Jan. 2, 2015
Game 15
Georgia Tech (9-3, 0-0 ACC)
vs.
#14/13 Notre Dame (13-1, 1-0 ACC)
Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015
2:30 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Ind.
TV/INTERNET
ACC Network (check local listings)
WatchESPN
Tim Brant (play-by-play)
Bobby Cremins (analyst)
RADIO
Broadcast on WatchND (free)
Sirius 108/XM 193
Check affiliates on Pg. 3 of notes packet
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Jordan Cornette (analyst)
LIVE STATS
#14/13 FIGHTING IRISH BACK TO ACC ACTION AGAINST GEORGIA TECH
– No. 14/13 Notre Dame returns to Atlantic Coast Conference play Saturday when the Fighting Irish welcome Georgia Tech to Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Tip-off is slated for 2:30 p.m. (ET).
– The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network with Tim Brant (play-by-play) and Bobby Cremins (analyst) on the call.
– A free audio broadcast will be available on WatchND. Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and former Irish standout 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 108/XM 193.
– The Fighting Irish opened ACC play Dec. 13 with an 83-63 home victory over Florida State. Saturday is the conference opener for Georgia Tech.
– The Irish are in the middle of a stretch that has them playing three games in a seven-day span. The Fighting Irish, who defeated Hartford 87-60 on Tuesday, will travel to North Carolina for an ESPN Big Monday showdown against the Tar Heels.
STREAKING
– Notre Dame is riding a nine-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).
ANOTHER SOLID START UNDER BREY
– Notre Dame’s 13-1 mark matches the best 14-game start for the Fighting Irish in 15 campaigns under head coach Mike Brey. The Fighting Irish have been 13-1 on two other occasions with Brey at the helm (2006-07, 2012-13). A win on Saturday would equal the best 15-game start under Brey (14-1 in 2012-13).
HIGH MARKS
– Notre Dame ranks in the top three nationally in six categories: field goal percentage (1st, 55.4%), scoring margin (2nd, +25.3), points per game (3rd, 86.1), assist-to-turnover ratio (3rd, 1.71), fewest turnovers per game (3rd, 9.3) and fewest personal fouls per game (3rd, 13.4).
IRISH IN THE POLLS
– Notre Dame is No. 13 in this week’s USA Today Coaches Poll and the Irish are No. 14 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 GEORGIA TECH SERIES
– Notre Dame and Georgia Tech will meet for the 11th time overall and third time as ACC foes. The Yellow Jackets lead the series 7-3.
– The Fighting Irish and Yellow Jackets split last season’s two meetings. Georgia Tech won in Atlanta, 74-69, and Notre Dame captured a 65-62 decision at Purcell Pavilion.
– The Irish are 3-2 at home against Georgia Tech.
YELLOW JACKET CONNECTION
– Notre Dame assistant coach Rod Balanis played at Georgia Tech from 1990-94. The Yellow Jackets made four NCAA tournament appearances in that span, including two trips to the Sweet 16 and an appearance in the 1990 NCAA Final Four in Denver, although Balanis was medically redshirted that season.
CONNAUGHTON TO MAKE 100TH CAREER START
– Senior guard Pat Connaughton will be making his 100th career start on Saturday afternoon against Georgia Tech. He has played in all 115 games during his career and has started all but 16 of those contests. Connaughton has started 96 consecutive games.
– Only nine other players in Notre Dame history have had 100-plus starts during their careers: Chris Thomas (128), Matt Carroll (125), Tory Jackson (122), David Rivers (116), Torin Francis (113), Pat Garrity (111), Luke Harangody (108), David Graves (107) and Eric Atkins (105).
FIGHTING IRISH IN THE ACC
– Notre Dame is in its second Atlantic Coast Conference campaign. The Fighting Irish opened its 2014-15 ACC slate Dec. 13 with an 83-63 win over Florida State. Notre Dame’s 83 points were the most ever for the Irish in an ACC game and the 20-point win was Notre Dame’s largest margin of victory ever in an ACC contest. Last season’s six league victories were by a combined 23 points.
– Junior forward Zach Auguste led the Irish with a career-high 26 points in the win over the Seminoles. The 26 points were the most for an Irish player in an ACC affair.
– The Fighting Irish posted a 6-12 mark in ACC regular-season play in 2013-14 and fell to Wake Forest, 81-69, in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
NOTES FROM HARTFORD
– The Fighting Irish shot 53.2% (33-62) from the field. Notre Dame has shot 50.0% or above in 13 of 14 games this season.
– Notre Dame was 13-of-30 (43.3%) from three-point range. It marked the second straight contest – and the fourth time this season – the Irish have made 10 or more three-pointers in a game. The 13 treys were one shy of a season-best mark and the 30 three-point attempts were a season-high total.
– Notre Dame had four double-figure scorers (Jackson 18, Connaughton 16, Grant 15, Auguste 15). The Fighting Irish have had at least four players reach double-figures in 13 of 14 games this season.
– It was Notre Dame’s 10th win this season by 20 or more points.
– Notre Dame led 43-28 at halftime. The Irish are 13-0 this season when leading at the intermission.
HOT SHOTS
– Notre Dame leads the nation in field goal percentage at 55.4 percent.
– The Irish have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 13 of 14 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 (67.7%), Demetrius Jackson (58.1%), Jerian Grant (52.8%), Steve Vasturia (52.4%) and Pat Connaughton (49.6%).
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
– Notre Dame ranks third nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.71) and fewest turnovers per game (9.3).
– The Irish have committed fewer than 10 turnovers in eight games this season, including three times in the last five contests. 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 (86.1 ppg.).
– Notre Dame’s 1,206 points are the most for the Irish through the first 14 games of a season since they tallied 1,232 in 2006-07.
– Notre Dame has scored 74 points or better in each of its first 14 games of a season for the first time in program history.
– The Fighting Irish have deposited 90-plus points six times this season.
20 TOPPERS
– Four different Irish players have scored 20 or more points in a game this season. Jerian Grant has done it a team-best four 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.
GRANT HAS AN ALL-AROUND GAME
– Senior guard Jerian Grant leads the ACC in assists per game (6.1), assist-to-turnover ratio (4.53), points (244) and total minutes (469) and he is second in points per game (17.4).
– Grant’s 4.53 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth nationally. His 2.58 career assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth among active Division I players.
– He has reached double-figures in points in each of his last 16 games and 79 times during his career, which are the most for any current Fighting Irish player. Grant is the only Irish player to score in double-figures in every game this season.
– Grant scored a career-high 27 points versus Michigan State on Dec. 3 after tying a career-best mark with 26 points in the previous outing against Chicago State.
GRANT A MAJOR FACTOR IN IRISH OFFENSE
– Jerian Grant has had a hand in 38.0 percent of Notre Dame’s 1,206 points this season. He’s netted a team-high 244 points and his team-best 87 assists have led to 214 Fighting Irish points.
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOR PAT
– 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 has two double-doubles in the last three games. He tallied a season-high 21 points and 10 rebounds versus Northern Illinois after going for 19 points and a career-high tying 14 boards against Purdue.
– Connaughton leads Notre Dame in rebounding (8.2 rpg.) and is fourth in scoring (14.0 ppg.).
– He ranks 15th nationally (second in the ACC) in defensive rebounds per game (7.0) and he is eighth in the ACC in total rebounds per game (8.2).
– Connaughton has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in a game 15 times during his career, including five times this season.
AUGUSTE STAYS HOT FROM THE FIELD
– Junior forward Zach Auguste ranks second nationally in field goal percentage at 67.7 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 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 five games and 12 times overall this season.
– He is 12-of-19 (.632) from three-point range in the last five games.
– Jackson tied a career-high mark with 22 points in the victory over Purdue on Dec. 20. He also netted 22 points against Michigan State (Dec. 3).
– Jackson ranks second in the ACC in steals (30) and is ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.19).
A DYNAMIC DUO
– Jerian Grant leads all current ACC players in career points (1,355), while Pat Connaughton is third (1,186).
– Connaughton leads all ACC players in career rebounds (656) and Grant is first in career assists (524).
– The senior duo has combined for 210 games played (192 of them starts), 2,541 points, 930 rebounds, 747 assists and 211 steals.
– Connaughton and Grant also have accounted for 6,900 minutes played on the court (32.9 mpg.).
MILESTONES
– With his second assist in the ACC opener versus Florida State, Jerian Grant reached the 500-assist mark for his career. With 1,355 career points and 524 assists, he 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).
– With his fifth rebound against Michigan State (Dec. 3), Pat Connaughton reached the 600-rebound mark for his career. He is the first Notre Dame player to notch 1,000 points and 600 rebounds since Luke Harangody (2006-10). Connaughton has 1,186 points and 656 boards.
DEFENSIVE DISPLAYS
– Notre Dame ranks fourth in the ACC in total steals (107). Individually, Demetrius Jackson is second in the league in steals (30), while Jerian Grant is eighth (22).
– The Irish have held nine of 14 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 over Chicago State was the largest for Notre Dame since a 50-point win (101-51) over Rider on Dec. 28, 2006.
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 14 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 14 games last season, Notre Dame already had five different starting lineups.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Four Fighting Irish players are averaging at least 14 points per game this season – Jerian Grant (17.4), Zach Auguste (14.9), Demetrius Jackson (14.4) and Pat Connaughton (14.0).
– Notre Dame has had at least four players reach double-figures in 13 of 14 games this season.
– The Irish had six players reach double-figures against Purdue (Dec. 20). Notre Dame had five double-figure scorers against Coppin State (Nov. 19), Providence (Nov. 23) and Northern Illinois (Dec. 22).
DRAINING FROM DEEP
– Notre Dame is eighth nationally in made three-point field goals (127) and sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.416).
– The total treys and the three-point percentage both are high-water marks in the ACC.
– The Irish are 14th nationally (first in the ACC) in three-pointers per game (9.1).
– The Fighting Irish are 25-of-58 (.431) from three-point range in the last two games.
– The Irish have deposited 10 or more treys in a game four times this season, including in each of the last two contests. Notre Dame made a season-best 14 three-pointers (14-25) against Chicago State on Nov. 29.
– Pat Connaughton’s 38 three-pointers are the most among ACC players.
– Connaughton made his 200th career three-pointer in the ACC opener against Florida State. He is the eighth Notre Dame player to drain at least 200 treys during his career. He has 213 career three-pointers.
BEACHEM IS BACK
– Sophomore forward V.J. Beachem returned to the court against Northern Illinois on Dec. 22 after missing the last five games with an injury. He played 11 minutes off the bench and scored eight points versus the Huskies. On Tuesday versus Hartford, he tallied six points in 16 minutes of action.
– Beachem is averaging 8.1 points per game this season and he is shooting 54.3% (25-46) from the field and 50.0% (17-34) from three-point range.
1,000-POINT PERFORMERS
– With his 17-point performance against Binghamton in the season opener, Pat Connaughton eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career to become the 56th member of Notre Dame’s 1,000-point club. He has netted 1,186 points in 115 career games (10.3 ppg.).
– Connaughton became the second current Fighting Irish player with at least 1,000 career points. Senior Jerian Grant has tallied 1,355 points in 95 games in an Irish uniform (14.3 ppg.).
– Grant ranks 24th in Irish history in scoring, while Connaughton is 38th.
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.
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 412-212 (.660) 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 313-160 (.662) 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 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.