Clemson Tigers 13-3 (3-0) at Notre Dame Fighting Irish 10-5 (1-1)
When: Saturday, 1/10, 6:00pm EST
Where: Purcell Pavillion – South Bend, IN
TV: ESPN2
After a successful 3-0 start to conference play, Clemson hits the road for its third road game in its last four outings. Winning on the road in conference play isn’t easy, but it is a must if you want to compete for a conference crown and get the double-bye in the ACC tournament. So far, so good for the Tigers. Clemson should be a confident team after
stacking road wins over Syracuse and Pitt and adding Wednesday’s home win over ranked SMU.
Notre Dame is looking to gathering its footing in ACC play. The Fighting Irish won an ugly, low-scoring game over Stanford to open conference play, but followed that up with a tough loss to Cal. They now return home from the West Coast trip for their first home game since losing to Purdue Fort Wayne. It’s an important year for head coach Micah Shrewsberry. After making the Sweet 16 in 2022, Notre Dame struggled in Coach Mike Brey’s final season. In Shrewsberry’s first two seasons at the helm, the Irish finished under .500, but they appear significantly improved this year, coming into the contest with a 10-5 record.
The Irish are 8th nationally in defensive rebounding percentage. Carson Towt has led Notre Dame in rebounds in 12 of their 15 games this season, and all but two of those 12 have been double-digit rebounds. The Tigers don’t fare especially well on the offensive glass so good shot selection will be critical.
The Irish don’t force many turnovers (319th), which does not bode well for them against a Clemson team that rarely turns the ball over (23rd). Notre Dame also does not block a ton of shots, which is ideal for Clemson because one of the Tigers’ kryptonites this year has been getting their shots blocked (263rd).
On offense, the Irish shoot the 3 much better than the Tigers, amassing a 36.9% rate this year. Braeden Shrewsberry (coach’s son) leads the squad with 47 3-pointers made on a blistering 45.6%. Clemson guards cannot help off Shrewsberry or he will burn them from three.
Markus Burton, the 6-foot guard, is the leading scorer at 18.5 points per game, but a broken left ankle has him sidelined. In his absence, Jalen Haralson is a player to keep an eye on for Notre Dame. The freshman forward from Anderson, Indiana has emerged as the go-to guy for Shrewsberry scoring 14.7 points per game.
Despite being on the road, KenPom gives the Tigers a 53% chance to win and with Burton out, it should likely be higher. If Clemson can keep pace on the boards and defend the 3, they should feel comfortable in this game.
