After a comfortable win against Long Island University to start the season, Notre Dame men’s basketball is 1-0. The Irish will look to remain undefeated as they host the Detroit Mercy Titans Friday night.
The matchup between Notre Dame and Detroit Mercy is a historic one, with the first matchup dating all the way back to 1912. Since then, the two programs have met 55 times. The Irish have dominated the series, winning the first 24 straight games and holding an overall record of 43-12. For games in South Bend, they have an even more commanding lead with a 21-4 record. This will be the first meeting of the two teams since the 2020-21 season, when Notre Dame took a 78-70 victory.
Detroit Mercy opened their season with a 71-91 loss at the hands of the UIC Flames. Coming off records of 8-24 and 1-31 in the last two seasons, the Titans are hoping to turn their fortunes around. An upset win against the Irish would jumpstart their ability to do so.
After transferring from Walsh University, junior Ayden Carter was Detroit Mercy’s leading scorer with 18 points. In addition, Carter recorded five rebounds and two steals in his season debut. Another player to watch is senior Orlando Lovejoy. Lovejoy averaged the fourth most points per game in the Horizon League last year and began this season with 11 points and four rebounds.
On the flipside, Notre Dame began the season strong with an 89-67 victory over LIU. Last year, the Irish finished 15-18 and were eliminated in the second round of the ACC Tournament. After bringing back a lot of top talent and landing one of the best recruiting classes in the country, hopes are high this year for Notre Dame.
Junior guard Markus Burton averaged over 20 points per game last season, leading the ACC in scoring and has been building off that momentum in the onset of this year. Against LIU, he led the team with 24 points. Averaging the fifth-most points per game of any player in the nation last season, Burton is one of the leaders of the Irish and a core piece of the team’s scoring.
One of the standout performances of the young season belonged to sophomore guard Cole Certa. In the previous season, Certa appeared in 18 games for the Irish, averaging 2.5 points per game. This year, Certa has taken on a much larger role, going from around eight minutes played per game last season to 25 in the first outing of the year. In the season opener, he was on fire from beyond the arc, sinking six threes on nine attempts.
The depth of the Irish will be a crucial factor in their success against Detroit Mercy and throughout the season. Led by Certa, the bench unit scored 52 points in the first game. Another key to victory is success from beyond the arc. In their respective season openers, the Irish shot a staggering 51.9% from three, whereas the Titans shot just 20.0%. Maintaining the hot shooting streak will be critical.
The matchup between Notre Dame and Detroit Mercy will tip off Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. in the Purcell Pavilion.
