The Notre Dame men’s basketball team is starting to learn its 2025-26 schedule as the program looks to bounce back from a few down seasons and return to the NCAA Tournament
The 2024-25 campaign was a season to forget for the Notre Dame men’s basketball team. The Fighting Irish finished 15-18 under first-year coach Micah Shrewsbury and missed the NCAA tournament for a third straight season. Notre Dame overhauled the program this offseason with a new team GM and a string of intriguing recruits.
The program is starting to finalize its schedule for the 2025-26 season. One key matchup will feature a reunion with a school Notre Dame hasn’t faced since 2011: Missouri.
The Fighting Irish are set to host the Tigers in year three of the annual ACC/SEC Challenge set for Dec. 2. The last time the two schools met in 2011, Missouri triumphed 87-58, improving its lifetime record against Notre Dame to 7-2 in nine contests.
READ MORE: Bryson DeChambeau confronted by rules official after U.S. Open mistakeREAD MORE: Donald Trump plan for The Open emerges as case for $50M golf course continues
Jerian Grant, a future first-round pick by the New York Knicks, scored six points in 27 minutes for the Fighting Irish in that 2011 contest. Future NBA Champion Pat Connaughton scored seven off the bench in 26 minutes.
Future Boston Celtics point guard Phil Pressey poured in 17 points in 33 minutes for Missouri in the victory.. Marcus Denmon led the way for the Tigers with 36 points on 9-11 shooting.
Notre Dame has not reached the NCAA Tournament since 2022, when the school lost to Texas Tech in the second round. The Fighting Irish were not even in the bubble conversation for most of last year.
Markus Burton led the team with 21.3 points a game last season, good enough to help him earn Second-team All-ACC. The year prior, Burton was the ACC Rookie of the Year.
Shrewsbury’s side will also bring in five-star prospect Jalen Haralson next season after he chose Notre Dame and spured offers from Indiana dn Michigan State.
It was the second-year coach’s influence that was the difference. “[NBA player] Gary [Harris] texted me, ‘Man, you picked the right coach to play for,’” Haralson said. “TJD (Trayce-Jackson Davis), he’s an IU guy, told me coach Shrews is gonna get me to where I want to go. That’s how much respect he has. Hearing that from them reassured me I’m in the right spot.”
READ MORE: College basketball has new highest earner after Cooper Flagg enters NBA DraftREAD MORE: Notre Dame women’s basketball ‘excited’ to announce new arrival to program
“I trust coach Shrews. It really wasn’t much about Notre Dame. I really don’t know much about Notre Dame,” he continued. “I’ll go to any school to get me where I want to go. I don’t care what people think about me.”
Shrewberry, a longtime assistant with the Boston Celtics, helped develop Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Before that, he coached future All-Star Gordon Hayward as an assistant at Butler.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
