Kario Oquendo scores 25 and SMU routs Notre Dame 97-73 for sixth ACC road win
SMU Mustangs vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Game Highlights
SOUTH BEND, Ind. — — Kario Oquendo scored 25 points and SMU throttled Notre Dame 97-73 on Wednesday night as the Mustangs improved to 6-1 on the road in their first season in the ACC.
SMU (20-6, 11-4) shot 72% in the first half, making 21 of 30 shots. A 9-0 run and a 10-0 run gave the Mustangs a 25-5 lead halfway through the period and they went on to lead 50-25 at halftime. Oquendo had 15 points without missing a shot, going 6 for 6 from the field with two 3-pointers and making his only free throw.
Braeden Shrewsberry scored 12 points in the first half for the Fighting Irish (11-15, 5-10), but they shot only 32% and had eight turnovers.
SMU’s lead was still 25 points five minutes into the second half before Yohan Traore had two three-point plays in a 9-0 run that left the Mustangs ahead 72-38 with 11:40 remaining. The closest Notre Dame would get was 90-69 with about 3 1/2 minutes remaining.
Matt Cross had 14 points and nine rebounds for the Mustangs. Samet Yigitoglu also scored 14 points and Chuck Harris added 11 points, seven assists and six rebounds. SMU shot 59% for the game and outrebounded Notre Dame by more than double, 43-20.
Shrewsberry made 5 of 8 3-pointers and led Notre Dame with 21 points. Tae Davis had 13 points and Garrett Sundra scored 11.
SMU hosts No. 18 Clemson on Saturday.
The Fighting Irish, who have lost five of their last six, will host Pittsburgh on Saturday.
—— Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-basketball
SMU Mustangs
Notre Dame Fighting Irish
SMU Mustangs vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish: Game Highlights
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Game Information
2024-25 Atlantic Coast Conference Standings
Men’s College Basketball News
| 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SMU | 50 | 47 | 97 |
| ND | 25 | 48 | 73 |
| Team | CONF | GB | OVR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duke | 15-1 | – | 23-3 |
| Clemson | 13-2 | 1.5 | 21-5 |
| Louisville | 13-2 | 1.5 | 20-6 |
| SMU | 11-4 | 3.5 | 20-6 |
| Wake Forest | 11-4 | 3.5 | 19-7 |
| North Carolina | 9-6 | 5.5 | 16-11 |
| Stanford | 8-7 | 6.5 | 16-10 |
| Pittsburgh | 7-8 | 7.5 | 16-10 |
| Georgia Tech | 7-8 | 7.5 | 13-13 |
| Florida State | 6-8 | 8 | 15-10 |
| Virginia | 6-9 | 8.5 | 13-13 |
| Virginia Tech | 6-9 | 8.5 | 11-15 |
| California | 5-10 | 9.5 | 12-14 |
| Notre Dame | 5-10 | 9.5 | 11-15 |
| Syracuse | 5-11 | 10 | 11-16 |
| Boston College | 3-12 | 11.5 | 11-15 |
| NC State | 3-12 | 11.5 | 10-16 |
| Miami | 2-12 | 12 | 6-19 |
Oquendo’s 25 points help SMU steamroll Notre Dame
Kario Oquendo scored 15 of his 25 points in the first half, and behind an offensive onslaught, SMU had little trouble dispatching Notre Dame, 97-73, on Wednesday night in South Bend, Ind.
Despite the unavailability of leading scorer Boopie Miller — who missed a second consecutive game with a foot injury — SMU (20-6, 11-4 ACC) shot 58.6 percent from the floor, and made 17 of its first 25 field goal attempts to take a 50-25 lead into halftime.
The Mustangs galloped away from the Fighting Irish behind their efficient shooting, as Oquendo, Samet Yigitoglu, Matt Cross and Chuck Harris scored in double figures.
SMU reached the 20-win mark with the victory, recording consecutive 20-win campaigns for the first time since 2015-2017.
Notre Dame (11-15, 5-10) lost for the fifth time in the last six games, struggling to contain the ACC’s top-scoring offense, as the Irish allowed 90 points at home for the first time since Feb. 11, 2023.
Offensively, while Notre Dame closed on a 14-8 run and outscored SMU, 48-47, in the second half, the Irish were just 7-of-22 in the first 20 minutes. Braeden Shrewsberry led Notre Dame with 21 points.
SMU flexed its offensive strength often in the first 10 minutes, putting together a game-shifting 19-2 run over an eight-minute span that took the Mustangs’ lead from 6-3 to 25-5.
Oquendo stepped up in that stretch, hitting a 3-pointer at the 15:38 mark and scoring on a three-point play that bookended the run. And that came after he slammed a two-handed dunk off a B.J. Edwards steal in the first two minutes of the half. By the intermission, Oquendo had 15 points, shooting a flawless 6-of-6 from the field.
The Mustangs maintained the offensive momentum, including a 7-0 run late in the half. Yigitoglu’s short-range floater was followed by a 3-pointer from Harris and a fast-break layup from Edwards. From the 5:59 mark until halftime, SMU’s lead remained above 20.
In control, the Mustangs cruised through the second half. While unable to replicate their first-half shooting percentage of 72.4 percent, the lead was never in question. SMU widened its advantage to as many as 34 with 8:09 left, when Oquendo’s third 3-pointer of the evening dropped.
–Field Level Media
Copyright 2025
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Game Thread | SMU at Notre Dame
Date: February 19
Time: 7:00 PM ET
Where: Purcell Pavilion | South Bend, Ind.
TV: ACC Network | Wes Durham, Cory Alexander and Jim Boeheim
Line: SMU -1.5
O/U: 145.5
– Notre Dame leads the all-time series 4-1.
– The Irish won the last meeting 63-49 at SMU in February 1990.
– KenPom ranks Notre Dame No. 77 in offensive efficiency.
– Markus Burton sits at 961 career points.
– Burton’s 21.3 ppg is No. 5 in the country and No. 1 in the ACC.
– Burton is looking to become the 2nd Irish player to average 20.0 points and 3.0 assists in a season, joining David Rivers.
– SMU point guard and leading scorer Boopie Miller missed Saturday’s game with a boot on his left foot.
Notre Dame
SMU
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SMU (19-6, 10-4) at Notre Dame (11-14, 5-9)
QUICK FACTS
PROJECTED STARTERS
Preview
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Markus Burton | 21.3 | 3.4 | 3.0 |
| Braeden Shrewsberry | 13.7 | 3.1 | 1.7 |
| Sir Mohammed | 3.1 | 1.7 | 0.9 |
| Tae Davis | 15.7 | 5.5 | 1.9 |
| Kebba Njie | 6.5 | 6.4 | 0.5 |
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| BJ Edwards | 10.3 | 4.4 | 3.8 |
| Chuck Harris | 12.5 | 2.4 | 2.1 |
| Kario Oquendo | 10.3 | 3.2 | 0.9 |
| Matt Cross | 11.9 | 8.2 | 1.8 |
| Samet Yiğitoğlu | 10.7 | 6.5 | 1.2 |
| Category | SMU | Notre Dame |
| Points | 82.1 | 73.2 |
| Opponent Points | 71.4 | 70.9 |
| FG% | 47.8% | 45.5% |
| Rebounds | 39.7 | 35.5 |
| Assists | 16.4 | 11.8 |
| Blocks | 3.9 | 1.7 |
| Steals | 7.7 | 5.8 |
| Turnovers | 11.6 | 10.9 |
