Nov. 25, 2016
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (5-0) returns to Purcell Pavilion on Saturday evening (7:00 p.m. ET) to take on Chicago State (2-2) on ACC Network Extra. The Irish are coming off a 2-0 trip to the Barclays Center for the 2016 Legends Classic Semifinal and Final, defeating Colorado and Northwestern to earn the program’s first in-season tournament title since 2010.
WHO: Notre Dame vs. Chicago State
WHEN: Saturday, November 26, 2016 | 7:00 p.m. ET | ACC Network Extra
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
TICKETS: und.com/buyticketsVIDEO BROADCAST INFORMATION: ACC Network Extra, utilizing the Notre Dame Basketbal Radio Network audio feed and available via the WatchESPN app.
AUDIO BROADCAST INFORMATION: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network, with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst).
CLICK HERE to find out how to listen/watch the Irish
Here are Five Things To Know about the Notre Dame – Chicago State matchup:
1. CHICAGO STATE AT A GLANCE AND SERIES HISTORY:
Chicago State is a public university located in Chicago, Illinois with an enrollment of just over 4,700 students. They are a member of the Western Athletic Conference in men’s basketball.
The Cougars first year of basketball was 1966-67 and they moved up to Division I for the 1984-85 season. They finished the 2015-16 season with a 4-28 record, 0-14 in the WAC.
In 2016-17, Chicago State is 2-2 with victories over Illinois Tech and East-West sandwiched around losses at Wisconsin and at Oakland.
Fred Sims Jr. paces the Cougar offense with a 20.8 points-per-game scoring average, while Trayvon Palmer averages 13.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Notre Dame and Chicago State will be meeting for the fourth time on Saturday evening. The Irish have won all three previous meetings, with all three taking place at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish have averaged 94.7 points per game in the three previous meetings with the Cougars, the most recent a 90-42 victory on Nov. 29, 2014.
2. LEGENDS CLASSIC CHAMPIONS:
Notre Dame claimed its first in-season tournament title since 2010 with a 70-66 victory over Northwestern on Tuesday, Nov. 22, in the championship game of the 2016 Legends Classic at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.
The four victories for the Irish in the tournament (over Bryant, Seattle, Colorado and Northwestern) mark the most the Irish have ever won in an in-season tournament. The trophy was the first in-season award claimed by the Irish since they won three games in 2010 to claim the Old Spice Classic at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. Previous to the 2010 Old Spice victory, Notre Dame’s most recent in-season tournament title came at the Hawaii-Pacific Thanksgiving Classic in 2001.
3. LEGENDS CLASSIC MVP:
Bridgewater, New Jersey, native Matt Farrell enjoyed his return to the Barclays Center, not far from the area where he played during his prep career, for the Legends Classic semifinal and final victories over Colorado and Northwestern, respectively.
Farrell, whose first two career starts came in Notre Dame’s two NCAA tournament victories over Michigan and Stephen F. Austin in the Barclays Center during March of 2016, played a career-best game in the semifinal over Colorado, scoring 20 points with six assists and three steals.
He followed up that performance with 18 points and six assists against Northwestern in the championship game, including scoring Notre Dame’s final five points in the come-from-behind victory.
With a 19 point-per-game average in the two games at Barclays Center, along with 6.0 assists and 2.0 steals per game, Farrell was the easy choice as the tournament’s most valuable player.
4. VASTURIA REACHES CAREER MILESTONE:
Senior captain Steve Vasturia entered the Legends Classic final against Northwestern needing 18 points to reach 1,000 points in his career.
Not only did Vasturia reach that milestone, he might have played the best all-around game of his career against the Wildcats. The Medford, New Jersey, native grabbed a career-high eight rebounds to go along with 18 points, three assists and three steals.
Vasturia is the 61st Notre Dame player to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
5. BACK-TO-BACK DOUBLE-DOUBLES:
Junior Bonzie Colson continued his great start to the 2016-17 season at the Legends Classic semifinal and final at the Barclays Center, posting the first back-to-back double-double performances of his career.
In the semifinal victory over Colorado, Colson led the Irish with 22 points and 12 rebounds – while also shooting 9-of-9 at the free throw line and collecting two steals.
He followed up with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game victory over Northwestern while playing a team-high 38 minutes.
The double-doubles were the fifth and sixth of Colson’s career, while the 20-point performance against Colorado was the fourth of his career and second this season.