Duke Preview - Five Things To Know

Jan. 29, 2017

ND Game Notes vs. Duke

Duke Game Notes at ND

WHO: Notre Dame (17-5, 6-3 ACC) vs. Duke (16-5, 4-4 ACC)

WHAT: ESPN’s Big Monday

WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (SOLD OUT)

WHEN: 7:00 p.m. ET

NATIONAL BROADCAST: ESPN with Rece Davis (play-by-play) and Dan Dakich (analyst).

ESPN RADIO: March Kestecher (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) listen at ESPN Radio Affiliates and on Sirius and XM Channel 80.

NOTRE DAME BASKETBALL RADIO NETWORK: Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst) listen online, via the Notre Dame Basketball Radio affiliates (list available here) and on Sirius and XM Channel 81.

Here are Five Things To Know about the Notre Dame – Duke matchup –

NOTRE DAME vs. DUKE SERIES HISTORY:

Notre Dame and Duke will be meeting for the 28th time on Monday evening, with the Blue Devils leading the all-time series 20-7. Five of Notre Dame’s victories in the series have occurred since the Irish joined the ACC in 2014, including a 95-91 victory last season to earn the program’s first win at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Jan. 16, 2016.

Notre Dame, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia and Wake Forest are the only programs to earn at least five wins in six games against a Krzyzewski team at Duke.

Mike Brey, who was an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski at Duke for eight season and helped Duke advance to the Final Four six times and win back-to-back national championships in 1991 and 1992, is 5-2 against Duke in his time at Notre Dame and is the only former Duke assistant coach to earn a win over Krzyzewski in a head-to-head meeting.

NOTRE DAME VS. DUKE AS ACC MEMBERS 5-1 | home 2-0 | away 1-1 | neutral 2-0

^ – ACC Tournament | ~ – ACC Game

FOUR FOR 14:

Notre Dame has four players averaging at least 14.0 points-per-game in 2016-17 – Bonzie Colson (15.5), Steve Vasturia (14.5), V.J. Beachem (14.5) and Matt Farrell (14.0). If those averages maintain over 14.0, it would be the first time since the 2001-02 season that the Irish will finish the season with four players averaging 14.0 points or better per game.

In 2001-02, current Irish assistant coach Ryan Humphrey averaged a team-high 18.9 ppg, followed by Chris Thomas (15.6), David Graves (14.4) and Matt Carroll (14.1).

Notre Dame joins UCLA as the only other school in the country with four players averaging 14.0 ppg or more.

THREE-YEAR WIN TOTAL RECORD IN SIGHT:

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 17 victories so far in 2016-17, the Irish are one win away from matching the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams for the program-best 74 wins in three years.

VASTURIA CAREER NUMBERS:

Senior Steve Vasturia continues to climb the career charts – at Notre Dame, in the ACC and the NCAA.

As of Jan. 23, 2017, Vasturia is seventh on the list of active career scorers in the ACC play with 1,245 points and fourth in career assists with 283.

On the Notre Dame career charts, Vasturia currently ranks second in FT% (.849), fourth in consecutive starts (103), 12th in 3FG attempted (459), 17th in 3FG% (.381), 19th in assists (283), 17th in steals (115) and 35th in scoring (1,245).

For NCAA career numbers, among active Power Five conference (and the Big East) Vasturia is 12th in career FT%, tied for 20th in games played, 22nd in 3FGM, 29th in points and 36th in assists (as of Jan. 29).

VASTURIA AND BEACHEM REACH CAREER MILESTONES:

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 eight rebounds to go along with 18 points, three assists and three steals.

Senior V.J. Beachem needed 10 points entering the game at Georgia Tech for 1,000 career points and eclipsed that in the first half, scoring 23 points in McCamish Pavilion.

Vasturia is the 59th and Beachem the 60th Notre Dame player to reach the 1,000-point plateau.

Teammate Bonzie Colson could join the duo in the 1,000-point club, as Colson has 920 career points entering the matchup with Duke.

2017 Infiniti Coaches CHARITY Challenge:

Irish head coach Mike Brey is taking part in the 2017 Coaches Charity Challenge. Voting begins on Monday, Jan. 2 and continues through the completion of the first round on Jan. 22, 2017. After four rounds of voting, the winning coach will receive a 100,000 dollar donation to a charity of his choice, with Coach Brey hoping to send money to Coaches vs. Cancer.

To vote visit www.und.com/brey (fans will need to set up a ESPN.com account to vote) and fans are allowed to vote once per day.

2017 COACHES VS. CANCER THREE POINT CHALLENGE:

The American Cancer Society, the National Association of Basketball Coaches and the nation’s premier college basketball programs are teaming up for the Coaches vs Cancer Three-Point Challenge. Teams from coast to coast are squaring off to see who can raise the most money from behind the arc.

You can support the Notre Dame Fighting Irish by pledging for every three-point shot the team makes this February.

Follow the national competition at 3pointchallenge.org and make a pledge at https://pledgeit.org/cvc-notre-dame. The team raising the most from their three pointers will be crowned champion. All proceeds of the 3-Point Challenge will benefit the American Cancer Society and Coaches vs Cancer.