing with 21 points, a total he’s achieved seven times.
Pittsburgh lost its best shooter in senior guard Damian Dunn after fracturing his elbow against North Carolina on Feb. 8. Dunn was shooting 41.2% from outside and averaging 9.9 PPG. Since then, the Panthers have turned to senior forward Zack Austin from outside. Austin, who is averaging 9.3 PPG on the year, has scored in double figures in just three of the Panthers’ last seven games, going 10-28 from deep.
The Notre Dame defense must show up to win at least the next two games. The Irish will take on Pittsburgh, which ranks sixth in the ACC with 76.6 PPG, followed by the North Carolina Tar Heels on Wednesday who rank second with 81.7 PPG. Two of the top six offenses in the conference in as many days is a tough task, however, if they make it through those two, Notre Dame has a chance to get back to .500 against Wake Forest, which eliminated the Irish a season ago, on Thursday.
If the Irish want to win it, they must win five games in five days, which last year’s winning North Carolina State did.
It all starts Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the first game of the 2025 T. Rowe Price ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.
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