Men's Basketball Faces Bellarmine Friday Night

Notre Dame Game Notes vs. Bellarmine

Bellarmine Game Notes vs. Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team completes its 2019-20 two-game exhibition season on Friday by playing host to No. 2/3 (Division II) Bellarmine  on Fridaiy, November 1, at 7 p.m. in Purcell Pavilion.

• Bellarmine is located in Lousiville, Kentucky, and is in its final year of membership in Division II (Great Lakes Valley Conference). The Knights will transition to Division I for the 2020-21 season and compete as a member fo the ASUN Conference.
• Bellarmine won the Great Lakes Valley Championship last season, then advanced to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Final. Of the most talented Division II teams in the nation, the Knight battled Louisville on October 29 to the final minutes, eventually falling by 10 points.
• Notre Dame is 3-0 all-time against Bellarmine, earning victories in 1958 (87-55) and 1961 (71-52) and an exhibition win (85-57) on Nov. 6, 2006.
• Former Notre Dame head coach John MacLeod (1991-99), who passed away in April of 2019,  was a 1959 graduate of Bellarmine and lettered in three sports (basketball, baseball and track).

BY THE NUMBERS: IRISH VS. KNIGHTS

MOONEY NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-ACC FIRST TEAM

Senior forward John Mooney was named to the 2019-20 Preseason All-ACC First Team, by a vote of the attendees of ACC Media Day on October 8, 2019.

Mooney posted a remarkable junior year campaign for the Irish in 2018-19, his superlatives inlcuded:

• One of just seven major conference players to average a double-double (14.1 ppg, 11.2 rpb)
• Leading all major conference players in rebounds per game (12.6) in conference play
• Becoming the third Notre Dame player in the past four seasons to lead the ACC in rebounding
• Leading the ACC in double-doubles, both overall (20) and in conference play (13)
• Posting the second-most double-doubles in ACC conference play ever, behind Tim Duncan’s 15 in 1996-97
• His 12.6 rebounds-per-game average in ACC play is the second-highest total since Tim Duncan posted a 14.9 number in 1996-97

IRON MAN T.J. GIBBS AMONG MAJOR CONFERENCE MINUTES PLAYED LEADERS

Senior T.J. Gibbs, who is already 19th on the all-time Notre Dame list for career minutes played, is among the nation’s leaders in minutes played by a major conference returning player. Gibbs has logged 3,042 minutes in three years with the Irish.

MINUTES PLAYED – CAREER – MAJOR CONFERENCES

IRISH TRADITIONALLY AMONG BEST IN THE COUNTRY AT TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

Notre Dame finished third in the NCAA last season in turnovers per game – posting the fifth consecutive season of ranking in the nation’s top-10 for least amount of turnovers in a game.

The Irish have not averaged over 10.0 turnovers per game since a 10.3 mark in 2013-14 (which was still good enough for 26th nationally).

NOTRE DAME TURNOVERS PER GAME, LAST FIVE SEASONS

HUBB ENDS UP SIXTH ON THE ROOKIE ASSIST BOARD

Freshman Prentiss Hubb was the main ball handler for the Irish throughout his rookie season and paced the team with 131 assists. He is the ninth true freshman since the class became eligible to play to post 90-or-more assists during their rookie season.

Hubb is the fourth Mike Brey-era guard to reach 100 assists in his rookie season.

TRUE FRESHMAN SINGLE-SEASON ASSISTS (since 1972-73)

* – Mike Brey era players

MOST ACTIVE FRESHMAN CLASS SINCE 1972-73 NOW SOPHOMORES

The five-person freshman class of Robby Carmody, Chris Doherty, Dane Goodwin, Prentiss Hubb and Nate Laszewski combined to play 2,680 minutes in 2018-19 – the most of the Mike Brey era and since freshman became eligible in 1972-73.

FRESHMAN PLAYING TIME – SINCE 1972-73

* – three scholarship players

DURHAM RIM PROTECTION MAKES AN IMPRESSION

Even though Juwan Durham is listed as a senior on the Notre Dame roster, he actually just finished off his first season of full action in 2018-19. Durham saw limited minutes in his freshman season at UConn (2016-17) after sitting out his senior year of high school to recover from an ACL tear in his right knee. He also had wrist surgery while sitting out during his transfer season last year with the Irish.

In his first game in a Notre Dame uniform against UIC (11/6/18) he became the first Notre Dame player since 2012 to block six shots in a game. Durham also sparked the Irish with 10 points and five blocks in the second half of a victory over Illinois (11/27/18).

During the Mike Brey era (2000-01 – present) only six other players have blocked five or more shots multiple times, putting the Tampa, Florida, native – with two full years of eligibility remaining starting in 2019-20 – among some noteworthy Irish players.

MULTIPLE GAMES WITH FIVE OR MORE BLOCKED SHOTS

IRISH CONTROLLING ANNUAL HOME-AND-HOME SERIES IN CONFERENCE PLAY

Notre Dame finished off its four-game run through its annual home-and-home opponents in ACC play 3-1 this season (then adding an ACC tournament win over the Yellow Jackets), pushing its record against Boston College and Georgia Tech to 19-5 in league play since joining the league in 2013-14. That mark is the best in the conference.

RECORD VS. ACC ANNUAL HOME-AND-HOME OPPONENTS

* – Virginia repeated with Maryland in 2013-14

Each season since 2013-14, ACC teams have faced their designated home-and-home opponents each year, two other league opponents on a rotating home-and-home basis, five opponents on the road only and five opponents at home only.

CROSSROADS CLASSIC HISTORY

The Crossroads Classic will be held in Bankers Life Fieldhouse on December 21, 2019, for the ninth consecutive season featuring Notre Dame, Butler, Indiana and Purdue. The Irish and Bulldogs rotate between facing the Hoosier and Boilermakers each season. 

Butler and Indiana are 5-3 in the event, followed by Notre Dame (4-4) and Purdue (2-6). Notre Dame will face Indiana at Noon ET on Dec. 21.

NOTRE DAME CROSSROADS CLASSIC HISTORY