Notre Dame men’s basketball will travel to play the Big 12’s top-ranked Horned Frogs in their sixth-ever match-up, entering the game at 6-3 in first in the ACC. The Irish lead the all-time series 5-0 against TCU, but the energy of Fort Worth presents a new challenge.
Micah Shrewsberry’s team has struggled against top competition such as Ohio State, Kansas and Houston; however, the largest margin of loss was only 10 points. Despite these losses in the Players Era Tournament, Notre Dame has bounced back to earn wins against Long Island University, Detroit Mercy, Eastern Illinois, Bellarmine, Rutgers and, most recently, Missouri in the ACC/SEC challenge.
Considered an underdog against Missouri in the ACC/SEC challenge, Notre Dame was up for a big test against the undefeated Tigers. The Irish went into the matchup with a win probability of only 40.5%, but showed off immense basketball IQ, teamwork and, most importantly, scoring in the final minutes with a diversity of shots from all angles of the court. Junior guard Markus Burton led the Irish to their win, scoring 18 points, making all four of his free throws and securing his first career double-double.
Although the statistics speak for themselves, Burton took 15 field goal attempts, the most on the team by six, showing his desire to put up as many aggressive points for his team. Burton has had a great tenure with Notre Dame, gaining a spot on the 2024 ACC All freshman Team, 2024 Third Team All-ACC and 2025 Second Team All-ACC, and was ACC leading scorer in 2025. Aside from Burton, sophomore guard Cole Certa has been the talk of campus for his 14-point stunner against Missouri.
Certa, coming off the bench, had the game-winning shot and converted three triples in the final four-and-a-half minutes. It was essential for the Irish to find momentum in a close game after losses to quality opponents from scoring lulls in the second half; Certa provided this spark. In his sophomore year, Certa has already out-shined his freshman year in every metric and is looking to excel through the end of the season. Riding off this dominant win over one of the top programs in the country, the Irish are eager to play and put up big points against TCU.
The Horned Frogs are currently 5-2 on the year and have climbed to the top of the Big 12, outscoring their opponents by an average of 13.8 points per game. TCU has only lost to Michigan and University of New Orleans in a season opening stunner. However, the Horned Frogs have also posted over 100 points against Saint Francis University and found wins over the defending national champion University of Florida, and, most recently, Wisconsin.
Throughout the season, sophomore forward David Punch has excelled in the Big 12, ranking 13th overall in scoring with 12.7 points and 7 rebounds. Punch, as a freshman, was ranked 10th among the Big 12 freshmen and had a season high of 19 points. He tied this mark against Florida this season, including five free-throws made, which matched his season high from last year in a game against Baylor.
Aside from Punch, junior guard Brock Harding, who was named to the Big 12 starting five after his performance at Rady Children’s Invitational, will be tough for Notre Dame to shut down. Harding has been very productive in the Big 12, ranking eighth in steals per game with 3.3 and third in assists with 6.1 per game, while managing a 2.69 assist to turnover ratio. Although Harding spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Iowa, he has already made a name for himself with the Horned Frogs and is looking to lead the team through the end of the season into March Madness.
Notre Dame tips off in Forth Worth, Texas at 8 p.m. ET on Friday on ESPN+. The Irish will look to build off the season’s best win against Missouri facing a red-hot TCU.
