Notre Dame men’s basketball opened the season with a dominant win over Stonehill but faced some struggles in a closer-than-expected victory against Buffalo. Despite these challenges, the team is still undefeated at 2-0 and has yet to face a truly difficult test.

That changes Saturday afternoon when the Fighting Irish travel to Washington, DC, to take on the Georgetown Hoyas.

Georgetown is in a similar position to Notre Dame. Head coach Ed Cooley, now in his second year with the Hoyas, brings a wealth of experience after 12 successful seasons in Providence. Like Notre Dame last season, Georgetown was in a rebuilding phase before Cooley’s arrival, and their first year under his leadership was a struggle.

But with both programs now in their second seasons under new leadership — Cooley at Georgetown and Micah Shrewsberry at Notre Dame — there are higher expectations for success. Both teams are used to winning, and Saturday’s matchup will serve as the first real test for both of the 2024-25 campaign.

Notre Dame looks to build offensive consistency, improve defense in front of Georgetown

If the first two games are any indication, Notre Dame will rely heavily on Markus Burton, Braeden Shrewsberry and Tae Davis to fuel the bulk of the offense. All three players are averaging 18 points per game through the first two contests, and all are logging significant minutes. Davis was particularly brilliant in the game against Buffalo, going off with a career-high 27 points.

That said, the Notre Dame offense has been streaky. When the outside shot isn’t falling, the Irish will need consistent contributions from Davis’ slashing ability and Kebba Njie’s size and strength in the post to keep the offense going.

The veteran presence of JR Konieczny, Matt Allocco and Nikita Kostantynovskyi will also be crucial to Micah Shrewsberry’s squad this season. The latter two were brought in specifically for their final seasons of qualification to provide leadership and stability, and they must deliver on that promise.

As the season progresses, true freshman Sir Mohammed is expected to take on a larger role as he acclimates to the college game. While his size and athleticism have been evident — he was a top-50 recruit last cycle — his offensive game has yet to fully click. Still, his potential is undeniable, and it’s only a matter of time before he finds his rhythm.

Finally, the strong defensive identity that Shrewsberry instilled in the team last season has been missing in the opening games, especially during Monday night’s matchup with Buffalo. It’s likely that tightening up defensively has been a key point in practice this week, especially with the upcoming showdown against Georgetown and a key tournament in Las Vegas just 10 days away.

Georgetown Preview & Prediction

As I mentioned earlier, the current version of Georgetown isn’t a powerhouse, but they still pose the first real challenge for Notre Dame. Ed Cooley is an excellent coach, and improvement in Year 2 should be expected. Also, this will be Notre Dame’s first road game of the season, and as any college basketball fan knows, winning on the road is never a given.

The biggest challenge for the Irish will be containing Georgetown true freshman Thomas Sorber. In just two games, Sorber has posted 22 points and 11 rebounds per game while shooting 60% from inside the three-point line. He’s a budding star in the paint, and keeping Kebba Njie out of foul trouble will be crucial for Notre Dame.

The Hoyas also have a talented backcourt, led by Jayden Epps and Micah Peavy. Epps, a sharpshooter, is hitting 40% of his 3-pointers so far, while Peavy, the bigger and stronger of the two, prefers to attack closer to the rim. I expect Tae Davis to spend much of the afternoon guarding Peavy. The third member of Georgetown’s backcourt is Malik Mack, a sophomore transfer from Harvard who averaged 17 points per game last season. The trio of guards is a dangerous unit, and Notre Dame will need to prepare.

Cooley relies heavily on these four players, all of whom average more than 30 minutes per game and rarely leave the field. However, Shrewsberry uses a deeper bench, so it will be interesting to see if fresh legs become a factor as the game wears on.

I pick Notre Dame as the best in this one. I think the Irish will show a much improved defensive effort, especially when it comes to guarding the three-point line. Notre Dame improves to 3-0 and enters next week feeling good before heading to the Players Era Festival. While I’m tempted to call this a “coming out” game for Kebba Njie, I’ll temper my expectations for now – just remember where you heard it first if it happens.

Notre Dame vs Georgetown Prediction

Notre Dame 75, Georgetown 67