Photo via The Irish Tribune
Following a disappointing trip to Las Vegas for the inaugural Players Era Festival where Notre Dame went 0-3, the Irish need to have a short-term memory. Things were already looking bleak on the visit out west after a home-loss to Elon back on Nov. 22, but Notre Dame’s star player sophomore Markus Burton went down with an injury early in the first game of the event against Rutgers. Now on a four-game skid, the Irish will travel to Athens, Georgia for a meeting with the Georgia Bulldogs for the ACC/SEC Challenge.
Sitting at 7-1, the Bulldogs own wins over Georgia Tech on the road on Nov. 15 and St. John’s who was ranked 22nd in the country at the time on Nov. 24. Averaging 84 points per game through their first eight games, the Bulldogs will be the toughest offensive test for the Irish thus far into the season. They’re led by five-star freshman forward Asa Newell who was the number 19 player in the 2024 class.
Standing at 6’11”, Newell has been an interior problem for nearly every team they’ve encountered this season, averaging 15.4 PPG on 57% shooting and 6.0 RPG. His 220 lbs. frame makes him effective on the offensive glass, allowing him to score easy second chance points. It will be important to keep Newell in front and not slip behind alongside the baseline for easy lobs at the rim. Newell also can get in the passing lanes and works well in transition, collected two steals in each of his last five games.
Defending Newell will start up top with the guards to ensure that they stay east and west and don’t get downhill requiring help from post defenders. Sophomore guard Silas Demary Jr. is the name to look out for in that department, averaging 14 PPG on 45.3% shooting, 4.5 RPG and 3.4 APG. Fellow sophomore Braden Shrewsberry could be tasked with guarding the 6’5” ball handler after his impressive performance on defense against Creighton’s lead guard Pop Isaacs.
Shrewsberry was effective on the defensive side of the ball against the Bluejays, holding Isaacs to a season-low six points. On offense however, Shrewsberry left a lot to be desired going just 2-7 from behind the three-point line and 8-17 overall, finishing with 17 points. He also chipped in with four rebounds which will be important when assigned to Demary Jr. who has grabbed seven rebounds on two separate occasions this season.
While the pick-and-roll game will be in action with Newell and Demary Jr., fifth-year senior guard Dakota Leffew is not afraid to let it fly from distance. In his first year with the Bulldogs after spending the last four at Mount St. Mary’s, Leffew is averaging 6.5 threes per game and shooting 40.4% from deep. In Georgia’s last game against Jacksonville, Leffew finished with 16 points on 4-5 shooting from three, while also racking up eight assists.
Georgia has two other players averaging double figures this season in senior guard Tyrin Lawrence and sophomore guard Blue Cain who are averaging 12 and 10.4 PPG respectively.
Lawrence, who has scored 11 or more points in each of his last four games, is an athletic slasher that excels around the rim and can also stretch the floor, shooting 2-3 from three in his last game. Cain, who’s in his second season in Athens, is averaging 4.8 threes per game while shooting 36.8% from outside.
Head coach Micah Shrewsberry is going to need to focus heavily on the painted area and force the Bulldogs to find success from beyond the ark. Georgia ranks 255th in the country in three-point attempts per game with just 21.4 and still finds a way to put up 84 points per game. This comes from their 12.9 offensive rebounds per game and having the fourth highest rebound margin in the nation. The defensive assignment will be to keep them off the boards and keep them extended beyond the three-point line.
On offense, the Irish have turned to junior Tae Davis who has performed well early in his second season in South Bend. He’s put up double figures in the last three games, averaging 18 points per game on 47.5% shooting during the Players Era Festival. His ability to get to the free-throw line has given the Irish another valuable option on the offensive side of the ball. Creighton did a good job keeping Davis off the boards, but if he can outrebound Newell, Notre Dame will find themselves in a much better spot. If anyone in the country is lengthy enough to guard Newell, it’s Davis.
After an impressive performance against Rutgers, senior point guard Matt Allocco has not found as much success. In his last two games, Allocco has put up 20 points on 6-15 shooting, going 2-7 from the three-point line. For the Irish to get off their current losing streak, Allocco is going to have to step up in the scoring department and be a more consistent shooter.
It will be the first road test of the season for Notre Dame, and it will be an important look at how the Irish will respond to adversity. With an already tough matchup, the Irish are grasping for any momentum before playing their first ACC game of the season on Saturday against Syracuse.
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