Notre Dame Basketball Wins at Players Era Fest — Now Comes the Real Test

The Irish prevail on Tuesday morning against Rutgers to win their first Players Era Festival game

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Carson Towt (33) and guard Jalen Haralson (10) celebrate after a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Irish started strong, held tough at the end, and pulled off a 68-63 win over a solid Rutgers team to get to 5-2 on the season.

Notre Dame built a first-half lead that stretched to 19 points. They were cruising. Playing inspired defense and knocking down the shots that simply wouldn’t fall in Monday’s loss to Kansas.

Rutgers pushed back, piecing together runs of their own and trimming the deficit to five in the second half.

But the story of the game was simple: Notre Dame had answers. And that’s something this program has lacked in recent years. Micah Shrewsberry spoke about it in his postgame press conference. The Irish have built leads like this before, but none ever felt secure. Too often, those advantages evaporated and turned into losses.

Not today.

It wasn’t always perfect, and it certainly wasn’t always pretty, but they found a way to close. Learning how to win these kinds of games is difficult. The final minutes tested this group, and this time, they responded. This time, they finished.

What's Next for Notre Dame's Men's Basketball?

Notre Dame is set to take on Houston tomorrow at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas at 12:30 PM PT (3:30 PM ET). This matchup marks the Irish’s second rematch from last year’s Players Era Festival, having already avenged their loss to Rutgers earlier today.

While some added variety in opponents would’ve been nice, the chance to settle the score against Houston gives Notre Dame plenty of motivation heading into game three. The Cougars would also give the Irish a nice resume boost in out of conference play.

The Irish kep the game a low-scoring fight last year, losing to the National Championship runner-up 65-54. This year's Houston team is third in the nation, but that will drop after losing a 76-73 fight agaisnt Tennessee on Tuesday.

It's a key moment for the Irish. Beat the Cougars, and it might be a season-defining win, even in November.

Regardless, the mission stays the same: stack wins and continue learning how to close out games.

The Irish defense remains stingy, and that alone will keep them competitive most nights. The lingering question is whether the offense can look more like it did in today’s first half - fluid, confident, and efficient. If they can find that version consistently, this team’s ceiling rises quickly.

And truthfully, it still feels like we haven’t seen their best basketball yet.