Markus Burton shares key to Notre Dame surviving against Georgia Tech in ACC Tournament

Notre Dame led by as many as 17 points in the second half of Tuesday’s ACC Tournament opener against Georgia Tech, before needing to survive late to advance to the second round.

The Yellow Jackets came all the way back to take the lead at one point with 2:24 remaining, but Notre Dame made key plays down the stretch to earn an 84-80 victory.

Afterwards, Irish freshman guard Markus Burton joined the ACC Network and shared how his team was able to survive.

“We were out there having fun. Georgia Tech, obviously they competed until the end. They came back. But I told my teammates and them, ‘Just take our time. We’re good. Relax,’” Burton explained. “It was loud in here. Georgia Tech was making a lot of shots. But I mean, it’s March, so it’s going to happen. Just telling them to relax and hey, we got the job done at the end.”

Burton finished with 21 points, 5 rebounds and 8 assists in the victory, while Braeden Shrewsberry led Notre Dame with 23 points.

Markus Burton was asked what message head coach Micah Shrewsberry had for the Irish down the stretch.

“He was basically telling me just settle down, just relax, and do your job. And when we do our job, things are better,” Burton explained. “Georgia Tech played really good defense at the end, but hey, we were able to get around it and survive.”

Braeden Shrewsberry is the son of Micah Shrewsberry and like Burton, he is only a freshman. When Burton and Braeden are knocking down shots the way they were on Tuesday, Notre Dame is tough to defend. The two combined for 44 points and shot better than 50 percent from the field and 3-point line.

“When he’s going it opens up a lot more things for me, but when I’m going, it opens a lot for him, too,” Burton said. “It’s good to have a player on the team like that with confidence, who can shoot the ball as well as him, so it’s a blessing. I love him. He puts the work in every single day.”

Up next, the Irish will face No. 5 seed Wake Forest in the second round of the ACC Tournament.

Burton and the Irish earned a 70-65 win over the Demon Deacons last month, but he knows that beating Wake Forest again won’t be easy.

“I’m a little tired, but we’ve got more to go,” Burton said. “Obviously, Wake Forest is a really good team. We played them really well when we played them at home, but it’s a new game and a new time so we’ve got to go out and do what we do, play defense and have fun.”