Jerian Grant scored a game-high 22 points, dished out five assists and had three steals in 40 minutes on the court in the 60-58 win at Clemson on Feb. 10.

#12/11 Irish To Clash With Clemson On Senior Day

March 6, 2015

Notre Dame Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader

Game 31
Clemson (16-13, 8-9 ACC)
vs.
#12/11 Notre Dame (25-5, 13-4 ACC)

Saturday, March 7, 2015
4 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Indiana

TV/INTERNET
ACC Network (check local listings)
WatchESPN
Tim Brant (play-by-play)
Bobby Cremins (analyst)

RADIO
Broadcast on WatchND (free)
Sirius 84/XM 84 (Notre Dame feed)
Check affiliates on Pg. 3 of notes packet
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Jordan Cornette (analyst)

LIVE STATS

#12/11 NOTRE DAME TO CLASH WITH CLEMSON ON SENIOR DAY
– No. 12/11 Notre Dame (25-5, 13-4) will conclude the regular season Saturday with a home showdown against Clemson (16-13, 8-9). Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m. (ET) inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
– Notre Dame senior players Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant will be honored prior to Saturday’s contest.
– This is the second meeting of the season between the Fighting Irish and Tigers. Notre Dame won at Clemson, 60-58, on Feb. 10.
– Notre Dame has clinched the No. 3 seed and a double-bye for next week’s New York Life ACC Tournament. Clemson currently is tied with Pittsburgh for ninth place in the league standings.
– Saturday’s contest will be broadcast on the ACC Network (check local listings) and WatchESPN with Tim Brant (play-by-play) and Bobby Cremins (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 84/XM 84 (Notre Dame radio feed).

IRISH PRODUCING A SUPER SEASON
– This season’s 25 wins are tied for the fourth-most in Notre Dame history.
– Only two other Fighting Irish teams in the last 100 seasons have compiled at least 25 wins prior to the NCAA tournament (26 in 2010-11 and 25 in 2012-13).
– Notre Dame has won at least 25 games four times in the last eight seasons, including twice in the last three campaigns.

ACC IMPROVEMENT
– With a 13-4 mark in league play, Notre Dame has a +7.5 game improvement from a year ago. Currently, that is the second-best single-season improvement in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Team            1st Year        2nd Year        Imp.North Carolina  5-11 (2010)     14-2 (2011)     +9.0Notre Dame      6-12 (2014)     13-4 (2015)     +7.5Clemson         3-11 (1986)     10-4 (1987)     +7.0NC State        2-12 (1967)     9-5 (1968)      +7.0Wake Forest     5-9 (1959)      12-2 (1960)     +7.0

CONFERENCE CALL
– A win on Saturday would give Notre Dame its 14th ACC victory of the season and that would tie the program record for league wins in a single campaign. The Fighting Irish went 14-4 in BIG EAST play twice (2007-08 & 2010-11).
– Notre Dame has won at least 10 conference games five times in the last six seasons.
– Head coach Mike Brey has guided the Irish to at least 10 league wins in 10 of his 15 seasons in South Bend (9 BIG EAST, 1 ACC).
– 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.

ROAD WARRIORS
– Notre Dame finished its ACC road schedule with a 7-2 record. The Fighting Irish had never won six conference road games in a single campaign prior to this season.
– The Irish are 9-3 this season in games played away from Purcell Pavilion. In those 12 games, Notre Dame has been outscored 429-418 in the first half, but the Irish own a 480-397 scoring advantage in the second half and overtime.

CLEMSON CONNECTION
– While Notre Dame and Clemson don’t share much of a history on the basketball court, Fighting Irish senior guard Jerian Grant is quite familiar with the Tiger program. Grant’s older brother, Jerai, played for Clemson from 2007-11 and their father, Harvey, played for the Tigers for one season (1984-85) before eventually transferring to Oklahoma. Harvey’s twin brother, Horace, was a member of the Clemson basketball team from 1983-87.
Jerian Grant scored a game-high 22 points, dished out five assists and had three steals in 40 minutes on the court in the win at Clemson on Feb. 10.

IRISH ATHLETICS TO HONOR FATHER HESBURGH
– The University of Notre Dame athletics department will commemorate the legacy of long-time University president Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, C.S.C., in a number of ways. Father Hesburgh died February 26 at age 97. He served as University president from 1952-87.
– Notre Dame athletic teams will wear “Fr. Ted” patches or stickers on some combination of their uniforms, warm-ups or helmets.
– Moments of silence will be observed prior to home events in each of Notre Dame’s 26 varsity sports.
– In the near future, there will be commemorative signage created for each Notre Dame home athletic venue–to be featured either on the field or court itself or displayed elsewhere at the facility.

LOUISVILLE NOTES
– Wednesday’s 71-59 victory at No. 16/14 Louisville signified the highest-ranked opponent Notre Dame defeated on the road since a 67-65 double-overtime victory at No. 11/10 Louisville on Jan. 7, 2012.
– Notre Dame improved to 5-0 this season following a loss.
– The Fighting Irish shot 53.5 percent from the field. It was the 19th time this season (seventh in ACC play) Notre Dame shot 50 percent or above from the floor.
– The Irish were 20-of-25 (.800) from the free throw line.
– Notre Dame led 42-31 at halftime. The Fighting Irish are 19-2 this season when ahead at the intermission.
– It was the 33rd meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Louisville and the first as ACC foes. The Cardinals lead the series 20-13 and they had won two straight against the Irish prior to tonight. Notre Dame has won two of the last three showdowns at Louisville. The Fighting Irish are 3-10 all-time when facing the Cardinals in Louisville.

CAREER-HIGH OUTPUTS FOR COLSON
– Freshman forward Bonzie Colson has posted a career-high point total in each of the last three games. He tallied 16 points against Boston College and Syracuse before posting 17 points on Wednesday versus Louisville.
– Colson was 7-of-7 from the field against Louisville and he also pulled down a career-best nine rebounds while playing a career-high 26 minutes.
– In the last three games, Colson is averaging team-high marks for points (16.3) and rebounds (6.7) and he is 19-of-24 (.792) from the field. Colson is averaging those figures while playing just 19.7 minutes per game in those contests.

CASHING IN FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
– The Fighting Irish are 80-of-95 (.842) from the charity stripe in the last four games.
– Notre Dame was 27-of-28 versus Wake Forest, 10-of-12 (10-of-10 in the second half) against Boston College, 23-of-30 in the loss to Syracuse and 20-of-25 versus Louisville.
– Notre Dame has made more free throws (426) than its opponents have attempted (402) this season.

GRANT KEEPS IRISH OFFENSE GOING
Jerian Grant has had a hand in 42.7 percent of Notre Dame’s 2,365 points this season. He’s netted a team-high 502 points and his team-best 199 assists have led to 509 Fighting Irish points.
– Grant has been involved in 138 of Notre Dame’s 253 made three-pointers this season (54.5%). He has deposited 44 treys and he’s assisted on 94 others.
– Grant has had a hand in 19 of Notre Dame’s 26 made three-pointers (73.1%) in the last four games (Wake Forest, Boston College, Syracuse, Louisville). He has made three of those treys while assisting on 16.

HIGH MARKS
– Notre Dame ranks in the top five nationally in five categories: field goal% (2nd, 50.9%), fewest personal fouls per game (4th, 14.0), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 1.61), fewest turnovers per game (4th, 9.3) and fewest turnovers (5th, 280).

HOT SHOTS
– Notre Dame boasts the nation’s second-best field goal percentage (.509).
– The Irish shot a season-best 66.0 percent from the field against Boston College (Feb. 21). It was the third time this season (first in ACC play) that Notre Dame shot 60 percent from the floor.
– Seven Notre Dame players are shooting better than 45.0 percent from the field (min. 60 attempts) — Bonzie Colson (63.1%), Zach Auguste (61.0%), Demetrius Jackson (50.2%), Jerian Grant (49.3%), Steve Vasturia (47.6%), Pat Connaughton (46.5%) and V.J. Beachem (45.5%).

TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
– Notre Dame ranks fourth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.61) and fourth in fewest turnovers per game (9.3).
– The Irish have committed less than 10 turnovers in 10 ACC games this season.
– Notre Dame had a season-low four turnovers against Michigan State (Dec. 3).

SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Five Fighting Irish players are averaging at least 9.0 points per game this season – Jerian Grant (16.7), Pat Connaughton (12.8), Demetrius Jackson (12.5), Zach Auguste (12.2) and Steve Vasturia (9.3).
– Notre Dame matched a season-best mark with six double-figure scorers in the win at Boston College (Feb. 21). The Irish also had six double-digit scorers versus Purdue (Dec. 20).
– Notre Dame has had at least four players reach double-figures in 25 of 30 games this season.
– The Fighting Irish have had five or more double-digit scorers on 10 occasions.
– Six different Notre Dame players (Auguste, Colson, Connaughton, Grant, Jackson, Vasturia) have led the team in scoring during an ACC game this season.

FIGHTING IRISH GET OFFENSIVE
– Notre Dame is 11th nationally (second in the ACC) in scoring (78.8 ppg.).
– The Fighting Irish have scored 80-plus points six times in ACC play, which is tied with Duke and North Carolina for the most in the league.
– Notre Dame’s 78.8 points-per-game average is the highest since the Irish averaged 79.0 ppg. during the 2007-08 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 10 times, while Zach Auguste (3), Demetrius Jackson (3) and Pat Connaughton (2) and also have netted 20-plus points on multiple occasions this season.

DRAINING FROM DEEP
– Notre Dame is 21st nationally (first in ACC) in made three-point field goals (253) and 23rd nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.392).
– The Fighting Irish are 25th nationally (first in the ACC) in three-pointers per game (8.4).
– Notre Dame has made 10 or more treys in a game nine times this season (five 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 40.0 percent or higher from three-point range (min. 50 att.) – Pat Connaughton (43.9%), Demetrius Jackson (42.6%) and V.J. Beachem (41.9%).
– Five Notre Dame players have made at least 39 treys this season – Connaughton (79), Steve Vasturia (45), Jerian Grant (44), Jackson (43) and Beachem (39).

GRANT HAS GAME
Jerian Grant is the only player in the country who is averaging at least 16.0 points per game, 6.0 assists per game and is shooting at least 48.0 percent from the field.
– Grant has scored 20-plus points a team-best 10 times this season (six 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.
– He has four double-doubles this season and eight during his career. He has posted a double-double twice in the last four games. He tallied 24 points and 10 assists in the win over Wake Forest (Feb. 17) and followed that up with a 10-point, 11-assist effort at Boston College (Feb. 21).
– He became the first Notre Dame player with 10-plus assists in back-to-back games since Chris Thomas did so on Dec. 14 & 22, 2002.
– Grant leads the ACC in assists per game (6.6) and total assists (198), while he is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.14) and free throws made (120).
– He ranks eighth nationally in assists per game (6.6) and 11th assist-to-turnover ratio (3.14).
– His 2.57 career assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth among active Division I players.

CONNAUGHTON A CONSISTENT PRESENCE
– Senior Pat Connaughton has started 112 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 131 games during his career and has started all but 16 of those contests.

CONNAUGHTON AND GRANT IN CONTENTION FOR HONORS
Jerian Grant is a semifinalist for the Naismith Trophy and he is on the midseason watch list for the John R. Wooden Award. He also is a finalist for the Oscar Robertson Trophy. He also is one of 16 candidates for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.
Pat Connaughton is among 15 candidates for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
– The West and Erving awards will be presented April 10 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at ESPN’s new College Basketball Show live from Club Nokia in Los Angeles.

PAT’S AN ALL-AROUND PERFORMER
Pat Connaughton leads the Irish in rebounding (7.9 rpg.) and is second in scoring (12.8 ppg.).
– Connaughton has a team-best eight double-doubles this season (four in ACC play) and his 15 career double-doubles are the most for any current Irish player.
– He tallied 13 points and a career-high 15 rebounds last Tuesday versus Syracuse.
– Connaughton leads the ACC (eighth nationally) in three-point percentage (.439). He is second in the league in made three-pointers (79) and three-pointers per game (2.6).
– Connaughton ranks sixth in Notre Dame history in made three-pointers (254).
– He has made at least one three-pointer in 20 consecutive games, which is the longest active streak for the Fighting Irish.
– He is 17th nationally (second in the ACC) in defensive rebounds per game (6.77) and he is eighth in the ACC in total rebounds per game (7.9).
– Connaughton has 1,375 points and 778 rebounds during his Irish career. He is the 10th player in program history with 1,300 points and 700 rebounds.

GRANT JOINS 1,600-POINT, 600-ASSIST CLUB
– With his 13 points against Syracuse on Feb. 24, Jerian Grant became the second player in Notre Dame history with 1,600 points and 600 assists. Chris Thomas (2001-05) tallied 2,195 points and 833 assists for the Irish.
– Grant ranks 13th in Irish history in points (1,613) and third in assists (636).

STARTING FIVE CONSISTENCY
Demetrius Jackson, Jerian Grant, Steve Vasturia, Pat Connaughton and Zach Auguste have been Notre Dame’s starting five in 28 of 30 games this season.
– Jackson, Grant, Vasturia and Connaughton have started every game this season, while Auguste has 28 starts.
– Last season, the Irish used 12 different starting lineups.

AUGUSTE STAYS HOT FROM THE FIELD
– Junior forward Zach Auguste boasts a .610 field goal percentage, which would rank seventh nationally if he had enough attempts.
– 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 are 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 12.2 points per game after posting a 6.7 ppg. mark last season (+5.5).

ACTION JACKSON
– Sophomore point guard Demetrius Jackson tallied a team-high 21 points in Wednesday’s win at Louisville. Those were the most points he’s ever scored in an ACC game. He made a career-high seven free throws (on seven attempts) against the Cardinals.
– Jackson has scored in double-figures in 13 of 17 ACC games this season.
– 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 seventh in the ACC in steals (48). He had four steals in Wednesday’s win at Louisville.
– He has netted a career-high 22 points twice this season (Michigan State & Purdue).
– Jackson is averaging 12.5 points per game after notching a 6.0 mark last season (+6.5).

STEVE ON A HOT STREAK
– Sophomore guard Steve Vasturia has registered a double-digit point total six times in the last eight games. He has reached double-figures 15 times this season (nine ACC games).

COMEBACK KIDS
– Notre Dame has overcome a deficit of 10 points or larger en route to a victory six times this season (see breakdown on Pg. 5).
– The Irish are 6-3 this season when trailing at halftime. All six wins have come in ACC play.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
– The Irish are 7-3 this season in games decided by five points or less (6-2 in ACC play).
– Eleven of Notre Dame’s 16 ACC contests have been decided by eight points or less and the Irish are 8-3 in those games.
– Last season, Notre Dame was 6-7 in games decided by five points or less.

OVERTIME EXCELLENCE
– The Irish are 3-0 in overtime games this season (vs. Michigan State, vs. Georgia Tech [2ot], at NC State).
– The Fighting 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 hit 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 602-158 (.792) since the building opened during the 1968-69 campaign.
– The Fighting Irish are 16-2 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 424-216 (.663) record in 19-plus seasons at Delaware and Notre Dame.
– Brey earned his 300th win at Notre Dame last season. He has compiled a 325-164 (.665) record in his 14-plus seasons in South Bend. He is one of 20 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.

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.