Notre Dame has lost five of its last six games.
The Fighting Irish are sitting at 2-5 in the ACC.
The losses without Markus Burton were understandable, but he returned against North Carolina. The loss to the Tar Heels was particularly heartbreaking but emblematic of their current run.
Notre Dame lost to North Carolina when Elliot Cadeau made a four-point play, doing just enough to force Burton to miss a driving layup on the final possession.
Then there was the loss to North Carolina State, in which Matt Alloco’s two free throws gave the Fighting Irish a 65-61 lead with 2:06 left. The Fighting Irish wouldn’t score another point the rest of the game. Ben Middlebrooks’ free throw gave the Wolfpack a 66-65 lead with 11 seconds left and Burton again missed a shot on the final possession.
After coming back from 18 down at Duke to have a chance and a win over dreadful Boston College, the Fighting Irish headed to Syracuse.
In the loss to the Orange, Notre Dame had a 17-point first-half lead and watched it dissipate in the 77-69 loss. Notre Dame had a chance at the end, but an illegal screen was called on Tae Davis, and Micah Shrewsberry lost his mind and was tossed.
The air went out of Notre Dame once the game was tied with at 56 with 5:03 left. The Fighting Irish had no answer for JJ Starling (21 points), and Eddie Lampkin (13 points and 11 rebounds) made play after play.
How does Notre Dame get in the proper frame of mind when they get to Charlottesville this weekend?
Dominate the Backcourt
Markus Burton and Braeden Shrewsberry are head-and-shoulders, the better backcourt duo in the game. The Fighting Irish need to exploit that. Burton should be able to get in the lane against Dai Dai Ames, Andrew Rohde, and Ishan Sharma.
The Cavaliers are willing to give up the middle in their Packline principles. If Burton can live in the lane and be a good decision-maker, Shrewsberry will have his opportunities. Shrewsberry has been better this season, driving the ball when teams run him off the line. That should come in handy.
It will also open up the floor for Allocco.
Make the Cavaliers Win With Twos
Virginia blew out Boston College (74-56) by hitting 11 three-pointers. Isaac McKneely was 6-9 from three.
It shouldn’t hurt if guys like Sharma and Rohde hit a couple.
The Fighting Irish must run the Cavaliers off the line. If they do, players like Elijah Saunders could have big days, and the Fighting Irish will still have plenty of opportunities to win.
Chance for Davis to Show His A Game
Davis will be looking to rebound from his 3-14 shooting performance against Syracuse.
At the end of the day, he was outplayed by Lampkin, but Virginia offers a good bounce-back opportunity when he squares up against Saunders or Jacob Cofie.
Davis’ athleticism should give Saunders trouble. Cofie has had problems guarding in space. That should serve Davis well if Cofie tries to guard him anywhere outside of eight feet.
