Notre Dame's Two Leading Scorers Out Against Duke With Injuries

It's been a rough season for Notre Dame basketball, sitting at 12-15 overall and 3-11 in ACC play near the end of coach Micah Shrewsberry's third season.

Going into perhaps their most difficult game of the season Tuesday against No. 1 Duke, the Fighting Irish took another hit with some unfortunate injury news.

Freshman guard Jalen Haralson, junior guard Markus Burton, senior forward Kebba Njie and freshman center Tommy Ahneman were all listed out on the ACC availability report.

Burton was expected to play a key role for Notre Dame in 2025-26 after making the preseason All-ACC first team and finishing second to Duke's Cam Boozer in preseason ACC player of the year voting. But he's been limited to just 10 games, and hasn't played since Dec. 5 against TCU due to a left ankle injury.

When healthy, Burton led Notre Dame with 18.5 points, 3.7 assists and 1.6 steals per game. The Mishawaka, Ind. native was named 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball while playing for Penn High School.

Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said Monday it's "highly unlikely" Burton plays again this season, as it would eliminate the possibility of getting a medical waiver for another year of eligibility.

If he receives that waiver, he'd have two more years of eligibility going into 2026-27. And with Notre Dame in 15th place in the ACC standings, it makes more sense to preserve Burton's eligibility rather than waste it on the last few games this season, when the Irish are out of postseason contention.

The other big loss is Haralson, who's out with an ankle injury suffered during a Feb. 10 loss at SMU. Haralson has missed the last two games –– a win over Georgia Tech and a loss at Pitt –– after playing a key role for the Irish as a freshman.

Haralson is Notre Dame's second leading scorer, behind Burton, at 15.5 points per game on 50.9% shooting. Out of La Lumiere in LaPorte, Ind., Haralson was the highest-ranked recruit in Notre Dame, history as a four-star prospect ranked No. 18 in the nation by 247Sports.

Having played 24 games already, Haralson would not be able to sit out the rest of the season and receive a medical waiver like Burton is hoping to accomplish.

Njie was starter for Notre Dame's front court as a sophomore and junior, but his role diminished as senior. He appeared in 17 games off the bench, averaging just 11.5 minutes per game, before suffering a season-ending knee injury that's held him out since Jan. 13.

Ahneman has not played all season due to a knee injury, and the other three injuries have made things difficut for the Irish. Aside from Burton and Haralson, junior guard Braeden Shrewsberry has stepped up as Notre Dame's leading scorer at 12.1 points per game, followed by sophomore guard Cole Certa.

They lead Notre Dame into Tuesday's game at 7 p.m. ET against No. 1 Duke at the Joyce Center in South Bend, Ind. The Blue Devils are coming off a 68-63 win over Michigan, which was ranked No. 1 before falling to Duke.

Duke is led by national player of the year contender Cam Boozer, who's averaging 22.6 points and 10 rebounds per game while shooting an efficient 58.2% from the field. And as the Irish continue to be without Burton, Haralson, Njie and Ahneman, they're in for a major challenge Tuesday against the Blue Devils.