Mike Brey's 2014-15 Irish squad's 13-1 record matches the best 14-game start during his 15-year tenure.

#14/13 Irish Return To The Hardwood Against Hartford

Dec. 29, 2014

Notre Dame Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader

Game 14
Hartford (7-5)
vs.
#14/13 Notre Dame (12-1)

Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014
7:30 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Ind.

TV/INTERNET
ESPN3
Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play)
Sean Harrington (analyst)

RADIO
Broadcast on WatchND (free)
Sirius 93/XM 202
Check affiliates on Pg. 3 of notes packet
Darin Pritchett (play-by-play)
Jordan Cornette (analyst)

LIVE STATS

#14/13 NOTRE DAME RETURNS TO THE HARDWOOD AGAINST HARTFORD
– No. 14/13 Notre Dame will wrap up its non-conference slate Tuesday with a home tilt against Hartford. The first-ever meeting between the Fighting Irish and Hawks is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. (ET) inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
– The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play) and Sean Harrington (analyst) on the call. A free audio broadcast will be available on WatchND.tv. Darin Pritchett will handle play-by-play duties, while Jordan Cornette will serve as the analyst. The contest also is available on Sirius 93 and XM 202.
– Notre Dame is riding an eight-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).
– Tuesday’s contest will be Notre Dame’s first game action since topping Northern Illinois, 91-66, on Dec. 22. The Irish will have three games in a seven-day span beginning with Tuesday’s affair against Hartford. Notre Dame will play host to Georgia Tech on Saturday before traveling to North Carolina for an ESPN Big Monday showdown against the Tar Heels.
– 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.

HIGH MARKS
– Notre Dame ranks in the top five nationally in six categories: field goal percentage (1st, 55.6%), assist-to-turnover ratio (1st, 1.77), fewest turnovers per game (3rd, 9.0), fewest personal fouls per game (3rd, 13.8), scoring margin (4th, +25.2) and points per game (5th, 86.1).

NOT A BAD START
– Notre Dame’s 12-1 mark matches the best 13-game start for the Fighting Irish in 15 campaigns under head coach Mike Brey. The Fighting Irish have been 12-1 on four other occasions (2002-03, 2006-07, 2010-11, 2012-13).

FIGHTING IRISH AGAINST THE AMERICA EAST
– Notre Dame is 13-0 all-time against teams currently in the America East Conference. Hartford will be the second America East foe the Irish have faced this season. Notre Dame topped Binghamton 82-39 in the season opener.
– Playing an America East foe will be nothing new for Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey. Brey spent five seasons at Delaware (1995-2000) while the Blue Hens were part of the America East Conference. Delaware was 6-4 versus Hartford during Brey’s tenure with the Blue Hens.

NOTES FROM NORTHERN ILLINOIS
– The Fighting Irish never trailed in the contest. It was the fourth time this season Notre Dame did not trail in a game (Coppin State, Fairleigh Dickinson, Mount St. Mary’s).
– Notre Dame was 12-of-28 (42.9%) from three-point range. It marked the third time this season the Irish have made 10 or more three-pointers in a game.
– Notre Dame had five double-figure scorers (Connaughton 21, Auguste 16, Jackson 16, Grant 11, Vasturia 10). It was the fourth game this season the Irish had at least five double-figure scorers. The Fighting Irish have had at least four players reach double-figures in 12 of 13 games this season.
– The Fighting Irish shot 58.9% (33-56) from the field. Notre Dame has shot 50.0% or above in 12 of 13 games this season.
– It was the second straight game and the sixth time this season the Fighting Irish scored 90 or more points.
– Notre Dame led 48-35 at halftime. The Irish are 12-0 this season when leading at the intermission.

BEACHEM IS BACK
– Sophomore forward V.J. Beachem returned to the court against Northern Illinois after missing the last five games with an injury. He played 11 minutes off the bench and scored eight points.
– Beachem is averaging 8.4 points per game this season and he is shooting 56.4% (22-39) from the field and 56.7% (17-30) from three-point range.

HOT SHOTS
– Notre Dame leads the nation in field goal percentage at 55.6 percent.
– The Irish have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 12 of 13 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 (67.2%), Demetrius Jackson (57.9%), Steve Vasturia (53.8%), Jerian Grant (52.7%) and Pat Connaughton (49.2%).

TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
– Notre Dame leads the nation in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.77) and the Irish are third nationally in fewest turnovers per game (9.0).
– The Irish have committed fewer than 10 turnovers in eight games this season, including three times in the last four contests. Notre Dame had a season-low four turnovers against Michigan State (Dec. 3).

FIGHTING IRISH GET OFFENSIVE
– The Irish rank fifth nationally – and first in the ACC – in scoring (86.1 ppg.).
– Notre Dame’s 1,119 points are the most for the Irish through the first 13 games of a season since they tallied 1,154 in 2006-07.
– Notre Dame has scored 74 points or better in each of its first 13 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 (6.2), assist-to-turnover ratio (4.71) and total minutes (437) and he is second in points per game (17.6).
– Grant’s 4.71 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks third nationally. His 2.57 career assist-to-turnover ratio ranks third among active Division I players.
– In the last eight games, Grant has dished out 44 assists, while only committing nine turnovers.
– He has reached double-figures in points in each of his last 15 games and 78 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 38.2 percent of Notre Dame’s 1,119 points this season. He’s netted 229 points and his 81 assists have led to 198 Fighting Irish points.

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOR PAT
– Senior guard Pat Connaughton has posted a double-double in each of the last two 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. It was the second time of his career that he notched a double-double in consecutive games. He has never registered three straight double-doubles.
– 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 leads Notre Dame in rebounding (8.3 rpg.) and is fourth in scoring (13.8 ppg.).
– He ranks 17th nationally (second in the ACC) in defensive rebounds per game (7.0) and he is eighth in the ACC in rebounds per game (8.3).
– 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 third nationally – and first in the ACC – in field goal percentage at 67.2 percent.
– Auguste shot 7-of-7 from the floor against Northern Illinois. That marked the third time he’s been perfect from the field this season (9-9 vs. Coppin State, 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 14.8 points per game after posting a 6.7 ppg. mark last season (+8.1).

ACTION JACKSON
– Sophomore point guard Demetrius Jackson has scored in double-figures in each of the last four games and 11 times overall this season.
– Jackson tied a career-high mark with 22 points in the victory over Purdue on Dec. 20. He also netted 22 points earlier this month against Michigan State.
– Jackson was 7-of-10 from the field, including 3-of-3 from three-point range, versus the Boilermakers.
– He is 8-of-13 (.615) from three-point range in the last four games.
– Jackson ranks second in the ACC in steals (29) and is ninth in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1).

A DYNAMIC DUO
Jerian Grant leads all current ACC players in career points (1,340), while Pat Connaughton is third (1,170).
– Connaughton leads all ACC players in career rebounds (649) and Grant is first in career assists (518).
– The senior duo has combined for 208 games played (190 of them starts), 2,510 points, 921 rebounds, 739 assists and 208 steals.
– They also have accounted for 6,838 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 1,340 career points and 518 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). Harangody finished his Irish career with 2,476 points and 1,222 rebounds. Connaughton has 1,170 points and 649 boards.

DEFENSIVE DISPLAYS
– Notre Dame ranks fourth in the ACC in total steals (100). Individually, Demetrius Jackson is second in the league in steals (29), while Jerian Grant is eighth (22).
– The Irish have held nine of 13 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
– 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 13 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 13 games last season, Notre Dame already had four different starting lineups.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Four Fighting Irish players are averaging double-figures in points – Jerian Grant (17.6), Zach Auguste (14.8), Demetrius Jackson (14.2) and Pat Connaughton (13.8).
– Notre Dame has had at least four players reach double-figures in 12 of 13 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 12th nationally in made three-point field goals (114) and 10th in three-point field goal percentage (.415). The total treys are the most in the ACC, while the percentage ranks second in the conference. The Irish are 18th nationally (first in the ACC) in three-pointers per game (8.8).
Pat Connaughton’s 34 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 209 career three-pointers.
– Notre Dame made a season-best 14 three-pointers (14-25) against Chicago State on Nov. 29. The Irish have deposited 10 or more treys in a game three times this season (14-Chicago State, 12-Grambling State, 12-Northern Illinois).

IRONMAN
Pat Connaughton has never missed a game during his Fighting Irish career. He has played in all 114 contests, including 98 starts. Connaughton has started 95 consecutive games.

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 1,170 points in 114 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 1,340 points in 94 games in an Irish uniform (14.3 ppg.).
– Grant ranks 26th 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 411-212 (.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 312-160 (.661) 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.