LAS VEGAS – What an opportunity for the Notre Dame men’s basketball team this Thanksgiving week, both on the court and in zero opportunities. The Players Era Festival – the first of its kind – starts on Tuesday and offers fans lots of fun. Eight teams were divided into two groups of four. The Fighting Irish will compete in the Impact Division with a game Tuesday night against Rutgers, followed by a matchup late Wednesday (Thanksgiving morning for those in Eastern Time) against top-10 Houston. The opponent on Saturday is still open and will be determined based on the group game results.

The Fighting Irish (4-1) and Scarlet Knights (4-1) will face off on November 26th at 10:30 p.m. ET on TBS. Both teams come to Las Vegas looking to avenge their respective first losses of the season. Rutgers was ranked No. 24 in the AP poll, but was narrowly eliminated after upsetting Kennesaw State last Sunday afternoon.

Notre Dame leads the overall series with Rutgers 21-13, with a 6-2 record on neutral sites. The last meeting between the two was memorable – an 89-87 double-overtime win in the First Four round in Dayton that propelled the Irish to the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament.

Next up, Notre Dame and Houston are tied 4-4 in the overall series. The two have not met on the floor since February 10, 1990. The Cougars have a 3-1 record this year and were ranked sixth in the country in the latest AP poll.

The last time the Irish earned a neutral top-10 win was the Maui Invitational win over No. 6 Wichita State in 2017.

After Wednesday’s games, each group will be ranked first through fourth. After the balance of the direct comparisons, the placement is determined based on the total points difference in the group games (maximum 20 points per game), then the total points achieved and the lowest number of points allowed. The top seeds in each division meet in the championship game, while the rest of the standings fill out the matchups for third, fifth and seventh place.

IMPACT DEPARTMENT

Tuesday, November 26th

Houston vs. Alabama – 8:00 p.m. (EST) | TBS, max

Rutgers vs. Notre Dame – 10:30 p.m. (EST) | TBS, max

Wednesday, November 27th

Rutgers vs. Alabama – 10:00 p.m. (EST) | TBS, max

Notre Dame vs. Houston – 12:30 a.m. (EST) | TBS, max

BURTON HEATS UP

Burton enters the Vegas tournament with more than 20 points in consecutive games. In fact, last week he scored a total of 54 points on a combined 23-for-38 shooting, or 60.5 percent. He hit 6 of 11 from deep, including a career-best four three-pointers against Elon.

In Notre Dame’s 75-58 win over North Dakota, Burton was just a smidgen shy of a career-high and one rebound away from his first career double-double. Burton dropped 29 points and also tied his career high with nine rebounds.

He is currently the only player in the country averaging 20+ points, 5+ assists and 5+ rebounds. His 21.4 ppg ranks 19th nationally and second in the ACC.

NOT LAST YEAR’S BREACH

Despite the Elon hiccups, it’s pretty obvious that this isn’t the offense it was last year, and the player development/offensive progression is there. Case in point, Notre Dame has scored more than 75 points in each of its first five games for the first time since the start of the 2009-10 season. .

The Irish are shooting 51.9 percent from the field, which ranks 14th nationally and leads the ACC. They also shoot a hot 61.0 percent from two, which ranks 17th nationally.

Dive Deeper – Notre Dame is one of the best mid-range jump shooting teams in the country. They convert 62.9 percent from midrange Fourth nationally.

CBB Analytics has Notre Dame’s offensive rating at 122.3, ranking it 34th nationally. KenPom’s offensive efficiency rankings puts the Irish at 51st.

BRAEDEN’S OFFENSIVE PLAY

We know what Breaden is capable of for three reasons. He made 55 three-pointers in conference play last season, setting a new program record for ACC three-pointers. This season he is averaging a team-best 2.4 three-pointers per game. He shoots a hot 54.5 percent from three-pointers and 37.5 percent overall from distance.

But Braeden attacked the basket and drove more as a sophomore. He shoots 68.2 percent from two-point range. That puts him at 50.0 percent from the field overall. Finally, his 14.8 ppg is second only to Burton.

TAE-KING over

Tae Davis is the third and final Irishman to average double figures at 12.4 ppg. He is shooting 56.7 percent from two shots, including 65.0 percent at the rim.

In the Buffalo win, he scored a career-high 27 points on 7 of 13 shooting. He also shot a career-best 12 of 13 from the Ree throwing line. Davis also came through in crucial time, scoring 13 of Notre Dame’s final 15 points. He followed with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the road win at Georgetown. He grabbed a team-high eight boards.

Tae’s numbers have also increased as he has improved each year at the free throw line. This year he is shooting 84.6 percent (22-26). A season ago, Tae was at 72.3 percent.

— ND —