2025-2026 ND Basketball Thread

[BabyIrish]

Amazing opportunity to get a quad 1 win versus a team that will likely based on projections be at worst a #2 seed come March, unless they have an unexpected poor season.

Houston did not come to Vegas to be playing in a consolation game, so hopefully ND can catch them sleep walking a little bit.
Torvik has Houston as a -9.7 point favorite, lets see if our boys can pull off the huge upset.

Have you seen the Irish play? I'd put a Houston victory at 99%. We are not good enough to hang with a team of that caliber.

 

[Henges24]

Have you seen the Irish play? I'd put a Houston victory at 99%. We are not good enough to hang with a team of that caliber.

I don’t see it either. I haven’t seen Houston play but judging by their past they are going to have multiple great big men. ND will struggle to contain them.

 

[Rockin’Irish]

The key to the game with UH will be how ND handles their crushing defensive pressure and I’m not optimistic that will go well.

 

[irishjim]

ND gets #3 Houston at noon as their final match up of this

3:30pm EST btw

 

[notredomer23]

Have you seen the Irish play? I'd put a Houston victory at 99%. We are not good enough to hang with a team of that caliber.

I've watched every game this year besides Bellarmine. ND lost a road game on the final possession to the #30 team in KenPom and competed with Kansas throughout. Kansas beat Syracuse just as thoroughly if not moreso, and Syracuse went to OT with Houston. I get the negativity about ND basketball and I am by no means saying they will beat Houston today, but this team is much better than the previous two iterations. One thing this team is worlds better than the last couple at is rebounding- their rebounding efficiency is in the top 40 right now, whereas last year they were in the 200s. They've pretty much dominated teams on the boards besides Kansas which even then wasn't terrible - ND still snagged 10 offensive boards that game.

This team has 3 issues- turnovers, inconsistency from 3, and lack of a scoring big. I am confident they will become more consistent from 3. I am not confident they will fix the turnover issue- especially late game. They can overcome lack of a scoring big if they can be more consistent from 3.

 

[IrishBryan77]

ND gets #3 Houston at 330 EST as their final match up of this

That should be fun to watch. 🙄

 

[Henges24]

Sundra is frustrating…

Looks better than last year I’ll give him that. Just doesn’t play like a 7-footer

Finally Ryder Frost is in.

 

[ab2cmiller]

I guess I'm getting back a couple hours of my afternoon today. It's safe to turn off the game.

 

[arrowryan]

Shrews was a gigantic dud of a hire

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

26-4 Houston run to start the game ouch.

Houston is very good. We are not there yet.

 

[stpeteirish]

I guess I'm getting back a couple hours of my afternoon today. It's safe to turn off the game.

yeah except by balls hurt just watching this. If i turn it off will it get better?

 

[CoachB]

They have cut it to 12. If not for the awful start, they would be doing ok.

 

[notredomer23]

I’m glad I stuck it out. They are fighting hard. Down single digits

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

4 point game. Hell of a fight from our squad.

 

[ndfanatic78]

I’m glad I missed the first half. The second half has been fun to watch. The D has stepped up their game.

 

[Henges24]

Nice fight back

 

[notredomer23]

Haralson is going to end up being a difference maker in ACC play. I like his technical ability more than Wesley, just a slighty less athletic player. It looks much more natural for him with the ball. Jury is out on if he can shoot.

 

[notredomer23]

Think they gave everything they had to get it to 4 points and are running out of gas unfortunately.

 

[BabyIrish]

I've watched every game this year besides Bellarmine. ND lost a road game on the final possession to the #30 team in KenPom and competed with Kansas throughout. Kansas beat Syracuse just as thoroughly if not moreso, and Syracuse went to OT with Houston. I get the negativity about ND basketball and I am by no means saying they will beat Houston today, but this team is much better than the previous two iterations. One thing this team is worlds better than the last couple at is rebounding- their rebounding efficiency is in the top 40 right now, whereas last year they were in the 200s. They've pretty much dominated teams on the boards besides Kansas which even then wasn't terrible - ND still snagged 10 offensive boards that game.

This team has 3 issues- turnovers, inconsistency from 3, and lack of a scoring big. I am confident they will become more consistent from 3. I am not confident they will fix the turnover issue- especially late game. They can overcome lack of a scoring big if they can be more consistent from 3.

They are better at rebounding because of Towt. Not because the coaching staff figured out how to get the team to rebound better.

We are not a good three point shooting team and we commit turnovers because of the offense Shrewsberry runs. It’s predicated on Burton and now harrelson driving and creating. It’s an easy offense to defend. And easy offense to generate turnovers. An easy offense to prevent good three point shots.

And the coaching staff doesn’t develop talent.

 

[stpeteirish]

Haralson is going to end up being a difference maker in ACC play. I like his technical ability more than Wesley, just a slighty less athletic player. It looks much more natural for him with the ball. Jury is out on if he can shoot.

He gets most of his points around the rim. Spot up shot is good if he’s close to the hoop.
Three point shot not good.

 

[IrishBryan77]

Imagine when Notre Dame basketball fans don't have to say "we were SO close"

Same thing every game and y'all come on here and say the same damn things year in and year out with the same results .......... INSANITY

Maybe we will only lose by 1 point next game so we can get our next participation trophy.

 

[IrishLax]

The bottom line is that ND basketball will never be competitive under the current structure of eligibility and NIL. Is what it is.

 

[FightingIrishLover7]

The bottom line is that ND basketball will never be competitive under the current structure of eligibility and NIL. Is what it is.

For as much as I think NIL allowed ND football to "play with the big dogs" it's hurt basketball in the opposite way

High dollar quick turnover of undergrads in basketball is not the recipe for success at ND

There's a path for success but it'll be very rough to hit

 

[fightingirish26]

We just signed maybe our highest rated class ever. The right coach could absolutely have success at ND.

 

[arrowryan]

Take the basketball NIL money and use it for football. At this point, the basketball program is just wasting it.

 

[BabyIrish]

The bottom line is that ND basketball will never be competitive under the current structure of eligibility and NIL. Is what it is.

You are letting shrews off the hook with NIL excuses.
Why is Burton making the same mistakes he did as a freshman? Because of NIL?
We kept Tae Davis around for a second year? Did he leave ND because of no NIL? Or was it because he wasn’t being developed as well as the team showing no signs of improvement?
Why in our third year do we not have a functioning offense? Because of NIL?
I don’t expect to make championships or Final Fours. But put a product on the court that’s exciting to watch. It’s not.
Both Shrews and Ivey spent time in the pros and I think it’s to their detriment. They both try to run pro style offenses predicated on explosive athletes making plays with very little off ball activity. It worked for Ivey when she had miles and citron. It doesn’t work now with just Hidalgo and below average athleticism and shooting on the rest of the team.

It hasn’t worked for the first two seasons with the men and it doesn’t show any signs of getting better in year three.

 

[IrishBryan77]

Take the basketball NIL money and use it for football. At this point, the basketball program is just wasting it.

Absolutely agree.

 

[MacIrish75]

Shrews gets credit for his coaching and developing at Penn State, but a lot of his better players on his best teams were xfers and the type of player he can’t get here.

 

[irishrb]

You are letting shrews off the hook with NIL excuses.
Why is Burton making the same mistakes he did as a freshman? Because of NIL?
We kept Tae Davis around for a second year? Did he leave ND because of no NIL? Or was it because he wasn’t being developed as well as the team showing no signs of improvement?
Why in our third year do we not have a functioning offense? Because of NIL?
I don’t expect to make championships or Final Fours. But put a product on the court that’s exciting to watch. It’s not.
Both Shrews and Ivey spent time in the pros and I think it’s to their detriment. They both try to run pro style offenses predicated on explosive athletes making plays with very little off ball activity. It worked for Ivey when she had miles and citron. It doesn’t work now with just Hidalgo and below average athleticism and shooting on the rest of the team.

It hasn’t worked for the first two seasons with the men and it doesn’t show any signs of getting better in year three.

WELL said! I don't expect final fours....but I want to see improvement...and tournament worthy teams...which should absolutely be a minimal expectation!

 

[NumbersGuy0520]

I agree with those who are getting restless, but I also find this particular loss hard to place.

On the one side: Houston is arguably a final four team. We clawed back to a close game and looked good at times against quality competition.

On the other side: Yet another close loss, which the last few seasons were full of. Players are not improving the way we would expect. People are growing restless.

It will be interesting to look back on this one in a few months. It might end up being a turning point that signaled we are finally getting competitive. But if we keep doing this same thing against bottom-mid tier ACC teams, we have a problem.