After a rough stretch following Thanksgiving, perhaps the arrival of the Christmas break will bring Notre Dame the kind of traction it is looking for.
Notre Dame will play host to The Citadel on Tuesday in South Bend, Ind., hoping to distance itself from four losses in the past five games. The Fighting Irish (4-6) return to the court after consecutive defeats against Big East teams.
A 78-59 defeat to then-No. 8 Marquette on Dec. 9 was followed by a 72-68 overtime defeat to Georgetown on Saturday, when the Fighting Irish rallied from a nine-point, second-half deficit to take a lead with eight seconds remaining on a layup from Markus Burton.
Notre Dame’s heartbreak arrived when Georgetown tied the game with one second remaining in regulation before the Fighting Irish were outscored 10-6 in the extra period. Burton scored 17 points in the defeat, while Julian Roper II and J.R. Konieczny each added 13.
Afterward, Notre Dame head coach Micah Shrewsberry was disappointed with his team’s execution on guarding Georgetown plays his players prepared for, and with the shot selection from 3-point range.
“Notre Dame can’t beat Notre Dame and Notre Dame beat Notre Dame in overtime,” Shrewsberry said.
The Fighting Irish have Tuesday’s game and a contest against Marist on Friday before jumping back into ACC play Dec. 30 against No. 22 Virginia.
The Citadel (6-5) is coming off an 86-71 loss to crosstown rival College of Charleston on Thursday that ended a three-game winning streak. AJ Smith and Madison Durr each scored 18 points for the Bulldogs, whose bench was outscored 41-2.
Vanderbilt transfer Quentin Millora-Brown added 13 points and 10 rebounds while setting a program record with six blocked shots. The Bulldogs were outrebounded 36-30, the first time they had fewer rebounds than their opponent all season.
“We got crushed on the board last year,” Durr said, according to The Post and Courier. “So far this season, we’ve done a good job on the glass. That’s something that comes with being bigger and stronger and having an entire offseason to prepare.”
Bulldogs guard Elijah Morgan, in his second season at The Citadel after transferring from Notre Dame, has averaged 11.7 points per game.
Tuesday’s matchup will be the third power-conference opponent for The Citadel after they opened the schedule with consecutive defeats against NC State and Boston College.
–Field Level Media