Dec. 18, 2016
WHO: Notre Dame (9-2) vs. Colgate (2-9)
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (9,149)
WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ET
VIDEO BROADCAST: ACC Network Extra with Mike Monaco (play-by-play) and A.J. Burgett (analyst). The ACC Network Extra is available via the WatchESPN app and online at WatchESPN.com.
AUDIO BROADCAST: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Jordan Cornette (analyst). Available on WatchND.tv, the WatchND app and via network affiliates (see page 8 of the notes package for a list of radio affiliates).
IRISH FACE COLGATE IN FINAL GAME BEFORE CHRISTMAS BREAK:
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (9-2) returns to Purcell Pavilion after two neutral site contests to face Colgate (2-9) in the team’s final game before the Christmas holiday break. The game is set for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on-line via ACC Network Extra.
The Irish will return to campus to face St. Peter’s on December 28 before beginning ACC competition on New Years Eve at Pittsburgh.
Here are five things to know about the Notre Dame – Colgate game –
1 – NOTRE DAME vs. COLGATE SERIES HISTORY:
The Fighting Irish – Raiders series goes back to 1914, when the Irish traveled to Hamilton, New York, to face the Raiders. The Irish are 4-0 all-time against Colgate, with the most recent victories coming in 2001 and 2007 at Purcell Pavilion.
2 – FARRELL EMBRACES THE CHALLENGE OF TOP COMPETITION:
Junior guard Matt Farrell, who entered the starting lineup in the NCAA Championship run last season, has saved some of his best performances for Notre Dame’s top competition. Eight of Farrell’s 15 career starts have come against college basketball power conference teams (ACC, Big Ten, Big East, or Pac-12) and Farrell has responded with 14.0 ppg (18.8 this season), 5.6 apg and is shooting .526 from the floor and .484 from three-point field goal range.
3 – COLSON FILLING UP THE BOXSCORE:
Junior forward Bonzie Colson recorded his seventh double-double of the season against No. 15/16 Purdue with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
Colson has scored double-figure points in all 11 games of the 2016-17 season, becoming the first Irish player since Jerian Grant (2014-15) to score 10 or more points in the team’s first 11 games of the season.
Colson is the first non-guard to accomplish that feat since Luke Harangody in 2009-10, who scored double-figures in the season’s first 25 games before an injury vs. Seton Hall ended his scoring streak.
4 – ‘GET-AWAY GAME’ SUCCESS:
Notre Dame is 15-1 under Mike Brey in ‘get-away games’ (the team’s final game before the Chirstmas break). The Irish will return to action on Dec. 28 against St. Peter’s before beginning ACC play. The only ‘get-away game’ loss came on Dec. 21, 2013, when the Irish fell to No. 3/2 Ohio State in the BlackRock Gotham Classic in Madison Square Garden. That also was the only ‘get-away game’ played away from Purcell Pavilion under Brey.
5 – THE ULTIMATE WEAPON – GETTING TO THE FREE THROW LINE:
Notre Dame is first in the country (as of Dec. 18) in free throw percentage, shooting 86.4 percent (172-199) from the charity stripe this season. Here are some of the superlatives for the team from its free throw shooting –
- Junior Matt Farell was tied with two other players in the country with a perfect 1.000 shooting percentage from the free throw line as of Dec. 10. Farrell is currently just behind the average attempt per game needed to qualify as the national leader (2.5) but remains perfect from the line this season (27-27).
- Dating back to the 2015-16 season, Farrell has connected on 31 consecutive free throws.
- Farrell is the first Notre Dame player in the Brey era to begin the season connecting on his first 27 free throw attempts.
- Steve Vasturia is currently third in the nation for free throw shooting percentage at .970 (32-33).
- Vasturia combines with Bonzie Colson (17th, 46-50, .920) to give Notre Dame the only team in the country with two players in the top 17 for free throw shooting.
- Colson’s 12-for-12 effort at the free throw line against Iowa tied four other ND players with the fourth-best in school history.
- Notre Dame has missed three or less free throws in 10 of 11 games this season and connected on all 14 attempts in the victory over North Carolina A&T and all six attempts against Villanova.
- Over the course of the three games with Iowa, North Carolina A&T and Fort Wayne, Notre Dame combined to hit 31 consecutive free throws as a team.
See the game notes package linked above for further breakdown of these notes, plus much more.