Feb. 13, 2017
By Alan Wasielewski
WHO: Notre Dame (19-7, 8-5 ACC) at Boston College (9-17, 2-11 ACC)
WHERE: Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts
WHEN: Tuesday, February 14, 2017, 7:00 p.m. ET
NATIONAL BROADCAST: ESPNU with Rich Hollenberg (play-by-play) and Dino Gaudio (analyst).
RADIO BROADCAST: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Zach Hillesland (analyst). You can listen live online at WatchND.tv or via any Notre Dame Basketball Network affiliate. The Boston College broadcast also will be available on Sirius XM Channel 84.
Here are Five Things To Know about the Notre Dame – Boston College matchup –
NOTRE DAME vs. BOSTON COLLEGE SERIES HISTORY:
Notre Dame and Boston College will be meeting for the 28th time on Tuesday evening and the seventh time as ACC opponents. The Irish have won all six meetings between the two teams since Notre Dame joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season. Notre Dame also won the last meeting between the two teams as Big East Conference members in 2005, giving the Irish a seven-game win streak over the Eagles.
Boston College and Georgia Tech are Notre Dame’s two designated repeat opponents each season in the ACC. The Irish and Eagles will meet again on March 1, 2017, at 8:00 p.m. ET in Purcell Pavilion.
NOTRE DAME vs. BOSTON COLLEGE AS ACC MEMBERS | 6-0 | HOME 3-0 | AWAY 3-0
|
Date |
City |
Site |
ND rank |
Opp rank |
W/L |
ND |
Opp |
|
2/1/2014 |
~Notre Dame, IN |
Purcell Pavilion |
W OT |
76 |
73 |
||
|
2/16/2014 |
~Chestnut Hill, MA |
Conte Forum |
W |
73 |
69 |
||
|
2/4/2015 |
~Notre Dame, IN |
Purcell Pavilion |
10 / 10 |
W |
71 |
63 |
|
|
2/21/2015 |
~Chestnut Hill, MA |
Conte Forum |
10 / 10 |
W |
87 |
70 |
|
|
1/7/2016 |
~Chestnut Hill, MA |
Conte Forum |
W |
82 |
54 |
||
|
1/23/2016 |
~Notre Dame, IN |
Purcell Pavilion |
25 / nr |
W |
76 |
49 |
~ – ACC Game.
COLSON POURS IN 33 POINTS VS. FLORIDA STATE:
Junior forward Bonzie Colson led the Irish to victory over No. 14/15 Florida State on Saturday, Feb. 11, with a career-high 33 points. It was the second 30-point game of Colson’s career (he posted 31 points in a victory at Duke on Jan. 16, 2016) and the first 33-point game at Notre Dame since Matt Carroll’s 33-point effort against DePaul on Dec. 14, 2002.
Colson’s 33 points mark the 50th time that an Irish player has reached at least 30 points in a game during the Mike Brey era (2000-01 to present). It is the most points scored in a game by an Irish player since Luke Harangody posted 37 against Cincinnati on Feb. 4, 2010.
SIX-FOOT-FIVE WITH A SEVEN-FOOT WING SPAN:
Junior forward Bonzie Colson has been labelled as ‘under-sized,’ due to his listed 6-5 height measurement. The New Bedford, Massachusetts, native does boast a 7-2 wing span, however, which helps the Irish captain lead the ACC in rebounding at 10.8 per game.
Should Colson continue to lead the league in rebounding, he will become the shortest ACC player to lead the league in rebounding since South Carolina’s Grady Wallace grabbed 14.4 rebounds per game in 1957 – a span of 60 years.
Since 1958 (Pete Brennan, North Carolina) Colson would be the only player under 6-7 to lead the ACC in rebounding.
PLAYERS UNDER 6-7 TO LEAD THE ACC IN REBOUNDING:
|
Name |
Year |
Height |
School |
Rebounds Per Game |
|
Dickie Hemric |
1954 |
6-6 |
Wake Forest |
15.1 |
|
Dickie Hemric |
1955 |
6-6 |
Wake Forest |
19.0 |
|
Grady Wallace |
1957 |
6-4 |
South Carolina |
14.4 |
|
Pete Brennan |
1958 |
6-6 |
North Carolina |
11.7 |
|
2017 |
6-5 |
Notre Dame |
10.8 |
THE 1,000-POINT CLUB:
The Notre Dame men’s basketball program has welcomed three players – seniors Steve Vasturia and V.J. Beachem, along with junior Bonzie Colson – to the 1,000-point career point club this season. It marks the first time three players have reached the 1,000-point plateau in the same season since 1991-92.
Vasturia reached the plateau against Northwestern on Nov. 22, 2016, as his 18th point in the game moved him to 1,000 for his career.
Beachem entered the game at Georgia Tech on Jan. 28 needing 10 points to reach 1,000 and eclipsed the mark in the first half, eventually scoring 23 points in McCamish Pavilion.
Colson, the 61st Irish player to reach 1,000 points at Notre Dame, did it in style against No. 14/15 Florida State on Feb. 11, scoring a career-high 33 points with 13 rebounds. His 1,000th and 1,001st points came on a fast break tip in, which also earned him his 16th double-double of the season.
It is the first time since the 1991-92 season that three Irish players have reached 1,000 career points in the same year. LaPhonso Ellis (1,505), Elmer Bennett (1,488) and Daimon Sweet (1,410) all reached the milestone during the 1991-92 season.
A final note for the 1,000-point club. Every Irish player who played in the ACC Championship game against North Carolina in 2015 and the classic NCAA regional final game against No. 1/1 Kentucky has reached at least 1,000 career points in their careers at Notre Dame (Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton, Demetrius Jackson, Zach Auguste, Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem and Bonzie Colson).
NEW THREE-YEAR RECORD TOTAL ESTABLISHED:
As the only program in the nation with back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight apperances, Notre Dame has compiled the best two-year stretch of victories already, posting a program-best 56 wins in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
With 19 victories so far in 2016-17, the Irish have surpassed the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams for the program-best total of 74 wins in three years.
|
Season 1 |
Wins |
Season 2 |
Wins |
Season 3 |
Wins |
Total |
|
2014-15 |
32 |
2015-16 |
24 |
2016-17 |
19 |
75 |
|
2010-11 |
27 |
2011-12 |
22 |
2012-13 |
25 |
74 |
|
2013-14 |
15 |
2014-15 |
32 |
2015-16 |
24 |
71 |
|
2008-09 |
21 |
2009-10 |
23 |
2010-11 |
27 |
71 |
NOTRE DAME vs. BOSTON COLLEGE – BY THE NUMBERS:
|
1 |
Junior Bonzie Colson, a selection for the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, is the only player out of the other 19 on the list to shoot .500 from the field, .800 at the free throw line, average over 10.0 rebounds per game and have 40 blocks this season. Colson also was named to the Naismith Award Top 30 on Feb. 9. |
|
1.68 |
Assist-to-turnover ratio for Notre Dame this sesason, the second-best in the nation behind UCLA (1.83). |
|
2 |
Bonzie Colson earned his second ACC Player of the Week award of the season on Monday, Feb. 13, finishing the week with a 30.0 ppg, 14.5 rpg and 3.0 bpg average as the Irish claimed wins over Wake Forest and No. 14/15 Florida State. Colson also was the ACC Player of the Week on Dec. 5, 2016. |
|
7 |
Notre Dame and Boston College will be meeting for the seventh time as ACC opponents on Tuesday evening. The Irish have won all six previous ACC meetings between the two teams and Notre Dame leads the all-time series 17-10. |
|
9.9 |
Turnovers-per-game average for the Irish this season, second-best in the nation behind Michigan (9.4). |
|
10.8 |
Rebounds-per-game average for Bonzie Colson, which leads the ACC and is 8th in the country (as of Feb. 13). Colson also leads the ACC in overall double-doubles (16) and 10-rebound performances (17). He is the only ACC player ranked in the conference top 10 for rebounds (1st, 10.8), FT% (7th, .817) and FG% (7th, .510). |
|
11.6 |
Improved points-per-game scoring average for junior Matt Farrell (14.2 this season compared to 2.6 from 2015-16), the best mark in the ACC and second for a player from the Brey era (1st, +14.4, Tim Abromaitis, 2009-10, 3rd, Chris Quinn, +10.4, 2003-04). |
|
14 |
Notre Dame has shot at least 80 percent from the free throw line 14 times this season, including a 19-of-21 performance (.905) against Florida State. |
|
33 |
Bonzie Colson’s 33-point performance against No. 14/15 Florida State marked the 50th time an Irish player has scored 30 or more points in the Mike Brey era (see page 3 for more details). |
|
75 |
Victories over the past three seasons for the Irish (32 in 2014-15, 24 in 2015-16 and 19 this season) establishing the all-time best three-season mark. The previous best of 74 occurred in 2010-11 (27), 2011-12 (22) and 2012-13 (25). See page 3 of this notes package for more details. |
|
81.2 |
Free-throw percentage for Notre Dame this season, the best in the nation. |
|
90.5 |
Free throw percentage for Steve Vasturia this season, first in the ACC and 12th in the nation. |
|
293 |
Career assists for Steve Vasturia, looking to become the 19th ND player to amass 300 assists. Vasturia also is at 1,293 points and has a chance to become the 11th Irish player to score over 1,300 points and dish out 300 assists. |
|
375 |
Victories at Notre Dame for head coach Mike Brey, the second-most in Notre Dame history and 18 away from the all-time record (393). |
|
1,000 |
Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem and Bonzie Colson have all reached 1,000 career points this season – the first time since 1991-92 three Irish players have reached that milestone in the same year (see page 5 for more details). |
–ND–
Alan Wasielewski is an Associate Athletics Communications Director in Fighting Irish Media. He works with both the men’s basketball and rowing programs.