Jan. 8, 2015
Game 17
#3/3 Virginia (14-0, 2-0 ACC)
vs.
#13/12 Notre Dame (15-1, 3-0 ACC)
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2015
6 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Ind.
TV/INTERNET
ESPN2
WatchESPN
Dave O’Brien (play-by-play)
Doris Burke (analyst)
RADIO
Broadcast on WatchND (free)
Sirius 91/XM 91
Check affiliates on Pg. 3 of notes packet
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Torrian Jones (analyst)
LIVE STATS
#13/12 NOTRE DAME HOSTS #3/3 VIRGINIA IN KEY ACC CLASH
– No. 13/12 Notre Dame (15-1, 3-0) will play host to No. 3/3 Virginia (14-0, 2-0) Saturday at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. The key Atlantic Coast Conference clash is slated for 6 p.m. (ET).
– The game will be broadcast on ESPN2 and WatchESPN with Dave O’Brien (play-by-play) and Doris Burke (analyst) on the call.
– A free audio broadcast will be available on WatchND. Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and former Irish standout Torrian Jones (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.
– The Fighting Irish sit atop the ACC standings, while Virginia is in a four-way tie for second place.
TOP-10 TOPPERS
– Notre Dame has won five straight home games against Associated Press top-10 teams.
1-4-14 vs. #7 Duke (79-77)
11-29-12 vs. #8 Kentucky (64-50)
1-21-12 vs. #1 Syracuse (67-58)
1-4-11 vs. #8 Connecticut (73-70)
12-29-10 vs. #9 Georgetown (69-55)
– The Fighting Irish are 13-6 at home under head coach Mike Brey against teams ranked in the top-10 of the AP poll.
– Overall, Notre Dame is 5-5 in its last 10 showdowns with an AP top-10 foe. The Irish are 18-28 against teams ranked in the top-10 of the AP poll under Brey.
– Saturday will be the first time a top-15 Irish squad has played host to a top-five team since No. 10 Notre Dame defeated No. 4 Pittsburgh, 66-64, on Feb. 9, 2003 at Purcell Pavilion.
STREAKING
– Notre Dame is riding an 11-game win streak, which is the longest for the Irish since they won 12 straight during the 2012-13 season (Nov. 17, 2012-Jan. 7, 2013).
– This is Notre Dame’s third winning streak of at least 11 games during the Mike Brey era (since 2000-01). The Fighting Irish posted 12-game streaks in 2006-07 and 2012-13.
A SOLID START
– Notre Dame (15-1) has 15 wins in its first 16 games of a season for the first time since the 1973-74 campaign when that Irish squad started 24-1. The 15 victories equals Notre Dame’s win total from last season.
– The Fighting Irish are 3-0 in conference play (BIG EAST & ACC) for the first time ever.
– 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).
– Notre Dame and Wisconsin are the only teams in the country with 15 wins (as of games played Jan. 7).
HIGH MARKS
– Notre Dame ranks in the top five nationally in seven categories: field goal% (1st, 54.8%), assist-to-turnover ratio (2nd, 1.66), scoring margin (3rd, +22.6), points per game (3rd, 85.0), fewest turnovers per game (4th, 9.4), won-lost% (4th, .938) and fewest personal fouls per game (5th, 13.8).
IRISH IN THE POLLS
– Notre Dame is No. 12 in the latest USA Today Coaches Poll and the Irish are No. 13 in the Associated Press rankings. It’s the highest ranking for the Irish since they were No. 5 in the AP poll prior to the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
THE VIRGINIA SERIES
– Saturday will be the ninth meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Virginia. The Cavaliers have won seven straight, including two showdowns last season, over the Irish and lead the series 7-1.
– Last season, Virginia captured a 68-53 decision at Purcell Pavilion (Jan. 28, 2014) and then topped the Irish 70-49 in Charlottesville (Feb. 22, 2014). The 49 points were a season low for the Irish.
– Notre Dame’s only win over Virginia came on Feb. 22, 1981, in Chicago, Ill., as the 11th-ranked Irish handed the top-ranked Cavaliers a 57-56 setback on an Orlando Woolridge jumper as time expired. The Cavaliers entered that contest 22-0. That was the only other meeting prior to Saturday’s encounter where both teams were ranked.
CAVALIER CONNECTIONS
– Irish assistant coach Anthony Solomon was a member of the Cavalier basketball program from 1983-87.
– During his tenure, Virginia made one NIT appearance and earned three NCAA tournament berths. His 1983-84 squad earned a trip to the Final Four in Seattle, Wash.
– Over the course of Solomon’s four seasons, the Cavaliers won 78 contests.
– His wife, the former Tracy Coleburn, was a track standout at Virginia.
TAR HEEL TAKEAWAYS
– Monday was the 23rd meeting all-time between Notre Dame and North Carolina and the third as ACC counterparts. Notre Dame captured its first win in Chapel Hill (1-3).
– The Tar Heels had won five straight versus the Irish prior to Monday. It was Notre Dame’s first win over North Carolina since Jan. 11, 1992 (88-76 at Madison Square Garden). North Carolina leads the series 18-5. It was the first time the Irish were the higher ranked team in the matchup.
– Notre Dame was 10-of-23 from three-point range. It was the fifth time this season (third time in the last four games) the Irish made 10 or more three-pointers in a contest.
– The Fighting Irish shot 46.0% (23-50) from the field, which was just the second time this season Notre Dame did not shoot at least 50% from the floor.
– North Carolina shot 36.9% (24-65) from the floor. It marked the 10th time this season the Irish held their opponent under 40% from the field.
– The Irish tied a season-high mark with seven blocked shots.
– Notre Dame’s 71 points were a season low (previous low 74 versus Providence).
– Notre Dame only committed eight turnovers. It signified the ninth time this season the Irish had fewer than 10 turnovers in a game.
– Notre Dame led 38-34 at halftime. The Irish are 14-0 this season when leading at the intermission.
– Notre Dame improved to 14-12 in one-point games under head coach Mike Brey.
– The Fighting Irish are 2-0 versus ranked teams this season (Michigan State) and 51-73 under Brey.
HOT SHOTS
– Notre Dame leads the nation in field goal percentage at 54.8 percent.
– The Irish have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 14 of 16 games this season and they topped 60.0 percent in two contests — 65.6 percent (40-61) vs. Coppin State and 62.2 percent (28-45) against Grambling State.
– All five Notre Dame starters are shooting better than 49.0 percent from the field — Zach Auguste (67.1%), Demetrius Jackson (56.1%), Jerian Grant (51.3%), Steve Vasturia (51.0%) and Pat Connaughton (49.4%).
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
– Notre Dame ranks second nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.66) and fourth in fewest turnovers per game (9.4).
– The Irish have committed fewer than 10 turnovers in nine games this season. Notre Dame had a season-low four turnovers against Michigan State (Dec. 3).
FIGHTING IRISH GET OFFENSIVE
– The Irish rank third nationally – and first in the ACC – in scoring (85.0 ppg.).
– Notre Dame’s 85.0 points-per-game average is the highest since the Irish averaged 85.4 ppg. during the 1976-77 campaign.
– The Fighting Irish have deposited 90-plus points six times this season.
GRANT HAS GAME
– Senior guard Jerian Grant leads the ACC in assists per game (6.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (3.85), points (276) and total minutes (556) and he is third in points per game (17.3).
– Grant’s 3.85 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks sixth nationally. His 2.56 career assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth among active Division I players.
– Grant had his 17-game double-figure scoring streak snapped on Monday at North Carolina.
– Grant scored a career-high 27 points versus Michigan State on Dec. 3.
GRANT KEEPS IRISH OFFENSE GOING
– Jerian Grant has had a hand in 38.7 percent of Notre Dame’s 1,360 points this season. He’s netted a team-high 276 points and his team-best 101 assists have led to 250 Fighting Irish points.
– Grant assisted on six of Notre Dame’s 10 three-pointers on Monday at North Carolina.
– Grant has had a hand in 75 of Notre Dame’s 141 three-pointers this season (.532). Grant has made 27 treys and he’s assisted on 48 others.
GRANT ON PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR WATCH LISTS
– Jerian Grant has been named to the watch lists for the John R. Wooden Award, the Oscar Robertson Trophy and the Naismith Trophy.
STARTING FIVE CONSISTENCY
– Notre Dame has fielded the same starting lineup of Jerian Grant, Demetrius Jackson, Pat Connaughton, Steve Vasturia and Zach Auguste in each of its first 16 games.
– Last season, the Irish juggled its starting lineup throughout the season and ended up with 12 different rotations throughout the 2013-14 campaign.
– Through 16 games last season, Notre Dame already had five different starting lineups.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Four Fighting Irish players are averaging at least 13 points per game this season – Jerian Grant (17.3), Zach Auguste (14.9), Demetrius Jackson (14.3) and Pat Connaughton (13.9).
– Notre Dame’s starting five (Auguste, Connaughton, Grant, Jackson, Vasturia) all scored in double-figures three times in the last five games (Purdue, Northern Illinois, Georgia Tech) and four times overall this season.
– Notre Dame has had at least four players reach double-figures in 14 of 16 games this season. The Irish have had five or more double-digit scorers on five occasions. The Irish had a season-high six players reach double-figures against Purdue (Dec. 20).
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 five times, while Zach Auguste (3) and Demetrius Jackson (2) also have notched multiple 20-point efforts. Pat Connaughton has netted 20-plus points once this season.
DRAINING FROM DEEP
– Notre Dame is ninth nationally in made three-point field goals (141) and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.406). Both of those figures lead the ACC.
– The Irish are 19th nationally (first in the ACC) in three-pointers per game (8.8).
– The Irish have deposited 10 or more treys in a game five times this season. Notre Dame made a season-best 14 three-pointers (14-of-25) against Chicago State (Nov. 29).
– Pat Connaughton leads the ACC in made three-pointers (44), three-point percentage (.458) and three-pointers per game (2.75).
– Connaughton ranks eighth in Irish history in made three-point field goals (219).
PAT’S AN ALL-AROUND PERFORMER
– Senior guard Pat Connaughton has a team-high four double-doubles this season and his 11 career double-doubles are the most for any current Irish player.
– Connaughton tallied a season-high 21 points and 10 rebounds versus Northern Illinois (Dec. 22) after going for 19 points and a career-high tying 14 boards against Purdue (Dec. 20).
– Connaughton leads Notre Dame in rebounding (8.3 rpg.) and is fourth in scoring (13.9 ppg.).
– He ranks ninth nationally (first in the ACC) in defensive rebounds per game (7.13) and he is eighth in the ACC in total rebounds per game (8.3).
– On Monday at North Carolina, Connaughton pulled down a game-best nine rebounds. He also tied a career-high total with three blocked shots, which were a game-high mark. The three blocks are the most for any Irish player this season.
IRONMAN
– Senior Pat Connaughton has played in all 117 games during his career and has started all but 16 of those contests. He has 101 career starts, including 98 straight. Connaughton became the 10th player in program history to notch at least 100 starts.
– Connaughton played a game-high 39 minutes Monday at North Carolina after playing all 50 minutes of Saturday’s double-overtime victory over Georgia Tech.
– Last season, Connaughton played every minute of eight games, including six ACC contests.
AUGUSTE STAYS HOT FROM THE FIELD
– Junior forward Zach Auguste ranks second nationally in field goal percentage at 67.1 percent.
– Auguste has a team-best (and career-high) eight-game double-figure scoring streak.
– 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 14.9 points per game after posting a 6.7 ppg. mark last season (+8.2).
ACTION JACKSON
– Sophomore point guard Demetrius Jackson has scored in double-figures in each of the last seven games, which is a career-best streak.
– Jackson has netted a career-high 22 points twice this season (Michigan State & Purdue).
– Jackson ranks first in the ACC (16th nationally) in steals (35) and is sixth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3).
– On Monday at North Carolina, he dished out four assists and did not commit a turnover in 32 minutes on the floor.
– Jackson is averaging 14.3 points per game after notching a 6.0 mark last season (+8.3).
A DYNAMIC DUO
– Jerian Grant leads all current ACC players in career points (1,387), while Pat Connaughton is third (1,212).
– Connaughton leads all ACC players in career rebounds (673) and Grant is first in career assists (538).
– The senior duo has combined for 214 games played (196 of them starts), 2,599 points, 952 rebounds, 763 assists and 214 steals.
– Connaughton and Grant also have accounted for 7,154 minutes played on the court (33.4 mpg.). They both played all 50 minutes in Saturday’s double-overtime win over Georgia Tech.
MILESTONES
– Jerian Grant (1,387 points & 538 assists) is the sixth player in program history to score 1,000 points and dish off 500 assists. Four of those players have played during the Mike Brey era (Chris Thomas, Tory Jackson and Eric Atkins are the others).
– Pat Connaughton (1,212 points & 673 rebounds) is the first Notre Dame player to notch 1,000 points and 600 rebounds since Luke Harangody (2006-10).
1,000-POINT PLAYERS
– Jerian Grant (1,387) and Pat Connaughton (1,212) are the 55th and 56th members of Notre Dame’s 1,000-point club. Grant reached the milestone last season, while Connaughton did so in the 2014-15 season opener against Binghamton.
– Grant is tied with Colin Falls for 20th on Notre Dame’s career scoring list, while Connaughton is 37th.
– Grant boasts a 14.3 points-per-game average during his career and Connaughton has a 10.4 mark.
DEFENSIVE DISPLAYS
– Notre Dame ranks fourth in the ACC in total steals (117). Individually, Demetrius Jackson leads the league in steals (35), while Jerian Grant is eighth (24). – The Irish have held 10 of 16 opponents under 40.0% shooting from the floor this season.
– The 39 points scored by Binghamton in the season opener marked the third time that a Notre Dame team under Mike Brey has held an opponent to under 40 points and the first time since 2007.
– The Irish limited Chicago State to just 42 points in the 90-42 win on Nov. 29. The 48-point margin of victory was the largest for Notre Dame since a 50-point win (101-51) over Rider on Dec. 28, 2006.
BEACHEM BOMBS AWAY OFF THE BENCH
– Sophomore forward V.J. Beachem is 20-of-38 (.526) from three-point range this season. He was 3-of-4 from beyond the arc Monday at North Carolina.
– His top three-point effort of the season came against Coppin State (Nov. 19) as he connected on 5-of-6 attempts from long range.
– Beachem missed five straight games earlier this season due to injury, but returned to the floor Dec. 22 versus Northern Illinois.
BREY NOTCHES 400TH CAREER WIN
– Notre Dame’s season opener against Binghamton signaled the beginning of head coach Mike Brey’s 20th season as a head coach. The 82-39 win over the Bearcats marked his 400th career win as a college head coach. He has registered a 414-212 (.661) record in 19-plus seasons at Delaware and Notre Dame.
– Brey earned his 300th win at Notre Dame last season against Georgia Tech (Feb. 26, 2014). He has compiled a 315-160 (.663) record in his 14-plus seasons in South Bend. He is one of 18 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.
IRISH ECLIPSE CENTURY MARK AGAIN
– The 104 points scored by the Irish in the win over Coppin State (Nov. 19) were the most in a regulation contest since a 106-65 victory over Sacred Heart on Dec. 19, 2011. It marked the first time Notre Dame eclipsed the 100-point mark since a 101-67 win over Cornell on Dec. 1, 2013, and the 17th time that an Irish team under Mike Brey scored 100 or more points.
CAPTAIN CONNAUGHTON
– Senior guard/forward Pat Connaughton has been named 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).
TOM HAWKINS TO BE INDUCTED INTO NOTRE DAME RING OF HONOR
– Nearly 56 years have passed since Tom Hawkins played his final collegiate men’s basketball game for the University of Notre Dame, yet the indelible mark he left on the program remains intact today. While dozens of players have donned an Irish uniform since Hawkins last took the court, none have been able to duplicate his rebounding as he remains the career leader in that category.
– Hawkins, whose 1,318 career rebounds rank currently as the oldest record in the 109-year annals of Fighting Irish men’s basketball, will become the seventh inductee into the Notre Dame Basketball Ring of Honor on Jan. 17, 2015, at halftime of the Notre Dame-Miami men’s basketball game. He will follow six former players–Austin Carr (2011), Adrian Dantley (2012), Skylar Diggins (2013), Luke Harangody (2010) and Ruth Riley (2010)–and former men’s head coach Richard “Digger” Phelps (2014) into the school’s Ring of Honor.
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.
NOTRE DAME 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.