The Notre Dame basketball team tipped off its regular season with a big win over the Long Island Sharks. While the team did end up with an 89-67 win, the Fighting Irish were far from perfect. Of course, few teams really are perfect in the first game of the season.
What are the biggest questions that surfaced after a season-opening win over a mid-major opponent?
Who will step up when Markus Burton isn't leading the way?
This will actually be a question all season long. If Notre Dame is going to make some noise this year, they're going to have someone who can be a scorer if Markus Burton is off or bottled up.
On Monday night, the Irish didn't need to answer that question, as Burton scored 24 points. However, there are going to be games where he doesn't do that. Tonight, Cole Serta was the other top scorer with 22, and then Ryder Frost had 15. That leads us to the second question.
Can Notre Dame basketball expect this Cole Serta to be the norm?
It's always hard to know how many judgments you can make on one game, especially when the opponent is Long Island. Still, considering Serta averaged just 8 minutes a game as a freshman and 2.5 points a game, scoring 22 points out of the gate this season was an eye-opener.
It would be foolish to think he's going to average 20 points a game, but if he can average over 10 points a game and come anywhere close to the deadeye he had from deep (6 for 9), then he becomes a nice weapon.
Can Carson Towt dominate the boards like this against better competition?
When the Notre Dame basketball team brought over Carson Towt, it was this kind of game they dreamed about. The big man hauled down a whopping 19 rebounds against Long Island. He also had a block and two steals. If he can be that kind of presence all year, he'll help the Irish defense big time.