Tipoff Thrills: ND’s Big Win and Upcoming Detroit Mercy Clash
Notre Dame opened its 2025–26 basketball campaign with an 89–67 victory over LIU, fueled by Markus Burton’s 24 points and Cole Certa’s 22. The Irish shot an impressive 14-for-27 from beyond the arc, with Certa draining six triples and freshman Ryder Frost hitting four. Next up, Notre Dame will host Detroit Mercy at Purcell Pavilion on Friday, Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. ET, streamed on ACC+. Detroit Mercy fell 91–71 to UIC in its opener and finished 8–24 last season under coach Mark Montgomery. Fans can catch play-by-play on 960 WSBT-AM, Audacy, or SiriusXM. Notre Dame leads the series 3–0, and both teams will look to set tone early in this nonconference matchup. Key figures include ND’s Micah Shrewsberry and Titans’ Mark Montgomery, each striving to prove their programs’ progress.
Finally, college basketball emerges from its sleep coma—and what better way to awaken the masses than Notre Dame vs. Detroit Mercy, a matchup so electrifying you can almost hear bleachers creaking in anticipation? Tune in for analysis of whether Burton’s jump shot can rival a midlife crisis or if Detroit Mercy will shock the world (or at least the Horizon League’s preseason poll). Expect in-depth breakdowns of every coach’s shoe choice, dubious hot-take segments on 3-point efficiency, and a riveting explanation of why “nonconference” is just a fancy word for “warmup lap.” It’s sportscasting at its finest: part math lesson, part infomercial, all memes.
CFP Rollercoaster: Irish Rise, ACC Takes a Tumble
The inaugural College Football Playoff rankings placed Notre Dame at No. 10 despite two key losses, edging out SEC and ACC rivals. The Big 12 boasts three teams in the top 13—BYU, Texas Tech, and Utah—while Iowa debuted at No. 20 without breaking the AP top 25. Falling hard: Miami dropped to 18th after losses to Louisville and SMU, making a CFP berth unlikely. The ACC’s highest seed, Virginia at No. 14, signals a dismal single-bid future as Clemson, FSU, and Virginia Tech all struggle. And of course, Notre Dame haters are fuming online, accusing the Irish of cherry-picking opponents and demanding they “join a conference,” proving once again that nothing enrages armchair analysts more than perceived favoritism.
Behold the spectacle of grown adults losing their minds over a committee’s arbitrary spreadsheet of wins and losses—because who doesn’t love a healthy dose of national outrage with their morning coffee? Witness Notre Dame fans cartwheeling in celebration, SEC loyalists clutching their pearls, and ACC boosters desperately Googling “conference respect.” Meanwhile, the CFP committee sits back, popcorn in hand, enjoying the chaos they’ve sown by daring to rank teams. It’s like high school popularity contests, but with more corporate sponsorships and fewer hall passes. Buckle up for round two, when analytics bros try to explain why Yale’s S&P+ rating deserves a top-four seed.
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