Pat Connaughton is the 11th player in Notre Dame history with 1,200 points and 700 rebounds.

#8/9 Notre Dame Travels To NC State For Sunday Showdown

Jan. 24, 2015

Notre Dame Game Notes Get Acrobat Reader

Game 21
#8/9 Notre Dame (18-2, 6-1 ACC)
vs.
North Carolina State (13-7, 4-3 ACC)

Sunday, Jan. 25, 2015
6:30 p.m. (ET)
PNC Arena
Raleigh, N.C.

TV/INTERNET
ESPNU
WatchESPN
Adam Amin (play-by-play)
Brad Daugherty (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

#8/9 NOTRE DAME TRAVELS TO NC STATE FOR SUNDAY SHOWDOWN
– No. 8/9 Notre Dame (18-2, 6-1) will conclude its two-game road swing Sunday when the Irish travel to North Carolina State (13-7, 4-3). The Atlantic Coast Conference clash is slated for 6:30 p.m. (ET) at PNC Arena in Raleigh, N.C.
– This will be the only regular-season meeting between Notre Dame and North Carolina State.
– Sunday’s game will be broadcast on ESPNU and WatchESPN with Adam Amin (play-by-play) and Brad Daugherty (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 are in second place in the ACC standings, while North Carolina State is in eighth place.

OFF AND RUNNING
– Notre Dame’s 18-2 record is the best 20-game start for the Fighting Irish since the 1973-74 team posted a 19-1 mark.
– The 6-1 ACC record matches Notre Dame’s best start in conference play (BIG EAST & ACC). The 2002-03 Irish squad began BIG EAST action 6-1. Notre Dame won six ACC games all of last season (6-12).
– Notre Dame (18-2), Gonzaga (19-1), Virginia (18-0), Kentucky (18-0) and Valparaiso (18-4) are the only teams in the country with at least 18 wins this season.
– 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).

ROAD WARRIORS
– Notre Dame is 3-0 in conference road play for the first time ever (BIG EAST & ACC).
– The Irish have played four of their seven conference games at home, but they currently are in the middle of a stretch in which they will play three of four contests on the road to close out the month of January.

HIGH MARKS
– Notre Dame ranks in the top four nationally in six categories: assist-to-turnover ratio (1st, 1.74), field goal% (2nd, 52.6%), fewest personal fouls per game (3rd, 13.7), fewest turnovers per game (4th, 9.0), won-lost% (4th, .900) and scoring margin (4th, +19.5).

THE NC STATE SERIES
– Sunday will be the ninth meeting all-time between Notre Dame and North Carolina State and the second as ACC foes. The series is tied 4-4.
– The Wolfpack topped the Fighting Irish, 77-70, last season at Purcell Pavilion.
– This will be Notre Dame’s first trip to Raleigh since Feb. 12, 1983 (a 43-42 Irish victory). North Carolina State would go on to win the national title that season.
– Notre Dame is 3-0 all-time at North Carolina State.
– The first meeting between the two programs occurred on Feb. 21, 1978. The Fighting Irish won that contest, 70-59, inside the Joyce Center. The Irish and Wolfpack met every season from 1977-78 to 1982-83.

GRANT TO START 100th GAME
Jerian Grant will be starting his 100th career game on Sunday at North Carolina State. He will be the 11th player in Fighting Irish history to start at least 100 games.
Pat Connaughton notched his 100th career start on Jan. 3 versus Georgia Tech.

CONNAUGHTON COLLECTS 700TH REBOUND
Pat Connaughton hauled down his 700th career rebound on Thursday at Virginia Tech. He is the 11th player in program history with 1,200 points and 700 rebounds. Connaughton has 1,270 points and 709 rebounds during his Irish career.

CONNAUGHTON A CONSISTENT PRESENCE
– Senior Pat Connaughton made his 102nd consecutive start on Thursday at Virginia Tech. 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 121 games during his career and has started all but 16 of those contests.
– Connaughton is averaging 39.4 minutes per game in ACC play, while his teammate Jerian Grant is averaging 39.3 minutes per game.

CLIMBING THE POLLS
– The Irish moved into the top 10 of both the Associated Press (#8) and USA Today Coaches (#9) polls for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.
– It’s the highest ranking for the Irish since they were No. 5 in the AP poll prior to the 2011 NCAA Tournament.
– Notre Dame is the only team currently ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll that began the season unranked.

VIRGINIA TECH TAKEAWAYS
– Thursday’s 25-point victory (85-60) at Virginia Tech was Notre Dame’s largest ever in an ACC game.
– The 85 points were the most ever scored by Notre Dame in an ACC game.
Jerian Grant posted game-high marks for points (18), assists (6), blocks (2) and steals (2).
Pat Connaughton notched his second straight double-double with 17 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
– The Irish only committed six turnovers. It signified the 13th time this season (fifth straight contest) Notre Dame had fewer than 10 turnovers in a game.
– The Irish had an assist on 19 of their 29 made field goals. It was the sixth time this season Notre Dame had at least 19 assists in a game. The 19 assists were the most ever for the Irish in an ACC game.
– The Fighting Irish were 12-of-26 (46.2%) from three-point range. It marked the seventh time this season Notre Dame made 10 or more three-pointers in a game (five times in the last eight contests). The 12 treys were the most for the Irish in an ACC game this season.
– Notre Dame led 38-28 at halftime. The Irish are 15-1 this season when leading at the intermission.

NEARING 600 WINS AT PURCELL PAVILION
– Notre Dame’s 75-70 win over Miami last Saturday marked Notre Dame’s 13th victory in 14 games at Purcell Pavilion this season.
– Irish teams are 599-157 (.792) since the building opened during the 1968-69 campaign.
– 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).

HOT SHOTS
– Notre Dame boasts the nation’s second-best field goal percentage (.526).
– The Irish have shot 50.0 percent or better from the field in 14 of 20 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.
– Six Notre Dame players are shooting better than 47.0 percent from the field (min. 50 attempts) — Zach Auguste (63.8%), Demetrius Jackson (53.0%), Jerian Grant (51.8%), Steve Vasturia (50.0%), Pat Connaughton (48.8%) and V.J. Beachem (47.1%)

TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
– Notre Dame ranks first nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.74) and fourth in fewest turnovers per game (9.0).
– Notre Dame is only committing 7.8 turnovers per game in ACC play. The Irish boast a 1.85 assist-to-turnover ratio in league action.
– The Irish have committed fewer than 10 turnovers in 12 games this season, including each of the last five contests.
– Notre Dame had a season-low four turnovers against Michigan State (Dec. 3).

FIGHTING IRISH GET OFFENSIVE
– The Irish rank ninth nationally (first in the ACC) in scoring (81.9 ppg.).
– Notre Dame’s 81.9 points-per-game average is the highest since the Irish averaged 85.4 ppg. during the 1976-77 campaign.

SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Four Fighting Irish players are averaging at least 13 points per game this season – Jerian Grant (16.8), Pat Connaughton (14.0), Zach Auguste (13.8) and Demetrius Jackson (13.6).
– Notre Dame has had at least four players reach double-figures in 17 of 20 games this season. The Irish have had five or more double-digit scorers on seven 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 six times, while Zach Auguste (3), Pat Connaughton (2) and Demetrius Jackson (2) have netted 20-plus points on multiple occasions this season.

DRAINING FROM DEEP
– Notre Dame is 11th nationally in made three-point field goals (179) and three-point field goal percentage (.405). Both of those figures lead the ACC.
– The Irish are 19th nationally (first in the ACC) in three-pointers per game (9.0).
– The Irish have deposited 10 or more treys in a game seven times this season (five times in the last eight games). The Irish were 12-of-26 (46.2%) from three-point range on Thursday at Virginia Tech.
– Notre Dame made a season-best 14 three-pointers (14-of-25) against Chicago State (Nov. 29).
– Three Irish players are shooting 42.0% or higher from three-point range (min. 50 att.) – V.J. Beachem (46.0%), Pat Connaughton (45.5%) and Demetrius Jackson (42.9%).
– Five Notre Dame players have made at least 27 treys this season – Connaughton (56), Jackson (33), Jerian Grant (31), Beachem (29) and Steve Vasturia (27).

GRANT HAS GAME
Jerian Grant leads the ACC in assists per game (6.3), assist-to-turnover ratio (3.32) and total minutes (705). He is second in points (335) and fourth in points per game (16.8).
– He ranks ninth nationally in assists (126) and 12th in assists per game (6.3).
– Grant has scored 20-plus points a team-best six times this season. He netted a career-high 27 points versus Michigan State (Dec. 3).
– He has dished out at least six assists in each of the last nine games.
– His 3.32 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 12th nationally. His 2.54 career assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth among active Division I players.

GRANT KEEPS IRISH OFFENSE GOING
Jerian Grant has had a hand in 40.0 percent of Notre Dame’s 1,638 points this season. He’s netted a team-high 335 points and his team-best 127 assists have led to 319 Fighting Irish points.
– Grant has assisted on 23 of Notre Dame’s 48 three-pointers in the last five games.
– Grant has had a hand in 96 of Notre Dame’s 179 three-pointers this season (53.6%). Grant has made 31 treys and he’s assisted on 65 others.

GRANT IN CONTENTION FOR PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR AWARDS
Jerian Grant has been named to the midseason watch lists for the John R. Wooden Award and the Oscar Robertson Trophy.

PAT’S AN ALL-AROUND PERFORMER
Pat Connaughton has reached double-figures in each of the last nine games, which is a career-best streak and is the longest active streak for the Irish.
– Connaughton has posted a double-double in each of the last two games. He has a team-best six double-doubles this season (two in ACC play) and his 13 career double-doubles are the most for any current Irish player.
– Connaughton leads Notre Dame in rebounding (8.4 rpg.) and is second in scoring (14.0 ppg.).
– He ranks 10th nationally (second in the ACC) in defensive rebounds per game (7.35) and he is seventh in the ACC in total rebounds per game (8.4).
– Connaughton ranks 15th nationally in three-point percentage (.455) and 22nd in made three-pointers (56). Both of those marks lead the ACC. Connaughton was 5-of-6 from three-point range on Thursday at Virginia Tech. The five treys matched a season-high mark.
– Connaughton ranks eighth in Irish history in made three-point field goals (231).

STARTING FIVE CONSISTENCY
Demetrius Jackson, Jerian Grant, Steve Vasturia, Pat Connaughton and Zach Auguste have been Notre Dame’s starting five in 18 of 20 games this season. The Irish are 16-2 when that quintet starts.
– Jackson, Grant, Vasturia and Connaughton have started every game this season, while Auguste has 18 starts.
– Last season, the Irish juggled its starting lineup throughout the campaign and ended up with 12 different rotations. Through 19 games last season, Notre Dame already had seven different starting lineups. The Irish have used three lineups this season.

AUGUSTE STAYS HOT FROM THE FIELD
– Junior forward Zach Auguste ranks fourth nationally in field goal percentage at 63.8 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 13.8 points per game after posting a 6.7 ppg. mark last season (+7.1).

ACTION JACKSON
– Sophomore Demetrius Jackson has scored in double-figures 10 times in the last 11 games and 17 times overall this season.
– The Irish point guard has played 175 minutes over the last five games and has only turned the ball over three times in those contests.
– He ranks first in the ACC (31st nationally) in steals (39) and is fourth in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.50).
– Jackson has netted a career-high 22 points twice this season (Michigan State & Purdue).
– Jackson is averaging 13.6 points per game after notching a 6.0 mark last season (+7.6).

BEACHEM BOMBS AWAY OFF THE BENCH
– Sophomore forward V.J. Beachem is 29-of-63 (46.0%) from three-point range this season.
– Prior to Thursday’s uncharacteristic 0-of-7 performance from beyond the arc at Virginia Tech, he was 12-of-22 (54.5%) from long range in the previous four games (North Carolina, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Miami).
– His top three-point effort of the season came against Coppin State (Nov. 19) as he connected on 5-of-6 attempts.
– Beachem missed five straight games earlier this season due to injury, but returned to the floor Dec. 22 versus Northern Illinois.

CASHING IN FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
– The Fighting Irish have made more free throws (279) than their opponents have attempted (255).

A DYNAMIC DUO
Jerian Grant leads all current ACC players in career points (1,446), while Pat Connaughton is third (1,270).
– Connaughton leads all ACC players in career rebounds (709) and Grant is first in career assists (564).
– The senior duo has combined for 222 games played (204 of them starts), 2,716 points, 998 rebounds, 796 assists and 222 steals.
– Connaughton and Grant also have accounted for 7,451 minutes played on the court (33.6 mpg.).

1,000-POINT PLAYERS
Jerian Grant (1,446) and Pat Connaughton (1,270) 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 17th on Notre Dame’s career scoring list, while Connaughton is 31st.
– Grant boasts a 14.3 points-per-game average during his career and Connaughton has a 10.5 mark.

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
– The Irish are 4-1 this season in games decided by five points or fewer. Notre Dame’s two losses this season are by a combined seven points.
– Last season, Notre Dame was 6-7 in games decided by five points or fewer.

COMEBACK KIDS
– Notre Dame has overcome 12-point deficits (its largest of the season) twice in the last three games. The Irish trailed Miami (Jan. 17) by that margin in the second half and they were down to Georgia Tech (Jan. 14) by 12 in the first half.
– The Irish trailed Georgia Tech by eight points (38-30) at halftime on Jan. 14 and rallied to win 62-59. The eight-point halftime deficit was the largest overcome by the Irish en route to a victory since they came back from a 16-point margin (39-23) in a 74-70 overtime win at Villanova on Feb. 18, 2012. It also signified the largest halftime deficit overcome by any ACC team this season in a league contest.

DEFENSIVE DISPLAYS
– Notre Dame ranks sixth in the ACC in total steals (136). Individually, Demetrius Jackson is first in the league in steals (39), while Jerian Grant is seventh (29).
– The Irish have held 11 of 20 opponents under 40.0% shooting from the floor this season.

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 417-213 (.662) 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 318-161 (.664) record in his 14-plus seasons in South Bend. He is one of 19 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 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).

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.