INDIANAPOLIS – Three thoughts while watching Notre Dame basketball run up and down the court in an exhibition against Butler at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday, Oct. 17 for the first time since 1995, a game won by the Irish 77-76 …
∎ What’s the most popular question after the first game of anything, in any sport? That would be what does the starting lineup look like?
It’s too early to tell with this group after it opened with a first five that looked a little different (OK, a lot) than last season. Starting staples Markus Burton and Kebba Njie were part of that opening five. They were joined by sophomores Cole Certa and Garrett Sundra and freshman Jalen Haralson.
So, that’s the main five, right? Not quite.
Notre Dame subbed that first five with a new group at the under-15 timeout. Out went the starters and in came Logan Imes, Braeden Shrewsberry, Brady Koehler, Carson Towt and Sir Mohammed. They ran for a bit before the first five returned.
As the first half got deeper, head coach Micah Shrewsberry began to mix and match based on matchups, foul trouble, efficiency, etc. Haralson had to sit after picking up his second foul; Koehler took a seat after a quick stint that the head coach didn’t like.
Who played a lot? Who played a little? It doesn’t matter much. At least 12 different combinations played in the first 20 minutes. Deep in the second half, with Butler creeping closer, Notre Dame had Mohammed, Imes, Koehler, Matt MacLellan and Brady Stevens on the floor.
Those five had never played together until Friday.
“I was pretty happy with what we did,” said Irish coach Micah Shrewsberry.
∎ It was easy to see why Jalen Haralson was such a coveted recruit, a McDonald’s All-American and the highest-rated prospect to sign with Notre Dame in the modern era.
Haralson finished with seven points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals in 18 minutes.
“He is a stat-sheet stuffer,” Shrewsberry said. “We use him in a lot of different ways and we will keep using him in a lot of different ways. There’s stuff I haven’t even talked to him about that we haven’t even put in yet.”
Haralson played Friday like he’d been around the college basketball block for years, not months. He started Friday by checking Jalen Jackson, Butler’s starting point guard. He scored from the mid-range and at the bucket with ease and moved with a nice, confident pace.
Haralson picked up three fouls in the first 18 minutes, but you can’t fault the effort. He checked back in already with two fouls and immediately grabbed a grown man defensive rebound. Even when he picked up his third late in the half, Haralson stayed out there and converted a key and-one to help weather a 13-0 Bulldog run.
Early in the second with Burton on the bench, Haralson worked as the main handler and twice found Cole Certa for 3s to push what had been a one-point Irish lead back to seven. That lead soon swelled to 11 after Haralson found Brady Koehler for a 3 in the same corner he found Certa.
“Jalen’s a hell of a player, man,” Burton said. “It takes a lot off me because he can go off the dribble. He’s a really good guy.”
Haralson will play a lot this season. He’s going to do a lot this season. You can see it.
∎ This might be the most obvious observation of the night for those who call Indiana home, but basketball matters in this state. A lot. How else do you explain getting a near-sellout crowd out (7,887) on a Friday night in mid-October … for an exhibition?
Friday was the last night of the regular season for high school football. College Football is in full swing. So is the NFL. And there was a big crowd at Hinkle to see two teams who haven’t played at Hinkle since 1995. That’s Hoosier Hysteria.
Notre Dame has five Hoosiers on its roster; Butler has four. That’s a lot of Indiana.
We saw former Butler coach Brad Stevens in the Notre Dame family section behind the Irish bench. We saw former Irish assistant coach and current Penn coach Fran McCaffery in the stands to watch son Jack, a Butler freshman. We saw Colts head coach Shane Steichen and quarterback Daniel Jones sitting courtside.
This wasn’t an exhibition. This was an event. Forget what the calendar said and what this game was. It felt down the stretch like this was a gotta-get conference game in the middle of January. Kudos that it wasn’t a “secret” scrimmage from seasons past.
Notre Dame showed something in never trailing and leading by as many as 16 in that building. It was a seven-point Irish lead with 3:59 left and the place got loud. Regular season loud. Notre Dame did not have many home atmospheres last year than what it saw Friday.
“We had to figure it out,” Shrewsberry said, “This was a fun game. This is why you do it.”
These teams will meet next October at Purcell Pavilion. Let’s see if Notre Dame can match the crowd and the energy and everything it experienced at Hinkle.
Follow South Bend Tribune and NDInsider columnist Tom Noie on X (formerly Twitter): @tnoieNDI. Contact Noie at tnoie@sbtinfo.com
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Three thoughts following Notre Dame basketball exhibition win at Butler
Reporting by Tom Noie, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
