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Notre Dame men's basketball chat - 12-12-24

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Tom Noie

9:04

JJ: A two-fold answer. Too early to really get a handle on it, mainly because of the reasons outlined above (or below) as to how everything changed without the benefit of a true point guard. Too many guys are now asked and expected to do things that they're not necessarily equipped to do. It's not so much anymore about growth as it is survival. It's become a scramble instead of a set rotation. Tae Davis has been a revelation. Love Braeden Shrewsberry's acceptance to step in and handle more of a scoring load. Matt Allocco? Good team guy, but needs to do more. Kebba Njie is improved but nearing his ceiling. Without all the needed parts, this team, and really, this season, will be incomplete.

9:01

How would you grade the starts to the season for each of ND's assorted rotation players? Either flat or with a post-Burton injury curve

Tom Noie

9:00

JJ: Honestly, and unfortunately, nothing. Not having another handler who can create and probe and drive and kick in Mohammed severely limits what this offense can and will be. Logan Imes is a good stop-gap/end of the rotation guy who's best in two or three minute windows. Julian Roper is best at playing defense, not handling. Matt Allocco is best at playing off a point guard like Burton. With Burton out and with Mohammed out, guys are being asked to do stuff and initiate stuff that they're not prepared to do. So you slow the pace, limit possessions and try to squeeze everything you can out of everyone in a given game. No Burton, and no Mohammed, didn't necessarily sink the season, but it made it that much more of a challenge to stay afloat.

8:57

Since Burton went down Notre Dame has really struggled with scoring droughts. It feels like they're due for at least one 2-3 minute+ stretch without a field goal per game. In Vegas and @ Georgia this struggle had a knack for putting ND in some ugly holes at key moments (though their odds of winning most of those contests were long to start with no Burton). What can be done to remedy these now-consistent spurts of dry offense? Or are such spells just going to be an inevitably until Burton is back, and its more a question of limiting them?

Tom Noie

8:57

Sir Mohammed as well. Shrewsberry has not specifically said what ails Mohammed (lower body injury), but we know that he was bothered by a left knee issue all summer/early fall. He did have surgery by team doctor Brian Ratigan. The hope was that he could return to some sort of basketball activity by early January. Again, he might be able to shoot and stuff, but what about running and moving and cutting? Maybe two additional weeks? Three? Both situations are murky at best. Without one, or maybe both, this season becomes a game by game grind. What does Notre Dame need to do to win December 22? Then December 31?

8:54

JET: Good question, and this is only a guess since I'm not a doctor and didn't spend last night at a Holiday Inn Express. We do know that Markus Burton has an MCL injury to his right knee. No surgery was needed, which means it likely falls somewhere between the moderate and severe sprain categories. Moderate sprain recovery is two to four weeks, severe is four to eight weeks. Micah Shrewsberry has said that they're going to be very patient and very deliberate with Burton's return/recovery. Say he's cleared in early January to return to the court. How long to knock off the rust and be back to his swagger self? Two weeks? Three? Hard to say. Shrewsberry said after the Dartmouth game that Burton would prefer to be back sooner than later, but that they're going to take their time. I'd say if he's back for the North Carolina game, that's a win.

JET from EVANSVILLE

8:50

What is your best guess for when Burton and Mohammed will return?

Tom Noie

8:48

Denis: Thanks for the note, but wrong forum. Maybe we'll use the question/comment on next week's Pod of Gold!

Denis from Niagara Falls, Canada

8:48

Hi guys. I think the Indiana game will go much like the Navy and Army games. Two teams that were in way over their helmets and just got blitzed. It won't go as badly for Indiana, but it will be closer to what happened to the academies than being a competitive game. Am I way off on this prediction? Scale of 1 (poorest chance to 10 (greatest chance). Thanks very much. Really enjoy your podcasts.

Tom Noie

8:47

Chris: Good stuff. I'm not sure how much effort is put forth by the Notre Dame athletic/ticket department to address the attendance issues. Like, look, we have a problem. How do we fix it? Instead, it's lather, rinse, repeat. Hey. let's have a musical chairs contest and a DJ and an in-game host to get the crowd going. Let's dim the lights in advance of the team coming out of the tunnel and then have to wait more than a minute with the house lights off before the team actually appears. It all seems so stale and stodgy. Like, this is the way we've done it for x amount of years so this is what we're going to do. Roll with it. I'm of the age where I want to be entertained (not even sure that's the right word) by what I'm seeing on the court, not what's happening during timeouts. It needs ... something. Irish are 0-9 all-time in Charlottesville. It would be a good year to break that - especially if Markus Burton can return.

Chris. Wash, DC

8:43

Hi Tom, I understand the concern by Coach Shrewsberry about lack of fan attendance. I think it is beyond time that the school lower ticket prices in the upper arena. Sell them for 5.00 as seat and maybe have a promotion 2 kids free. Someone in a seat is better than an empty seat. West Point did a study on this and figured out a way to have more people attend the game. I have mentioned this to the ticket office to no avail. I will follow up with the ticket office. We have to get the JACC back like it was in the late 70’s. Also I think this is the year ND beats Virginia at Virginia. Thanks for having these chats.

Tom Noie

8:26

It's snowy. It's bone-chilling cold. It's dark and dreary outside with no sign of the sun, maybe anything soon. Must be college basketball season! It's back and so are we with our monthly Notre Dame men's basketball chats at NDI where we talk anything and everything Irish hoops. And college hoops. We're now nine games into the regular season, and it's been anything but regular. A big win at Georgetown. A home loss to Elon. The knee injury to the one player (Markus Burton) Notre Dame couldn't afford to lose. Five straight losses. A 1-0 start in Atlantic Coast Conference play. That's a lot, and there's a lot to get to. To join today's chat, be sure to include your name and hometown with your question or comment. With that, yet again, let's light this chat candle...

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