Notre Dame heads on the road Saturday night for another ACC test, traveling to the JMA Wireless Dome to face Syracuse on The CW.
Both teams are trying to find consistency in conference play, and recent matchups between the two suggest this one could be tight all the way through.
The teams split their games last season. Notre Dame picked up a 69-64 win in South Bend on Dec. 7, 2024, fueled by a big night from Braeden Shrewsberry. A month later, Syracuse answered back at home, erasing a 17-point deficit to beat the Irish 77-69 on Jan. 18, 2025. The comeback added to a growing pattern of Syracuse playing well against Notre Dame in the Dome, including a 88-85 win there in 2024.
Even though this isn’t one of the ACC’s headline rivalries, the series has quietly turned into a competitive back-and-forth.
For Notre Dame, the absence of junior guard Markus Burton remains a gaping hole in the offense. The void leaves the Irish without someone who can get a bucket late in the shot clock and keep the team within reach during scoring lulls. When Notre Dame is playing its best as of late, freshmen forwards Jalen Haralson and Brady Koehler have limited turnovers, and force opponents to play in the half-court rather than turn the game into a sprint.
Syracuse counters with playmaking by Donnie Freeman and J.J. Starling, both of whom have hurt Notre Dame in the past. Freeman’s presence on the interior and Starling’s versatile scoring ability can quickly shift momentum. In last season’s comeback win, steady pressure eventually wore down the Irish and brought the upstate New York crowd to life.
That crowd of 30,000 is always part of the challenge. Syracuse traditionally feeds off its home floor, making trips to the Dome difficult for visitors.
The game carries weight for both sides. Syracuse is trying to protect its home court and continue its recent success in the building, while Notre Dame is trying to prove it can close out a game after coming up short in recent battles.
With each team familiar with the other’s strengths, expect a physical, back-and-forth matchup where guard play and late-game execution make the difference.
