NOTE: This scouting report was finished before the Notre Dame/Rutgers game. In the first half of that game, Marcus Burton went down with what appears to be a severe knee injury. I would not expect him to play Wednesday night, but I will leave him in the scouting report out of respect for him. If he can’t play, they will need the trio of Matt Allocco, Tae Davis, and Braeden Shrewsberry to step up in a major way.

Notre Dame is a team trying to find their identity. They have several talented pieces but are figuring out how to combine them. They are led by Marcus Burton (head of the snake), possibly the best offensive threat I’ve watched this season. He can do it all. The undersized guard can shoot the three-pointer, get to the rim, shoot the floater, or score off the dribble pull-up. A couple of solid three-point shooters and athletic post players surround him. They are well coached by former Penn State Head Coach Micah Shrewsberry and will be improved towards the end of the season. I think the Coogs will be too much for them in Vegas.

Notre Dame Offense

• The show is run by Marcus Burton. If the Coogs can limit him, it will be difficult for them to compete.
• Braeden Shrewsberry and Matt Allocco are solid outside threats. The Coogs will need to know where they are at all times and force them to put the ball on the floor.
• Forward Tae Davis is a solid scorer for them. He’s best off the bounce and getting in the paint.

Notre Dame Defense

• The Irish may try to run some 2-3 zone defense.
• Notre Dame likes to double-team in the post. Look to hit basket cutters or make the skip pass.
• Houston should attack the offensive glass!! ND struggles to rebound.

Notre Dame Personnel (* Indicates Probable Starters)

*#3- Marcus Burton – 6’0″ – G – SO

21ppg, 5rpg, 5apg

• Probably OUT Wednesday night; He is the REAL DEAL;
• Head of the Snake; Maybe the best individual scorer I’ve watched this year;
• Extremely crafty three-level scoring point guard;
• Volume shooter; Outstanding from beyond the arc;
• Has the ball on a string; Excellent at changing the height and speed of his dribble;
• Dangerous floater in the paint;
• Can make super tough shots off the bounce;

*#41- Matt Allocco – 6’4″ – G – GR – (Princeton)

8ppg, 4rpg, 3apg

• New “Head of the Snake” if Burton is out;
• Talented combo guard; Was highly coveted in the transfer portal;
• Outstanding three-point shooter;
• Good finisher at the basket; SNEAKY Athletic;

*#7- Tae Davis – 6’9″ – F – JR. – (Seton Hall)

12ppg, 5rpg

• Long/athletic forward;
• Solid at attacking the rim;
• Really nice floater in the paint;
• Capable but not a great three-point shooter;

*#11- Braeden Shrewsberry – 6’4″ – G – SO

15ppg, 3rpg, 2apg

• Coach’s son; Three-level scorer;
• Solid three-point shooter; Leads the team in attempts and makes; (12/32 3pt);
• Capable of driving to the basket; Nice two-dribble, pull-up jumper;

*#14- Kebba Njie – 6’10” – F – JR – (Penn State)

8ppg, 6rpg, 1bpg

• Big body post player;
• A little unsure of what he wants to do on offense;
• Pretty good at right-handed hook shot;

#21- Burke Chebuhar – 6’8″ – F – GR – (Lehigh)

5ppg, 1rpg

• LEFTY;
• Solid three-point shooter; 5/6 from 3pt this season…maybe he should shoot more…;
• Not overly athletic, but is solid in the pick and roll;
• If he defends J’Wan in the post, give him the ball, clear out, and let him eat;

#20- J.R. Konieczny – 6’7″ – G – SR

6ppg, 3rpg

• Tall guard;
• Did not stand out in the game I watched;

#25- Nikita Konstantynovskyi – 6’10” – F – GR – (Northeastern A&M/ Tulsa/ Monmouth)

4ppg, 4rpg

• World Traveler; 4th college program;
• Big body post player;
• Solid around the basket; Can shoot over either shoulder;

#2- Logan Imes – 6’4″ – G – SO

2ppg, 2rpg

• Has played limited minutes all season;
• Played significant minutes in last night’s game vs Rutgers when Burton went down;
• Played well vs Rutgers; Made a couple of three-point baskets;

Keys to Victory

1. Limit Burton (Likely OUT since this was written). You must always know where he is. He is a deadly scoring threat, and he is difficult to contain when he gets hot. He can score at all three levels, and the Coogs will likely look to limit or take him away.
2. Play tough defense without fouling!!! The Coogs must keep their main guys on the court. They must learn to adjust to the way the officials are making calls. So far, they only know one speed on defense. It’s ok to give your guy some room at times and force them to make tough shots with a hand in their face.
3. Identify their shooters. Their shooters can knock it down when open. Must get a hand in their face and force them to put it on the floor.
4. Get into their bench. Their starters are not bad. Their bench guys are limited. If you can get their starters in foul trouble, they will be in big trouble.
5. Attack the paint. They struggled to keep Elon out of the paint via attacking guards or passing inside to the post-players. I would look to attack the paint and draw their defense to open up shooting opportunities.