Notre Dame fans can take a breather. Markus Burton suffered a knee injury early in the Irish loss to the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Tuesday, and many wondered out loud if he would be ready for the season. We got some clarification on Wednesday that Burton won’t be out for the entire season, but the statement was perhaps a bit more open in terms of a return date.

From the ND press release:

LAS VEGAS – On Tuesday, November 26, during the Players Era Tournament game against Rutgers, All-ACC guard Markus Burton suffered a knee injury that will keep him out of competition from week to week.

“I couldn’t be prouder of the way my teammates performed after my injury, and I know they will pick me up and continue to play well. I look forward to supporting them in any way I can,” said Burton. “As with everything I do in basketball, I will attack my rehabilitation and do my best to get back on the floor at full strength as quickly as possible.”

“I want to thank the South Bend & Notre Dame community for the outpouring of support. All the prayers that came my way were inspiring and it shows how special my entire hometown community is.”

“We are grateful that Markus will be back at full strength this season,” added Glenn and Stacey Murphy head men’s basketball coach Micah Shrewsberry. “I have complete confidence in our athletic trainer, Nixon Dorvilien, and our entire medical staff to put Markus in the best position to return to the field when the time is right.”

Burton, the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year, is averaging 18.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game this season.