Head coach Mike Brey has guided Notre Dame to a 6-2 road record in ACC play this season. The six victories are the most conference road wins ever for the Fighting Irish in a single campaign.

#12/11 Notre Dame Visits #16/14 Louisville On Wednesday

March 3, 2015

Notre Dame Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader

Game 30
#12/11 Notre Dame (24-5, 12-4 ACC)
vs.
#16/14 Louisville (23-6, 11-5 ACC)

Wednesday, March 4, 2015
7 p.m. (ET)
KFC Yum! Center (22,090)
Louisville, Kentucky

TV/INTERNET
ESPN2
WatchESPN
Bob Wischusen (play-by-play)
Dick Vitale (analyst)

RADIO
Broadcast on WatchND (free)
Sirius 91/XM 91 (Louisville feed)
Check affiliates on Pg. 3 of notes packet
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Jordan Cornette (analyst)

LIVE STATS

#12/11 NOTRE DAME TRAVELS TO #16/14 LOUISVILLE FOR FINAL ROAD GAME
– No. 12/11 Notre Dame (24-5, 12-4) makes its final regular-season road trip of the 2014-15 campaign Wednesday as the Fighting Irish travel to No. 16/14 Louisville (23-6, 11-5). Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. (ET) at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky.
– This is the only regular-season meeting between the Fighting Irish and Cardinals.
– Wednesday is Notre Dame’s first game since dropping a 65-60 decision to Syracuse last Tuesday at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
– Notre Dame stands third in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings, while the Cardinals are in fourth place. The Irish already have clinched a double-bye into the quarterfinals of the 2015 New York Life ACC Tournament.
– Wednesday’s contest will be broadcast on ESPN2 and WatchESPN with Bob Wischusen (play-by-play) and Dick Vitale (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 91/XM 91 (Louisville radio feed).

IRISH PRODUCING A SUPER SEASON
– Notre Dame’s 24-5 record is the best since the 2010-11 campaign when that squad also boasted the same 29-game mark. Notre Dame’s best 29-game record was produced by the 1973-74 squad at 26-3.
– Only two other Fighting Irish teams in the last 100 seasons have compiled more wins prior to the NCAA tournament (26 in 2010-11 and 25 in 2012-13).

ACC IMPROVEMENT
– With a 12-4 mark in league play, Notre Dame has a +7.0 game improvement from a year ago. Currently, that ties the Irish for 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)     12-4 (2015)  +7.0Clemson         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
– Notre Dame’s 12-4 ACC record matches the program’s best 16-game mark in conference play. The Fighting Irish were 12-4 twice in BIG EAST action (2010-11 and 2011-12).
– The most conference wins ever for Notre Dame is 14 in 2007-08 and 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 is 6-2 on the road in ACC play this season. The six victories are the most conference road wins ever for the Fighting Irish in a single campaign.

THE LOUISVILLE SERIES
– Wednesday night’s matchup will be the 33rd meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Louisville. The Cardinals have won the last two showdowns and lead the all-time series 20-12.
– Notre Dame has not played Louisville since the two schools were members of the BIG EAST Conference. The last meeting was a 69-57 Louisville victory in the semifinals of the 2013 BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
– The two schools played each other 13 times while members of the BIG EAST Conference with the Cardinals owning an 8-5 advantage. Seven of those affairs were decided in overtime.
– Prior to the last meeting, Notre Dame and Louisville had alternated wins over the last nine contests.
– Notre Dame is 1-1 at the KFC Yum! Center. In their first visit to the venue, the Irish earned a 67-65 double-overtime victory on Jan. 7, 2012 before suffering a 73-57 setback on March 9, 2013.
– Notre Dame is 2-10 all-time when playing the Cardinals in Louisville.

BLUE GRASS BLUES
– Notre Dame is 1-17 in the state of Kentucky over the course of its last 18 contests played in the Bluegrass State — 1-8 against Louisville and 0-9 versus Kentucky.
– The 67-65 double-overtime win on Jan. 7, 2012 at Louisville snapped a 16-game losing streak for Irish teams in the state of Kentucky. Prior to that win, Notre Dame’s last victory in the Bluegrass State was a 67-61 triumph of Kentucky on Dec. 27, 1980 in Louisville’s Freedom Hall.

WORKING OVERTIME
– Five of the last eight meetings between Notre Dame and Louisville have gone to overtime. That includes two double-overtime contests and the memorable five-overtime classic in February 2013 that saw the Irish come away with a 104-101 victory.
– The Irish are 3-2 in those five overtime games.
– In fact, six of the last 10 encounters between the Irish and Cardinals have gone to overtime. Seven of the 13 games played between the two teams after Louisville joined the BIG EAST in 2005 were decided in overtime.
– The five-overtime marathon on Feb. 9, 2013 proved to be the longest regular-season game in BIG EAST history.

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 late Thursday night 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.

SYRACUSE NOTES
– Notre Dame has not played since last Tuesday’s 65-60 setback to Syracuse at Purcell Pavilion.
– The Irish fell to 7-3 this season in games decided by five points or less (6-2 in ACC play).
– Notre Dame’s 34.7 shooting percentage (17-49) from the field was the second lowest of the season. The 17 field goals were a season low and the fewest made by the Irish ever in an ACC contest.
– The three three-pointers (3-22) that the Irish connected on were the fewest since they made just two last season at Wake Forest.
– Syracuse won its third straight game against the Irish.
– Notre Dame fell to 6-3 when trailing at halftime.
– The 22 first-half points signified the lowest scoring output for Notre Dame in any half this season.
Pat Connaughton recorded a team-best eighth double-double with his 13 points and career-high 15 rebounds. It also marked the 15th double-double of his career.

CAREER-HIGH OUTPUT FOR COLSON
– Freshman forward Bonzie Colson has netted a career-high 16 points in each of the last two games (Boston College & Syracuse).
– He also pulled down a career-best six rebounds in the victory at Boston College, which was a homecoming for the New Bedford, Massachusetts native.

CASHING IN FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
– The Fighting Irish are 60-of-70 (.857) from the free throw line in the last three games. Notre Dame was 27-of-28 versus Wake Forest, 10-of-12 (10-of-10 in the second half) against Boston College and 23-of-30 in the loss to Syracuse.
– Notre Dame has made more free throws (406) than its opponents have attempted (384) this season.

GRANT KEEPS IRISH OFFENSE GOING
Jerian Grant has had a hand in 42.9 percent of Notre Dame’s 2,294 points this season. He’s netted a team-high 490 points and his team-best 192 assists have led to 493 Fighting Irish points.
– Grant has been involved in 135 of Notre Dame’s 248 made three-pointers this season (54.4%). He has deposited 43 treys and he’s assisted on 92 others.
– Notre Dame has made 21 three-pointers in the last three games (Wake Forest, Boston College, Syracuse). Grant has made two of those while assisting on 14.

HIGH MARKS
– Notre Dame ranks in the top five nationally in six categories: field goal% (2nd, 50.8%), fewest personal fouls per game (4th, 13.9), fewest fouls (4th, 404), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 1.63), fewest turnovers per game (4th, 9.3) and fewest turnovers (5th, 269).

HOT SHOTS
– Notre Dame boasts the nation’s second-best field goal percentage (.508).
– 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) — Zach Auguste (61.1%), Bonzie Colson (59.7%), Demetrius Jackson (50.0%), Jerian Grant (49.5%), Steve Vasturia (47.5%), Pat Connaughton (47.0%) and V.J. Beachem (45.8%).

TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
– Notre Dame ranks fourth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.63) and fourth in fewest turnovers per game (9.3).
– The Irish have committed less than 10 turnovers in four of the last six games. Notre Dame has turned the ball over less than 10 times 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 (16.9), Pat Connaughton (13.1), Zach Auguste (12.6), Demetrius Jackson (12.2), and Steve Vasturia (9.2).
– 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 24 of 29 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 eighth nationally (second in the ACC) in scoring (79.1 ppg.).
– The Fighting Irish have scored 80-plus points six times in ACC play, which is the most for any squad in the league.
– Notre Dame’s 79.1 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 10 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 21st nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.394) and 24th in made three-point field goals (248). Both of those figures lead the ACC.
– The Fighting Irish are 22nd nationally (first in the ACC) in three-pointers per game (8.6).
– 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 (44.6%), Demetrius Jackson (42.7%) and V.J. Beachem (42.4%).
– Five Notre Dame players have made at least 39 treys this season – Connaughton (78), Steve Vasturia (44), Jerian Grant (43), Jackson (41) and Beachem (39).

GRANT HAS GAME
Jerian Grant has posted a double-double in two of the last three 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 is 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 has four double-doubles this season and eight during his career.
– Grant leads the ACC in assists per game (6.6) and total assists (192), while he is second in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.29) and free throws made (117).
– He ranks eighth nationally in assists per game (6.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (3.29).
– 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.
– His 3.29 assist-to-turnover ratio this season ranks eighth nationally. His 2.60 career assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth among active Division I players.
– Grant has made 24 of his last 27 free throw attempts.

CONNAUGHTON A CONSISTENT PRESENCE
– Senior Pat Connaughton has started 111 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 130 games during his career and has started all but 16 of those contests.

CONNAUGHTON AND GRANT IN CONTENTION FOR HONORS
Jerian Grant has been named to the midseason watch lists for the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and 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 (8.0 rpg.) and is second in scoring (13.1 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 (sixth nationally) in three-point percentage (.446). He is second in the league in made three-pointers (78) and three-pointers per game (2.7).
– Connaughton ranks sixth in Notre Dame history in made three-pointers (253).
– He is 17th nationally (second in the ACC) in defensive rebounds per game (6.79) and he is seventh in the ACC in total rebounds per game (8.0).
– Connaughton has 1,370 points and 772 rebounds during his Irish career. He is the 10th player in program history with 1,300 points and 700 rebounds.

A DYNAMIC DUO
Jerian Grant is second among current ACC players in career points (1,601), while Pat Connaughton is fourth (1,370).
– Connaughton leads all current ACC players in career rebounds (772) and Grant is first in career assists (629).
– Grant is 13th on Notre Dame’s career scoring list, while Connaughton is 23rd.
– The senior duo has combined for 240 games played (222 of them starts), 2,971 points, 1,084 rebounds, 872 assists and 250 steals.
– Connaughton and Grant also have accounted for 8,127 minutes played on the court (33.9 mpg.). Grant and Connaughton rank third and ninth, respectively, in the ACC in minutes played this season.
– Grant boasts a 14.6 points-per-game average during his career and Connaughton has a 10.5 mark.

GRANT JOINS 1,600-POINT, 600-ASSIST CLUB
– With his 13 points against Syracuse last Tuesday, Jerian Grant became the second player in Notre Dame history with 1,600 points and 600 assists.
– Grant ranks 13th in Irish history in points (1,601) and third in assists (629).
– Chris Thomas (2001-05) tallied 2,195 points and 833 assists for the Irish.

STARTING FIVE CONSISTENCY
Demetrius Jackson, Jerian Grant, Steve Vasturia, Pat Connaughton and Zach Auguste have been Notre Dame’s starting five in 27 of 29 games this season.
– Jackson, Grant, Vasturia and Connaughton have started every game this season, while Auguste has 27 starts.
– Last season, the Irish used 12 different starting lineups.

AUGUSTE STAYS HOT FROM THE FIELD
– Junior forward Zach Auguste boasts a .611 field goal percentage, which ranks seventh nationally.
– 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 12.6 points per game after posting a 6.7 ppg. mark last season (+5.9).

ACTION JACKSON
– Sophomore point guard Demetrius Jackson has scored in double-figures in 12 of 16 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 (44).
– He has netted a career-high 22 points twice this season (Michigan State & Purdue).
– Jackson is averaging 12.2 points per game after notching a 6.0 mark last season (+6.2).

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 423-216 (.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 324-164 (.664) 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.