Feb. 16, 2015
Game 27
Wake Forest (12-14, 4-9 ACC)
vs.
#10/10 Notre Dame (22-4, 10-3 ACC)
Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015
7 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Ind.
TV/INTERNET
ESPNU
WatchESPN
Adam Amin (play-by-play)
LaPhonso Ellis (analyst)
RADIO
Broadcast on WatchND (free)
Sirius 134/XM 193
Check affiliates on Pg. 3 of notes packet
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Jordan Cornette (analyst)
LIVE STATS
#10/10 FIGHTING IRISH RETURN HOME TO PLAY WAKE FOREST
– No. 10/10 Notre Dame (22-4, 10-3) returns to Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center following two straight road games as the Irish play host to Wake Forest (12-14, 4-9) on Tuesday. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. (ET).
– This will be the only regular-season meeting between Notre Dame and Wake Forest.
– Notre Dame resides in second place in the ACC standings, while Wake Forest is in 12th place.
– The Fighting Irish have been off since last Tuesday’s 60-58 win at Clemson.
– This will be Notre Dame’s first home contest since Feb. 4, a 71-63 win over Boston College. Notre Dame is 15-1 at home this season.
– The Wake Forest contest begins a stretch of three games in seven days for the Irish. Following Tuesday’s game, Notre Dame will play at Boston College on Saturday and then return home to face Syracuse next Tuesday to close out the month of February.
– Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on ESPNU and WatchESPN with Adam Amin (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst) calling the action.
– A free audio broadcast will be available on WatchND. Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Jordan Cornette (analyst) will be on the call. The broadcast can also be heard on The Notre Basketball Radio Network headed by WSBT 96.1 FM and 960 AM in South Bend. A complete affiliate list is available on page 3 of this notes packet. The broadcast also is available on Sirius 134/XM 193.
OFF AND RUNNING
– Notre Dame’s 22-4 record is the best 26-game start for an Irish team under head coach Mike Brey (the 2010-11 squad was 21-5 after 26 games). It also matches the best 26-game start for the program since the 1980-81 campaign. A win against Wake Forest would give Notre Dame its best 27-game record since the 1973-74 team was 25-2 after 27 games before finishing the season with a 26-3 final record. (see box on page 2).
– The 10-3 ACC record matches Notre Dame’s top 13-game start in conference play (BIG EAST & ACC). The Irish were 10-3 in BIG EAST action on four occasions (2000-01, 2007-08, 2010-11, 2011-12). A win on Tuesday would match the best start in conference play (11-3) for an Irish team that has only been accomplished by the 2000-01, 2007-08 and 2011-12 squads.
– This is the fourth time in Notre Dame’s conference era (since 1995-96) that the Irish suffered just one regular-season non-conference loss (2006-07, 2010-11, 2012-13, 2014-15).
CONFERENCE CALL
– Notre Dame’s win over Clemson last Tuesday night gave the Irish their first 10-win campaign in ACC play and marked the 10th time in 15 seasons (and five of the last six seasons) that the Irish have won 10 or more conference games.
– All 10 of those 10-win seasons (nine of them in the BIG EAST) have occurred under head coach Mike Brey.
– Under Brey, Notre Dame has had only three losing seasons in league play.
– Prior to Brey’s arrival at Notre Dame, the best league record for the Irish was 8-8 in 1999-2000 in year five as a member of the BIG EAST Conference.
FACING WAKE FOREST
– Tuesday will be the fourth meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons have won all three encounters, including two last season. Notre Dame dropped a 65-58 decision at Wake Forest during the 2013-14 regular season and then suffered an 81-69 setback to the Demon Deacons in the first round of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C.
– This will be Wake Forest’s first visit to Notre Dame, however it won’t be the first trip to South Bend for Demon Deacon head coach Danny Manning. Manning and the Kansas Jayhawks dropped an 80-76 decision to the Fighting Irish on Jan. 23, 1988, inside the Joyce Center. Kansas would go on to win the national championship that season.
ROAD WARRIORS
– Notre Dame’s 5-2 record in ACC road games matches the most conference road wins ever for the Irish. The Fighting Irish were 5-3 on the road in BIG EAST play in 2000-01 and 2001-02 and 5-4 in 2007-08, 2010-11 and 2011-12.
– After opening up 4-0 on the road in league action (a program first), the Irish suffered back-to-back road losses to Pittsburgh (76-72) and Duke (90-60). Notre Dame won at Clemson, 60-58, last Tuesday.
CLEMSON CLIPS
– Notre Dame trailed by eight points with 8:01 remaining in the first half and were down 31-29 at the half. The Irish were able to close the gap to two points at the intermission thanks to Jerian Grant’s three-pointer with one second left in the opening stanza.
– The teams battled through 11 lead changes in the second half and the scored was tied on six occasions.
– Notre Dame’s largest lead of the game was four points with 44 seconds remaining in the contest.
– The Irish trailed 56-52 with 4:09 remaining and took the lead for good with 2:20 left to play.
– Notre Dame was outrebounded (38-26) for the fifth straight contest.
– With the win, Notre Dame improved to 5-2 on the road. It was Notre Dame’s first ever trip to Clemson.
– The 58 points by Clemson were the fewest ever allowed by the Irish in an ACC game.
HIGH MARKS
– Notre Dame ranks in the top five nationally in five categories: field goal% (2nd, 51.2%), fewest personal fouls per game (3rd, 13.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 1.65), fewest turnovers per game (4th, 9.2) and fewest turnovers (5th, 238).
HOT SHOTS
– Notre Dame boasts the nation’s second-best field goal percentage (.515).
– The Irish have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 17 of 26 games this season and they topped 60.0 percent in two contests (Coppin State & Grambling State).
– Six Notre Dame players are shooting better than 47.0 percent from the field (min. 50 attempts) — Zach Auguste (60.8%), Bonzie Colson (57.1%), Demetrius Jackson (51.1%), Jerian Grant (50.0%), Steve Vasturia (48.9%), Pat Connaughton (48.2%).
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
– Notre Dame ranks fourth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.65) and fourth in fewest turnovers per game (9.2).
– The Irish have committed less than 10 turnovers in 15 games this season (eight times in ACC play).
– Notre Dame had a season-low four turnovers against Michigan State (Dec. 3).
COMEBACK KIDS
– Notre Dame has overcome a deficit of 10 points or larger en route to a victory six times this season (see full breakdown on Pg. 5).
– The Irish are 6-2 this season when trailing at halftime. All six wins have come in ACC play.
FIGHTING IRISH KNOW HOW TO FINISH
– Eight of Notre Dame’s 10 ACC wins this season have been decided by eight points or less. In the final five minutes of those eight contests, the Irish are shooting 52.3 percent from the field, while they are holding their opponents to 34.9 percent.
– Steve Vasturia is shooting 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field in the last five minutes of those games and Jerian Grant is 12-of-25 (.480).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Five Fighting Irish players are averaging at least 9.0 points per game this season – Jerian Grant (17.0), Pat Connaughton (13.3), Demetrius Jackson (12.8), Zach Auguste (12.7) and Steve Vasturia (9.2).
– Notre Dame has had at least four players reach double-figures in 21 of 26 games this season. The Irish have had five or more double-digit scorers on eight occasions. The Irish had a season-high six players reach double-figures against Purdue (Dec. 20).
FIGHTING IRISH GET OFFENSIVE
– The Irish rank 13th nationally (second in the ACC) in scoring (79.2 ppg.).
– Notre Dame’s 79.2 points-per-game average is the highest since the Irish averaged 81.0 ppg. during the 2006-07 campaign.
20-POINT PERFORMERS
– Four different Irish players have scored 20 or more points in a game this season. Jerian Grant has done it a team-best nine times, while Zach Auguste (3), Pat Connaughton (2) and Demetrius Jackson (2) also have netted 20-plus points on multiple occasions this season.
DRAINING FROM DEEP
– Notre Dame is 14th nationally in made three-point field goals (227) and 18th three-point field goal percentage (.400). Both of those figures lead the ACC.
– The Fighting Irish are 20th nationally (first in the ACC) in three-pointers per game (8.7). Notre Dame has made 10 or more treys in a game eight times this season (four times in ACC play).
– Notre Dame made a season-best 14 three-pointers (14-of-25) against Chicago State (Nov. 29).
– Three Irish players are shooting 42.0% or higher from three-point range (min. 50 att.) – Pat Connaughton (45.2%) Demetrius Jackson (44.0%) and V.J. Beachem (42.2%).
– Five Notre Dame players have made at least 35 treys this season – Connaughton (70), Jerian Grant (41), Jackson (40), Steve Vasturia (38) and Beachem (35).
GRANT HAS GAME
– Jerian Grant leads the ACC in assists per game (6.2) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.22). He is second in the league in minutes played (938), fourth in steals (46) and fifth in points per game (17.0). Grant is seventh in the ACC in field goal percentage (.500).
– He ranks 10th nationally in assists (162) and assists per game (6.2).
– Grant has scored 20-plus points a team-best nine times this season (five ACC games). He netted a career-high 27 points versus Michigan State (Dec. 3).
– Grant posted 23 points and a career-high 12 assists in the 77-73 triumph of Duke on Jan. 28. His 12 assists were the most ever for an Irish player in an ACC game. It was the second 20-point, 10-assist performance of Grant’s career.
– His 3.22 assist-to-turnover ratio this season ranks ninth nationally. His 2.56 career assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth among active Division I players.
GRANT ON VERGE OF JOINING 1,500-POINT, 600-ASSIST CLUB
– Jerian Grant needs one assist to become the second player in Notre Dame history with 1,500 points and 600 assists. Chris Thomas tallied 2,195 points and 833 assists from 2001-05.
– Grant ranks 14th in Irish history in points (1,554) and is third in assists (599).
GRANT KEEPS IRISH OFFENSE GOING
– Jerian Grant has had a hand in 41.9 percent of Notre Dame’s 2,059 points this season. He’s netted a team-high 443 points and his team-best 162 assists have led to 419 Fighting Irish points.
– Grant has had a hand in 119 of Notre Dame’s 227 three-pointers this season (52.4%). He has made 41 treys and he’s assisted on 78 others.
POLL WATCHING
– Notre Dame is the only team currently ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll that began the season unranked.
CONNAUGHTON A CONSISTENT PRESENCE
– Senior Pat Connaughton has started 108 consecutive games. He is the third player in Notre Dame history to start at least 100 straight games. Chris Thomas (2002-05) started all 128 games during his Fighting Irish career and Pat Garrity (1995-98) was in the starting lineup during all 111 contests of his career.
– Connaughton has played in all 127 games during his career and has started all but 16 of those contests.
GRANT IN CONTENTION FOR PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR AWARDS
– Jerian Grant has been named to the midseason watch lists for the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
PAT’S AN ALL-AROUND PERFORMER
– Pat Connaughton leads Notre Dame in rebounding (8.0 rpg.) and is second in scoring (13.3 ppg.).
– Connaughton has a team-best seven double-doubles this season (three in ACC play) and his 14 career double-doubles are the most for any current Irish player.
– He is 20th nationally (second in the ACC) in defensive rebounds per game (6.77) and he is seventh in the ACC in total rebounds per game (8.0).
– Connaughton leads the ACC (seventh nationally) in three-point percentage (.452) and made three-pointers (70).
– Connaughton is in seventh place in Irish history in made three-point field goals (245).
– Connaughton hauled down his 700th career rebound on Jan. 22 at Virginia Tech. He is the 10th player in program history with 1,300 points and 700 rebounds. Connaughton has 1,336 points and 749 rebounds during his Irish career.
A DYNAMIC DUO
– Jerian Grant leads all current ACC players in career points (1,554), while Pat Connaughton is third (1,336).
– Connaughton leads all ACC players in career rebounds (749) and Grant is first in career assists (599).
– Grant is 14th on Notre Dame’s career scoring list, while Connaughton is 26th.
– The senior duo has combined for 234 games played (216 of them starts), 2,890 points, 1,052 rebounds, 839 assists and 243 steals.
– Connaughton and Grant also have accounted for 7,909 minutes played on the court (33.8 mpg.). Grant and Connaughton rank second and third, respectively, in the ACC in minutes played this season.
– Grant boasts a 14.5 points-per-game average during his career and Connaughton has a 10.5 mark.
STARTING FIVE CONSISTENCY
– Demetrius Jackson, Jerian Grant, Steve Vasturia, Pat Connaughton and Zach Auguste have been Notre Dame’s starting five in 24 of 26 games this season.
– Jackson, Grant, Vasturia and Connaughton have started every game this season, while Auguste has 24 starts.
– Last season, the Irish used 12 different starting lineups.
AUGUSTE STAYS HOT FROM THE FIELD
– Junior forward Zach Auguste ranks eighth nationally in field goal percentage at 60.8 percent.
– Auguste has been perfect from the field three times this season – 9-9 vs. Coppin State, 7-7 vs. Northern Illinois, 5-5 vs. Grambling State. His performance against Coppin State tied a Notre Dame record for most field goals without a miss in a single game.
– Auguste netted a career-high 26 points against Florida State in the ACC opener. Those were the most points ever scored by an Irish player in an ACC game. He made a career-best 11 field goals (on 15 attempts). That was his third 20-plus point effort of the season (20 vs. Navy, 21 vs. Coppin State).
– Auguste is averaging 12.7 points per game after posting a 6.7 ppg. mark last season (+6.0).
ACTION JACKSON
– Sophomore point guard Demetrius Jackson poured in 11 points Tuesday at Clemson. Jackson has scored in double-figures 15 times in the last 17 games and 22 times overall this season (11 ACC games.).
– Jackson pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds in the win over Boston College on Feb. 4. He is the third different Irish player with 10 or more rebounds in a game this season (Zach Auguste and Pat Connaughton are the others).
– Jackson ranks sixth in the ACC in steals (41) and is ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.03).
– He has netted a career-high 22 points twice this season (Michigan State & Purdue).
– Jackson is averaging 12.8 points per game after notching a 6.0 mark last season (+6.8).
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
– The Irish are 7-2 this season in games decided by five points or less (6-1 in ACC play).
– Ten of Notre Dame’s 13 ACC contests have been decided by eight points or less and the Irish are 8-2 in those games.
– Last season, Notre Dame was 6-7 in games decided by five points or less.
OVERTIME EXCELLENCE
– The Fighting Irish are 3-0 in overtime games this season (vs. Michigan State, vs. Georgia Tech [2ot], at NC State).
– The Irish are 9-1 in their last 10 overtime contests.
– Notre Dame has won its last five overtime games that have taken place at a true road site.
– Notre Dame is 19-10 in overtime under head coach Mike Brey.
FIGHTING IRISH POST ANOTHER 20-WIN CAMPAIGN
– Notre Dame has notched at least 20 wins in eight of the last nine seasons. Last season (15-17 record) was the only time the Irish failed to reach that mark during this latest stretch.
– The Fighting Irish have reached the 20-win plateau 11 times in 15 seasons under head coach Mike Brey. The most wins for the Irish under Brey are 27 (27-7) in 2010-11.
IRISH PRODUCE 600TH WIN AT PURCELL PAVILION
– The 77-73 victory over Duke on Jan. 28 was the 600th win for Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Irish teams are 601-157 (.793) since the building opened during the 1968-69 campaign.
– The Fighting Irish are 15-1 this season at Purcell Pavilion.
– Notre Dame squads have produced five undefeated campaigns at Purcell Pavilion (three under Mike Brey) — 1973-74 (15-0), 1985-86 (15-0), 2006-07 (18-0), 2007-08 (17-0) and 2010-11 (17-0).
BREY NOTCHES 400TH CAREER WIN
– Notre Dame’s season-opening victory over Binghamton was Mike Brey’s 400th career win as a college head coach. He has registered a 421-215 (.662) record in 19-plus seasons at Delaware and Notre Dame.
– Brey earned his 300th win at Notre Dame last season. He has compiled a 322-163 (.664) record in his 14-plus seasons in South Bend. He is one of 19 active head coaches to have 300 or more Division I victories at their current institution.
– Only two other Notre Dame head coaches have reached the 300-win milestone. Digger Phelps led the Fighting Irish to a 393-197 record from 1971-91. George Keogan notched a 327-97 mark from 1923-43.
CAPTAIN CONNAUGHTON
– Senior Pat Connaughton is Notre Dame’s lone captain for the 2014-15 season. Connaughton served as one of four captains for the Irish a year ago and becomes the 22nd different Notre Dame men’s basketball player to serve as a captain in multiple seasons.
– Since the 1985-86 campaign, only four other players have served as lone captains for their Irish teams– Ken Barlow (1985-86), Tim Singleton (1990-91), Ryan Hoover (1995-96) and Rob Kurz (2007-08).
FIGHTING IRISH IN ITALY
– In early August, the Fighting Irish squad traveled to Italy for a 10-day, four-game foreign tour. Notre Dame posted a 4-0 record. The Irish visited Rome, Perugia, Pesaro, Venice and Como during the trip.
– It was the program’s first foreign tour since 2008 when the Irish ventured to Ireland for 13 days.
CONNAUGHTON DRAFTED BY ORIOLES
– The Baltimore Orioles selected Irish swingman Pat Connaughton in the fourth round of June’s Major League Baseball Draft. He was the 121st pick overall.
– Connaughton spent part of June and July pitching for the Aberdeen IronBirds, the Class A Orioles’ affiliate.
– Connaughton finished his Fighting Irish baseball career last spring. He posted a 3.03 ERA and had an 11-11 record on the mound during his three seasons. He fanned 105 batters in 154.2 innings pitched.
CONNAUGHTON A CANDIDATE FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD
– Pat Connaughton is one of 30 candidates for the 2014-15 Senior CLASS Award for men’s basketball.
– He is one of two ACC players up for the award (the other is Cameron Wright of Pittsburgh).
– To be eligible, as student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
– The winner of the Senior CLASS award will be announced during the 2015 Men’s Final Four® in Indianapolis in April.
IRISH FIRST AGAIN IN GRADUATION RATE SUCCESS
– The University of Notre Dame once again claims the 2014 national championship for graduating student-athletes in all sports–in the process posting the top NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figure (99) for its student-athletes for the eighth straight year.
– The GSR number for all Notre Dame student-athletes rates the Irish first among the football-playing institutions in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). The 2014 NCAA figures are based on entering classes from 2004 through 2007.
– Twenty-one of Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s athletic programs posted GSR numbers that rank them best in the nation within their sports (including 20 perfect 100 scores)– and 11 produced federal graduation rates that led all NCAA FBS institutions (including eight perfect 100 scores). Men’s basketball at 100 tied for first with 14 other schools.
– Five Irish women’s programs had perfect 100 federal rates ranking them first within their sports among the NCAA FBS subset. Six Irish men’s programs had federal rates ranking them first within their sports (three with perfect 100 scores) among the NCAA FBS subset. Men’s basketball at 85 ranked tied for first with Penn State.
– Five Irish women’s programs had perfect 100 federal rates ranking them first within their sports among the NCAA FBS subset. Six Irish men’s programs had federal rates ranking them first within their sports (three with perfect 100 scores) among the NCAA FBS subset. Men’s basketball at 85 ranked tied for first with Penn State.