Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Season Opener

Notre Dame Men’s Basketball looks to take care of their season and home opener against Radford tonight as they kick off their 2022-2023 campaign.

The Irish, 24-11 last season, play host to the Radford Highlanders of the Big South, who finished 11-18. In what should be an excellent opportunity to secure their first victory on the season, Notre

Dame will be working with some key losses and additions. Notably missing from the lineup this year will be Prentiss Hubb, Paul Atkinson, and Blake Wesley. Not returning your top assist-man, rebounder, and scorer, respectively, isn’t ideal. So what needs to happen for the Irish not to skip a beat this year?

The new additions 

The freshman trio addition of JJ Starling, Ven-Allen Lubin, and Dom Campbell to Notre Dame Basketball will be interesting to watch when things tip off Thursday night. Starling is the highly touted combo guard from La Lumiere School in Baldwinsville, New York. Known to be a pure scorer, replacing Wesley’s points should be easy for the young stud guard.

Ven-Allen is a big-bodied 6’8″ 220 pound Power Forward out of Orlando Christian Prep. He figures to play a prominent role early and often in the paint for Notre Dame. While he certainly isn’t as polished as Starling, he figures to earn minutes quickly this year, whether in the starting group or off the bench.

Notre Dame men’s basketball – what to expect

Again, losing your top stat-getter in each major offensive category isn’t ideal for any team at any level. However, they are returning 3 of the top 5 scorers from this past season. The new and existing players have more than enough to make it work. I expect another strong season from Notre Dame this year. Bringing back guys like Nate and Cormac will certainly help the squad as well.

It’s hard to think they’ll overtake a couple of favorites for National Champions this year in Duke or UNC. Still, they certainly can make it tough on any team they play. As for the other constants in the ACC – Virginia, Miami, Florida State, Syracuse, and Louisville – they have more than enough to hold their own against the tops in the conference.

The season kicks off tonight at 8 ET against Radford. Make sure to get out and support Notre Dame Men’s Basketball in their season and home opener.