Junior point guard Eric Atkins is a key reason why Notre Dame ranks first nationally in assists per game (19.5).

#21/19 Irish Travel To #14/15 Cincinnati For Monday Showdown

Jan. 6, 2013

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#21/19 NOTRE DAME (13-1, 1-0)
vs.
#14/15 CINCINNATI (13-2, 1-1)

January 7, 2013 o 6:30 p.m. (ET)
Fifth Third Arena (13,176)
Cincinnati, Ohio

TV/INTERNET:
ESPN2/WatchESPN.com
Sean McDonough (play-by-play)
Jay Bilas (analyst)
Bill Raftery (analyst)

RADIO:
Broadcast on UND.com (free)
Sirius 93, XM 190
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Jordan Cornette (analyst)

LIVE STATS:
Gametracker on UND.com

NOTRE DAME TRAVELS TO CINCINNATI FOR MONDAY SHOWDOWN
– #21/19 Notre Dame (13-1, 1-0) will put its 11-game win streak on the line Monday evening at #14/15 Cincinnati (13-2, 1-1). The BIG EAST clash is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. (ET) inside Fifth Third Arena.
– The game can be seen on ESPN2 and WatchESPN.com. Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Jay Bilas (analyst) and Bill Raftery (analyst) will be on the call.
– Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Jordan Cornette (analyst) will call the action for the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network. The broadcast is available on Sirius 93, XM 190 and can also be heard for free on UND.com (full affiliate listings on Pg. 2).
– Notre Dame opened BIG EAST play Saturday with a 93-74 victory over Seton Hall inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Cincinnati fell at home to St. John’s, 53-52, that same day.

SERIES WITH CINCINNATI
– Notre Dame is 8-4 all-time against Cincinnati, including a 5-3 mark since the Bearcats joined the BIG EAST Conference in 2005.
– In the only meeting between the two schools last season, Cincinnati captured a 71-55 home win over Notre Dame on Jan. 4, 2012.
– The Irish are 1-3 all-time at Cincinnati. Notre Dame has dropped its last three games in the Queen City. The lone Fighting Irish win at Cincinnati was a 76-64 decision on Feb. 18, 2007.
– Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey is 6-3 all-time against Cincinnati.

STREAKING
– Notre Dame’s current 11-game win streak is the longest for the Irish since they won 12 straight games during the 2006-07 season (Nov. 14-Jan. 3). That 12-game streak is the longest for the Irish under head coach Mike Brey. This is Notre Dame’s third win streak of at least 10 games under Brey.

STARTING STRONG
– Notre Dame’s 13-1 record matches the best start for the program under head coach Mike Brey. The Irish also began the 2006-07 campaign with a 13-1 mark before dropping their 15th game of the season. A win on Monday would give Notre Dame 14 wins in its first 15 games of a season for the first time in the Brey era.

BIG EAST BEASTS
– Notre Dame is 32-9 (.780) over its last 41 BIG EAST regular-season contests, including a 25-6 (.806) mark in the last 31 league games.
– The Irish have gone 71-36 (.664) in BIG EAST regular-season play over the past seven seasons. That is the third-best mark in the league over that time span.
– Notre Dame has gone 48-6 (.889) at home in BIG EAST play over the last seven seasons. That is the best home winning percentage for any BIG EAST school in league play over that time period. The Irish are 20-1 in their last 21 BIG EAST home contests.

IRISH BOAST SUCCESS IN BIG EAST OPENERS
– Saturday’s win over Seton Hall improved the Irish to 12-6 all-time in BIG EAST openers, including a 9-4 mark under head coach Mike Brey. Notre Dame has won seven straight BIG EAST openers.
– Notre Dame’s last 2-0 start in BIG EAST play occurred during the 2007-08 season.

PLAYING WELL IN PURCELL
– The Fighting Irish are 111-7 in their last 118 games played at home. That .941 home winning percentage over the course of the last seven seasons ranks second nationally. Kansas is first with a .966 mark.
– The Irish are 46-1 (.979) in their last 47 home games. Notre Dame has a current 17-game home win streak.
– Notre Dame has won 28 straight non-conference home games and the Irish are 69-1 in their last 70 non-league home contests. Notre Dame’s last non-conference home loss was an 87-85 setback to Loyola Marymount on Dec. 12, 2009.

OFFENSIVE OUTBURST
– Notre Dame scored a season-high 93 points in Saturday’s triumph of Seton Hall. They were the most points for the Irish since a 106-65 win over Sacred Heart on Dec. 19, 2011, and they were the most in a BIG EAST game since a 93-72 win over Villanova on Feb. 28, 2011.

DRAINING FROM DEEP
– The Fighting Irish were 12-for-18 from three-point range Saturday against Seton Hall. The 66.7% three-point shooting clip is the best ever for Notre Dame in a BIG EAST contest. The 12 treys tied a season-high total for the Irish and it marked the third time this season the Irish made 10 or more three-pointers in a game. Notre Dame was 6-for-8 in the second half alone.
– Scott Martin was a blistering 6-for-7 from beyond the arc in the contest. The six made treys were a career-high total and a season-best total for the Irish. Junior point guard Eric Atkins connected on all three of his three-point attempts in the contest.
– Freshman forward Cameron Biedscheid was 2-for-2 from three-point range against Seton Hall. He has made his last six three-point attempts. He was a perfect 4-for-4 versus Niagara (Dec. 21).
– The Irish are shooting 53.8% (28-52) from long distance in the last three games.
– Notre Dame ranks first in the BIG EAST with a .406 (104-256) three-point percentage this season.

HOT SHOTS
– The Fighting Irish are shooting 59.8% (98-164) from the field in the last three games. Notre Dame shot a season-best 62.0% (31-50) in its 89-67 win over Niagara (Dec. 21). The Irish have shot 60% or better from the floor three times this season.
– Notre Dame shot 75.0% (18-24) from the field in the second half against Niagara. That is the highest second-half shooting percentage for the Irish under head coach Mike Brey. It matched their best shooting effort in any half under Brey.
– The Fighting Irish are shooting 51.5% (404-785) from the floor this season. That mark ranks fifth nationally and it leads the BIG EAST.

MARTIN MAKING TREYS
– Scott Martin made a career-high six three-pointers (on seven attempts) in Saturday’s win over Seton Hall. The six treys are the most for an Irish player since Pat Connaughton made seven last season at Villanova (Feb. 18, 2012).
– Martin is shooting 50.0% (27-54) from three-point range this season. That percentage is tied for second among all BIG EAST players.

CHARITY STRIPE TURNAROUND
– The Fighting Irish are shooting 84.3% (43-51) from the free throw line in the last three games.
– Notre Dame shot 63.2% (96-152) from the line in the first nine games of the season, but the Irish have shot 78.0% (78-100) in the last five games.
– Notre Dame made a season-high 24 free throws (on 33 attempts) in the win over Purdue (Dec. 15). The Irish put the game away by going 16-for-18 from the charity stripe in the final five minutes of the contest.
– Senior forward Jack Cooley is 17-for-18 (.944) from the free throw line in the last three games. He had his streak of consecutive made free throw attempts end at 15 against Seton Hall.

HANDLING THE ROCK
– Notre Dame is tied for first nationally (with North Carolina) in assists per game (19.9) and second in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.83).
– The Fighting Irish rank 17th nationally in fewest turnovers per game (10.9). The Irish only had eight turnovers against Seton Hall. It was the third time this season they have had fewer than 10 turnovers in a game.
– Notre Dame had 25 assists on its 35 made field goals in Saturday’s win over Seton Hall. The Irish have had 20 or more assists in each of the last four games and eight times overall this season. The 25 assists against the Pirates tied the most ever for the Irish in a BIG EAST game.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE DOMINANCE FROM COOLEY
– Senior forward Jack Cooley is tied for second nationally with 10 double-doubles this season. He has posted seven double-doubles in the last nine games, including a 19-point, 13-rebound performance against Seton Hall in the BIG EAST opener.
– Cooley has produced a double-double in the first half alone twice this season (Niagara 20 pts, 10 rebs; BYU 12 pts, 10 rebs).
– Cooley has 23 career double-doubles, which all have occurred in the last two seasons.

JACK ON ATTACK
– Senior forward Jack Cooley has reached double-figures in points in nine straight games, which is a career-best streak and a team-best streak this season. He has scored in double-figures in 13 of the 14 games this season.
– Cooley is 10th nationally and first in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.637). He is 25-for-34 (.735) from the floor in the last four games.
– Cooley is averaging team-best totals in points (15.5) and rebounds (11.4). The rebound mark leads all BIG EAST players. He also is first in the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.9).
– He is averaging 1.6 blocked shots per game this season, which ranks seventh in the BIG EAST. Cooley’s 97 career blocked shots are tied for seventh (with Carleton Scott and Matt Gotsch) in Notre Dame history.

INSIDE EFFICIENCY
– Notre Dame’s Jack Cooley (Sr./F) and Garrick Sherman (Sr./C) rank first and third, respectively, in the BIG EAST in shooting percentage. Cooley has a .637 (79-124) mark, while Sherman stands at .625 (50-80).

ATKINS ASSISTING THE IRISH EFFORT
– Junior point guard Eric Atkins is seventh nationally and second in the BIG EAST in assist-to-turnover ratio (4.12). Atkins produced his fourth double-double of the season (and career) with a 17-point, 10-assist effort on Saturday versus Seton Hall.
– Atkins is ninth nationally and third in the BIG EAST with a 7.4 assist-per-game average this season. He has dished out 10 or more assists in a game five times this season.
– He is playing a team-best 36.2 minutes per game this season, yet is only averaging 1.8 turnovers per contest. Atkins has had two turnovers or less in a game 10 times this season.
– Atkins is averaging 11.3 points per game and is shooting 43.9% (18-41) from three-point range.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Six different Irish players have posted a team-high point total in the last seven games.
– The Fighting Irish have seven players who are averaging at least 8.6 points per game, including three with a double-figure average.
– Eight different Irish players (Atkins, Auguste, Biedscheid, Connaughton, Cooley, Grant, Martin, Sherman) have notched a double-digit scoring effort this season.
– Notre Dame has had at least four double-figure scorers in eight of the team’s 14 games this season. The Fighting Irish have boasted five double-digit performers four times. The Irish had a season-high six double-digit scorers against Chicago State on Nov. 26 (Jerian Grant 22, Eric Atkins 13, Garrick Sherman 12, Jack Cooley 11, Scott Martin 11, Pat Connaughton 10).

DEPENDABLE DEFENSE
– Notre Dame opponents are shooting just 38.3% from the floor this season. No Irish foe has shot above 46.6% (Saint Joseph’s) from the floor this season. Notre Dame has held six opponents under 37.0%.

FEW FOULS FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH
– Notre Dame ranks second nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (12.3).

CLEANING UP THE GLASS
– The Fighting Irish are 12-0 this season when outrebounding their opponent. Notre Dame has a +7.9 rebounding margin per game this season.

ELDER STATESMAN
– Mike Brey is in his 13th season along the Irish sidelines. He is the second-longest tenured coach in the BIG EAST, behind only Jim Boeheim of Syracuse. Brey stands fifth all-time in career BIG EAST victories (both regular-season and tournament) with his 134-89 (.601) mark. He is one of nine coaches in BIG EAST history to record 100 conference wins.
– Brey needs just five more league victories to move into a tie with former St. John’s head coach Lou Carnesecca for fourth place on the BIG EAST all-time wins list.
– Notre Dame was just 36-58 (.383) in five seasons of BIG EAST play prior to Brey’s arrival.

MARTIN TALLIES 1,000TH CAREER POINT
– With his sixth point in the win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 19, Scott Martin (GS/G) reached the 1,000-point milestone for his collegiate career. Martin has 757 points during his Notre Dame career. He tallied 272 points during his freshman season at Purdue.

TAMING THE CATS
– Kentucky’s 50 points in Notre Dame’s 64-50 triumph on Nov. 29 were the fewest allowed by the Irish against a top-10 team since a 52-47 home win over No. 5 Maryland on Jan. 28, 1984. They are the fewest points for the Wildcats under head coach John Calipari.

BREY VS. TOP 10
– The 64-50 win over #8 Kentucky on Nov. 29 improved Notre Dame to 17-23 (.425) against teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll under head coach Mike Brey. That includes a 12-6 mark at home.
– Notre Dame has won four straight against top-10 opponents are 5-1 in the last six games against top-10 teams.
– The Irish are 5-4 versus non-conference top-10 opponents under Brey.
– Under Brey, unranked Notre Dame squads are 10-16 against top-10 teams.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TIMES THREE
– Notre Dame had three players record double-doubles in the win over Chicago State on Nov. 26 (Jerian Grant 22 points, 10 assists; Eric Atkins 13 points, 11 assists; Jack Cooley 11 points, 11 rebounds). It’s the first time the Irish had three double-double performers since Nov. 17, 2010. That game also was against Chicago State.
– Atkins and Grant joined elite company with their efforts. In the last 15 years, only one other pair of teammates had points and assists double-doubles in the same game. That was Connecticut’s Jerome Dyson and Kemba Walker in 2010 against Notre Dame.

A VETERAN PRESENCE
– The Irish returned 2,003 of their 2,257 total points (88.7%) and 1,068 of their 1,144 rebounds (93.4%) from one season ago. The team also brought back 88.7% of its minutes played from last season.

COOLEY ON WOODEN AWARD PRESEASON TOP 50 LIST
– Senior forward Jack Cooley has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Preseason Top 50 by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. Chosen by a preseason poll of national college basketball media members, the list is comprised of 50 student-athletes who, based on last year’s individual performance and team records, are the early front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

108 SEASONS AND GOING STRONG
– The 2012-13 campaign marks the 108th season of basketball at Notre Dame and the 18th season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference. Notre Dame teams have posted an all-time record of 1736-940 for a .649 winning percentage. In 17 seasons as a member of the BIG EAST, the Irish own a 161-130 (.553) record in conference regular-season play.

FIGHTING IRISH CAPTAINS
– Scott Martin (GS/G), Jack Cooley (Sr./F) and Eric Atkins (Jr./G) will captain the Fighting Irish during the 2012-13 season. Martin and Atkins are the 20th and 21st players in program history to serve as two-time team captains.

IRISH AIM FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN CAMPAIGN
– Notre Dame has reached the 20-win mark in each of the last six seasons and nine times in the last 12 seasons under head coach Mike Brey. The last time Irish teams reached the 20-win plateau in six straight campaigns was from 1983-89 under head coach Digger Phelps.

POSTSEASON STRETCH
– Notre Dame has earned appearances in the postseason in each of the last 13 seasons, which marks the longest stretch in school history. The Irish have been to the NCAA Tournament on eight occasions and the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) five times during this current stretch. Under head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame has played in the NCAAs eight times and NIT four times.

DOUBLE-DUTY
– Sophomore guard/forward Pat Connaughton also is a pitcher on the Fighting Irish baseball team. Last spring, he appeared in 12 games, including 10 starts, and posted a 4-4 record with a 3.18 earned-run average. He logged 45.1 innings on the mound and registered 40 strikeouts.
– Connaughton was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 50th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

NOTRE DAME LISTED AS POTENTIAL HOST FOR ESPN COLLEGE GAMEDAY
– The ESPN College Basketball GameDay cameras could be returning to Notre Dame during the 2012-13 campaign. ESPN released its College GameDay schedule and Notre Dame’s matchup with defending BIG EAST tournament champion and 2012 NCAA Final Four participant Louisville on February 9, 2013, at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center is listed as one of two potential sites for the game. The other game that day which could be part of the Saturday Primetime broadcast is Pittsburgh at Cincinnati.
– The site of the Feb. 9 contest will be chosen closer to the date of the game. The GameDay matchup will be played at 9 p.m. (ET) on ESPN and the game not chosen will be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2 at 6 p.m. that evening.
– Notre Dame has hosted the Saturday morning show and primetime basketball contest on one other time — Jan. 24, 2009, when the Irish played Connecticut.

IRISH RANK NUMBER ONE IN 2012 GSR
– University of Notre Dame athletic programs again rank as the best in the country in graduation rates, based on Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures released by the NCAA–including first-place ratings in the sports of football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and ice hockey.
– Among the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions, Notre Dame had the highest percentage of its sports with 100 percent scores (for the seventh time in eight years), with a .863 figure (19 of 22).
– In men’s basketball, Notre Dame achieved a perfect 100 GSR rating, with only Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Utah State, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Western Kentucky also reaching the top slot.
– The four-year GSR data is based upon the entering classes from 2002 to 2005.

BREY SIGNS HERALDED QUARTET IN NOVEMBER EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
– Irish head coach Mike Brey signed four players – V.J. Beachem (Fort Wayne, Ind./New Haven), Demetrius Jackson (Mishawaka, Ind./Marian), Austin Torres (Mishawaka, Ind./Penn) and Steve Vasturia (Medford, N.J./St. Joseph’s Prep) – to national letters of intent during the November 2012 early signing period.
– Beachem (6-6, 180-pound small forward) averaged 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 2011-12. An all-state selection he played on the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Junior All-Star Team.
– Jackson averaged 22.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.0 steals as a junior while leading Marian to the Class 3A sectional title. An honorable mention All-American by MaxPreps.com, he is an all-state honoree and two-time Northern Indiana Conference Player of the Year.
– Torres (6-6, 200-pound power forward) was an all-Northern Indiana Conference honorable mention selection after averaging 10.0 points and 7.2 rebounds. He plays on the same MBA Select AAU Team as Jackson.
– Vasturia (6-5, 190-pound shooting guard) was named MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League after leading his team to the Philadelphia 4A state championship while averaging 21.0 points and 9.3 rebounds.