Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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12 APRIL 2024 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED UNDER THE DOME PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER 1st E v e r v i c t o r y v e r s u s a No. 1-ranked team for the Notre Dame W O M E N ' S LACROSSE PROGRAM was a 14-10 triumph over de- fending national champion Northwestern Feb. 16 in South Bend. The Irish's win over the Wildcats snapped t h e i r 2 2 - ga m e w i n n i n g streak, the longest active streak in the country enter- ing the contest. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS NUMBERS AND QUOTES " Notre Dame won't hear its name on Selection Sunday and the Fighting Irish aren't fighting for a conference championship, but it's worth shining a light on the job Shrewsberry has done over the past five weeks. The Irish were picked last in the ACC preseason poll, returned fewer than 3.0 points per game from last season's team and had a roster with a severe dearth of high-level talent. Year 1 for Shrewsberry was always going to be difficult, and it has been. … "But they're coming off a week in which they took down two potential NCAA Tournament teams, beating Wake Forest after the Demon Deacons knocked off Duke and then following that up with a seven-point vic- tory over Clemson. … They've now won five of their past six games, with a three-point loss at Syracuse the lone defeat. Notre Dame has been terrific defensively over that stretch, and Markus Burton has established himself as one of the premier freshman point guards in the country." — ESPN's Jeff Borzello on tabbing Notre Dame's Micah Shrewsberry his Coach of the Week March 4 3 Fighting Irish men's basketball players have compiled at least 16 points, 8 assists and 6 steals in a single game in school history: Chris Thomas in 2001, Jerian Grant in 2013 and freshman point guard MARKUS BURTON in 2024. Burton achieved the feat in a 74-66 win over Vir- ginia Tech Feb. 10, notching exactly 16 points, 8 assists and 6 steals. Heading into the ACC Tournament, Burton was on the verge of becoming the first player in program history to finish a season averaging at least 16.0 points, 4.0 assists and 2.0 steals, standing with averages of 17.3 points, 4.3 assists and 1.97 steals per contest. Prior to Burton's effort, Thomas came the closest to doing it, posting 15.6 points, 7.6 assists and 2.2 steals per game in 2001-02. 7 Of Notre Dame's 17 commitments in the class of 2025 were ranked in the On300 after its rank- ings update Feb. 26: Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall offensive tackle Will Black (No. 6 overall player nationally), Lucedale (Miss.) George County quarterback Deuce Knight (No. 54), Winter Garden (Fla.) West Orange safety Ivan Taylor (No. 121), Green Bay (Wis.) Notre Dame de la Baie Academy tight end James Flanigan (No. 126), Chicago Simeon edge Christopher Burgess Jr. (No. 156), Waukesha (Wis.) Catholic Memorial tackle Owen Strebig (No. 234) and Elmhurst (Ill.) York Community defensive lineman Joseph Reiff (No. 240). The Fighting Irish trail only Clemson (10) and Ohio State (8) for the most commits in the On300. Black was the fifth-biggest riser in the On300, moving up 197 spots. On3 now considers the 6-foot-7, 280-pounder the top offensive tackle in the 2025 cycle. Black's new ranking now gives the Irish their first top-ranked recruit since On3 began rating prospects in the 2021 cycle. Previously, On3-ranked offensive tackles Guerby Lambert (No. 18 overall in 2024) and Charles Jagusah (No. 25 in 2023) had signed with the Irish. " If the Fighting Irish are going to take another step and qualify for the 12- team CFP in [Marcus Free- man's] third season as coach, it will require Denbrock to click with quarterback Riley Leonard. Denbrock coached 2023 Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels at LSU for two seasons, successfully unlocking the best from a dangerous dual-threat playmaker. When fully healthy, Leonard is another dynamic QB with All-American potential. How Denbrock meshes with him could determine the Fighting Irish's ceiling in 2024." — CBS Sports writer David Cobb on ranking Mike Denbrock to Notre Dame No. 6 in his list of the top 10 coordinator hires that will shape the landscape in 2024