ND men’s hoops has a new-look schedule in ’24-25
SOUTH BEND — An expanded Atlantic Coast Conference will look a little different. OK, maybe a lot different when it comes to Notre Dame men’s basketball in 2024-25.
On Thursday, the league revealed repeat, home-only and road-only opponents for the 2024-25 season, which will again feature 20 league games for its soon-to-be 18 teams following the upcoming additions of California, Stanford
and Southern Methodist.
Notre Dame gets each of the three newcomers in home-only games at Purcell Pavilion, where it has a chance to do something it hasn’t done much the last few seasons — win its share of conference contests.
The Irish are 4-5 in league play at home heading into Saturday’s home finale against Clemson after going 3-7 last season. Two years ago, when it chased down an NCAA tournament bid, Notre Dame won a program record 15 league games, including 9-1 at home in ACC play.
Notre Dame last played Cal in 2011, SMU in 1990 and Stanford in 1993.
In 2024-25, Notre Dame will have three repeat opponents, half the number it had the past few seasons. Boston College and Georgia Tech, which have been “permanent” repeat opponents since Notre Dame joined the league in 2013-14, will continue in those roles in 2024-25. Syracuse also rotates back onto the schedule as a Notre Dame repeat opponent.
Syracuse was a repeat opponent in 2022-23.
Notre Dame’s home-only opponents are California, Louisville, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, SMU, Stanford and Virginia Tech. Road-only games send Notre Dame to Clemson, Duke, Florida State, Miami, NC State, Virginia, Wake Forest
Specific dates will be announced sometime in the fall. Only the top 15 teams will advance to the ACC Tournament, set next season for Spectrum Center in Charlotte.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact: (574) 235-6153.
By the numbers
0: Number of votes in preseason that Markus Burton received for league rookie of the year.
10.0: Average margin of defeat for Notre Dame in its six league road losses.
22: Consecutive games with at least 10 points for Burton, who has scored at least 16 points in nine straight games. 2016: Notre Dame last beat a Top 10 team on the road on January 16, 2016, when it beat then-No. 9 Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium, 95-91. 3,347: Days since Notre Dame’s only win in Chapel Hill, 71-70, on January 5, 2015.
Who’s hot
How about a freshman not named Markus Burton or Braeden Shrewsberry? Time for Carey Booth to get some ACC flowers. For the first time in his career, Booth scored double figures in consecutive ACC games with 11 points and five rebounds Saturday after 15 points and five rebounds against Wake Forest.
The game seems to have slowed for the 6-10, 203-pounder, averaging 6.3 points and 4.2 rebounds in 19.2 minutes. For someone shooting .286 percent from 3, Booth has played the last two games like every time he shoots it, it’s going in. He’s 6-of-15 from 3 (40 percent) in that stretch.
Who’s not
With the league’s premier big man waiting Tuesday (hello, Armando Bacot), sophomore Kebba Njie really needed a solid game for some confidence for North Carolina. Instead, he went scoreless with two rebounds and five fouls in 10 minutes against Clemson. That’s coming off a two-point, three-rebound game against Wake. Njie has played 11 games this season where he’s scored two or fewer points. He needs to give the Irish something in this one.