Welcome to the Nov. 14, still undefeated version of “You’re Nuts”, where two of our basketball writers choose a topic and debate to the death – or until they hit the maximum word count.
Last week, Connor
and Justin debated if we (as in, the collective or royal “we”, not just the two of them) are overreacting about Ohio State’s defense in the season opener against IU Indy. The Buckeyes won that game 118 102, and although the Jaguars are now 1-3 on the season, they are also averaging 98 points per game and are the fastest-moving team in the country, per KenPom.
IU Indy had 82 possessions against Ohio State. On the season, they are averaging roughly 78 possessions per game, which is the most among all 365 teams. Connor argued that no, we are not overreacting, because the Buckeyes really did have some fundamental defensive breakdowns that you could see with your eyes and that were unrelated to the pace or style of play.
Justin argued that yes, the panic was an overreaction, not because Ohio State played particularly well, but because IU Indy is such a unique opponent. Even if the Buckeyes are bad on defense this year, they should not be that bad again this year.
Jake Diebler’s second Ohio State team is 3-0 on the season, but faces its first real test of the season when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to town on Sunday. Notre Dame is also 3-0, with wins over Long Island, Detroit Mercy, and Eastern Illinois to their name so far. At No. 70, Notre Dame is also the first top-100 team Ohio State has played this year, according to KenPom.
What does Ohio State absolutely have to do well on Sunday to hold down Notre Dame and remain perfect on the season? Here are our thoughts.
This week’s question: What are the keys to beating Notre Dame?
Connor: Defend the perimeter
Notre Dame is a three-point shooting, guard-oriented team. They have five players who have hit at least three three-pointers this season, and four who are shooting at least 40% from three-point range this season. Nearly half of their shot attempts this season have come from long range (47%), and they can score in a hurry if they see a few go down.
The Fighting Irish, coached by former Penn State head man Micah Shrewsberry, average 89.7 points per game so far. KenPom rates them as the No. 59 offense in the country at 114.4 points per 100 possessions. In comparison, Ohio State is the No. 14 offense in the country at 120.6 points per 100 possessions.
Junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry, the son of Micah Shrewsberry, has hit a combined 11 three-pointers over the last two games — six against Eastern Illinois and five against Detroit Mercy. He averaged 2.8 three-point makes per game last season and shot 37% from long range. This year, he’s shooting 61.1% from three-point range, and 18 of his 21 shots have come from downtown. Overall, Shrewsberry is averaging 13 points per game.
Believe it or not, Shrewsberry isn’t even the player on top of the scouting report. Junior guard Markus Burton, who averaged 21.3 points per game last season, also shot nearly 38% from three-point range last season. This year, he’s shooting 33.3% from distance, but he was better last season, and was 3-for-6 combined in the first two games of the season. Burton was mentioned in the preseason as an All-American candidate and can pop off for 30 points on any given night.
Cole Certa (42.1% from three) has knocked down eight three-pointers this year. Ryder Frost (54.5% from three) has hit six of them through three games. Sophomore big man Garrett Sundra, at 6-foot-11, has even chipped in a trio of three-pointers this year.
Ohio State held Appalachian State to 32% from three-point range and Purdue Fort Wayne to 23%. They’ll need to continue to do that, because it’s tough to put together long runs on offense if you’re not hitting threes. Notre Dame will put three or four shooters on the floor at the same time, and Ohio State will need to have a hand up.
Justin: Slow down Markus Burton
If the Buckeyes want to beat Notre Dame on Sunday, they have to at least slow down star junior guard Markus Burton.
Burton is one of the top guards in the ACC and is quickly becoming one of the top guards in the country.
As a freshman, Burton averaged 17.5 points, 4.3 assists, and 3.3 rebounds per game in 33 games played and 33.8 minutes played. He shot 42% from the field, 30% from three-point range, and 82% from the free-throw line.
Last season, as a sophomore, he averaged 21.3 points, 3.8 assists, and 3.5 rebounds per game in 26 games played and 33.7 minutes per game. He shot 44% from the field, 38% from three-point range, and 85% from the free-throw line.
So far this season, he is averaging 19.3 points, 2.0 assists, and 1.3 rebounds per game on 48% shooting from the field. Burton has scored 24, 13, and 21 points in Notre Dame’s three games so far this season.
Burton was named Third-team All-ACC in 2024 and Second-team All-ACC in 2025. He was the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2024 and named to the ACC All-Rookie team in 2024.
Burton grew up in Indiana and attended Penn High School. He was named Indiana Mr. Basketball as a senior after averaging a state-high 30.3 points per game.
This will take a team effort to slow him down since he is an elite three-level scorer, and we will likely see more of Gabe Cupps in this game since he has been the Buckeyes’ best on-ball defender so far this season.
Cupps will have to play his best defense to slow down Burton, but if he does, Ohio State will have a great chance to win.
