Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1533229
46 APRIL 2025 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED BY JACK SOBLE M arkus Burton walked off the court, jersey pulled up to his chin as the Purcell Pavilion crowd gave him a standing ovation. Burton had fouled out in quadruple overtime after dropping 43 points. He willed Notre Dame through the previous three extra periods. But in that moment, every single one of those cheering fans probably thought that was it. The Irish trailed 103-99 with 2:40 left after California made the free throws it earned from Burton's fifth foul. Without its superstar, who practically willed his team to that point in a back-and-forth battle against the Golden Bears, there was no way Notre Dame could possibly come back. Try telling that to Matt Allocco. Allocco hit a three to take the lead. Cal took it right back. He hit a step-back jumper to tie it. Cal pulled back in front on its next possession. Notre Dame had one more chance, down by two. Allocco took the ball at the top of the key and curled around a screen from J.R. Konieczny. With plenty of space, he stopped, popped and fired. With 15 seconds left, Allocco's shot dropped through the bottom of the net and even- tually won what Irish head coach Micah Shrewsberry dubbed the "Senior Day Marathon." Notre Dame beat Cal 112-110 in four overtimes, finishing the regular season 14-17 overall and 8-12 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. "I probably speak for everybody when I say we sure as hell weren't gonna play another one," Allocco said. "Just kept grinding, staying in the moment. Never lost confidence, never had any fear. Un- believable team effort." The seniors and graduate students Notre Dame honored made the most of their final home game in South Bend. That included Allocco. It included Ni- kita Konstantynovskyi, who corralled 17 rebounds and made a clutch turnaround hook shot right after Burton fouled out. It included Julian Roper II, who played 43 minutes and got a shout-out after the game for his defensive intensity. And it included Konieczny, the South Bend native who scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds in what could be his final game in his hometown. "This is probably one of the crazi- est games I played in," Konieczny said. "I'm overwhelmed right now. That was amazing." LASTING MEMORY IN FORGETTABLE SEASON In the grand scheme of things, Notre Dame's quadruple-overtime win over Cal doesn't mean much. The Irish would have finished tied for 13th in the ACC if they lost. Instead, they finished tied for ninth (and were the No. 12 seed in the ACC Tourna- ment). Their final record will show an 18 in the loss column instead of a 19. They improved upon their 2023-24 confer- ence record by one game, as opposed to not improving up on it at all. Whether Notre Dame won or lost against Cal, the 2024-25 season was a disappointing one in South Bend. The Irish did not get better, at least not nearly as much as they hoped they would. Mistakes were made in roster Irish Cap Regular Season With Win In Four-Overtime Classic MEN'S B A S K E T B A L L Matt Allocco nailed a three-pointer with 15 seconds left in the fourth overtime to provide the winning basket in Notre Dame's marathon victory over Cal. PHOTO COURTESY NOTRE DAME ATHLETICS