After kicking off the season with three convincing double-digit wins at Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame men’s basketball returns home Wednesday night for a matchup with Bellarmine. The Irish (3-1) are coming off their toughest test of the season thus far: a one-point road loss to Ohio State. Notre Dame fell 64-63 in Columbus on Nov. 16. Despite the loss, the Irish displayed grit on the road. They held the Buckeyes to 38% shooting and outrebounded them 36-28, but struggled with late-game execution. Now the Irish look to bounce back against a Bellarmine team that presents a much different type of challenge.
Notre Dame enters Wednesday’s contest averaging 83.0 points per game while holding opponents to 64.8, with an 18.3 scoring margin. The Irish have been highly efficient offensively, shooting 49.4% from the field and 41.2% from three, while holding an impressive 12.3 rebound margin behind the emergence of graduate forward Carson Towt. The Northern Arizona transfer continued his dominance on the glass against Ohio State, collecting 12 rebounds. This marks his fourth-straight game with double-digit boards, good for the program’s best rebounding start since at least 1996. His interior presence, coupled with Notre Dame’s improved spacing around the perimeter, has shaped the team’s early identity. Towt also added eight points in Columbus.
Junior guard Markus Burton leads Notre Dame at 18.0 points per game, and his competitiveness showed against the Buckeyes. Burton collected fourteen points, going 8-for-9 from the free-throw line, and tied the game multiple times in the final stretch. His ability to break down defenses has helped open looks for other shooters, particularly fellow junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry, who continues to make noise as one of the most accurate perimeter threats in the nation.
Shrewsberry scored eleven points against Ohio State, including eight in the second half after draining two triples that briefly disrupted the Buckeyes’ momentum. His season average sits at 12.5 points per game, and he boasts an impressive 61.9% clip from beyond the arc. This places him at the top of the team and one of the highest in the ACC.
Notre Dame’s depth has been a bright spot. Sophomore guard Cole Certa, senior forward Kebba Nije and sophomore forward Garrett Sundra each give the Irish productive rotational minutes. Overall, eight different players average at least six points per game.
They will look to utilize that depth Wednesday against a Bellarmine team that, despite a 1-3 record, can score in bunches and force opponents into uncomfortable rhythms. The Knights average 77.5 points per game and shoot 48.7% from the field — a particularly impressive mark considering their early road trips to Georgia and Kansas State.
Senior forward Jack Karasinski leads Bellarmine and ranks among the ASUN’s early scoring leaders at 21.3 points per game, shooting 55.0% from the floor while also collecting 5.7 rebounds. His ability to attack off the dribble and finish in traffic makes him the Knights’ focal point.
Senior forward Brian Waddell, a transfer from Purdue, provides an additional scoring punch with 14.5 points per game on 61.1% shooting, including an impressive 66.7% from three. Sophomore guard Kenyon Goodin also averages 10.7 points while shooting 50% from deep, giving Bellarmine multiple perimeter threats.
Bellarmine’s offensive efficiency, however, is counterbalanced by its defensive struggles. Opponents are averaging 87.8 points per game against the Knights with 50.6% shooting, including 42.1% from three — a statistic Notre Dame’s shooters will surely take into account. Bellarmine also holds a minus 3.3 rebound margin, an area that aligns directly with one of Notre Dame’s strengths.
If the Irish can control the glass and continue their strong three-point shooting, they have a clear path to dictating tempo and limiting Bellarmine’s opportunities in transition. The Knights average 8.8 steals per game, often using full-court pressure to disrupt opponents. Notre Dame has incurred 12.3 turnovers per game, a number that will be taken into account Wednesday night given Bellarmine’s aggressive defense. Defensively, Notre Dame has been solid to start the season, holding teams to 39.4% shooting and 29.0 rebounds per game. The Irish have allowed only one opponent to score more than 70 points, and their combination of range on the wings and physicality in the paint will test Bellarmine’s offensive cohesion.
Beyond the stat sheet, Wednesday’s game carries weight given where it falls on Notre Dame’s early-season calendar. The Irish are entering one of the most competitive stretches of their nonconference slate, with a trip to Las Vegas on Nov. 24 for back-to-back matchups against Kansas, Rutgers and then a team to be determined, at the Players Era Festival. Those neutral-site games represent their toughest tests to date, and securing momentum beforehand could prove valuable for a roster heavy with freshmen in major roles. Against that backdrop, the meeting with Bellarmine becomes more than just a bounce-back opportunity after the narrow loss at Ohio State. It’s a chance to reinforce the identity the Irish want to take into the heart of their schedule — controlling the glass, defending with discipline and trusting their offensive flow. A strong showing on Wednesday would set the tone as Notre Dame enters its most challenging two-week stretch of the season so far.
