Nov. 29, 2008

NOTRE DAME, Ind. –

Notre Dame-Furman Game Notes in PDF Format

Notre Dame (4-0) vs. Furman (1-3) Sunday, Nov. 30, 2008 • 2:00 p.m. (Est.) Joyce Center (11,418) • Notre Dame, Ind.

TV: None

Radio: Jack Nolan Nolan (play-by-play analyst) LaPhonso Ellis (color analyst) Notre Dame Sports Properties originates the Notre Dame Radio Network which includes: Sirius Satellite WLS 890 AM in Chicago, Ill (Chicagoland area and Midwest); WSBT 960 AM in South Bend, Ind.; XL950 AM in Indianapolis, Ind.; WEFM95.9 FM in Michigan City and Gary, Ind.; WKKX 1600 AM in Wheeling, W. Va.; ESPN 1480 AM (WRSW) in Warsaw, Ind.; WAMW 107.9 FM/1580 AM in Washington, Ind.; WLUV 1520 AM in Rockford and DeKalb, Ill. and Janesville, Wis.; WVIL 101.3 FM in Jacksonville, Ill.; WDMN 1520 AM in Toledo, Ohio; WSSP 1250 AM in Milwaukee, Wis., and WJLS 560 AM in Beckley, W. Va., Sirius Satellite Radio Channel 159, XM Satellite Radio 117 and www.und.com.

Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available for all home games, via the Notre Dame athletic website (www.und.com).

Notre Dame Returns Home To Face Paladins • Notre Dame returns home after a four-game road swing to take on Furman in just the second meeting ever between the two schools. The only matchup between the the Irish and the Paladins took place on Kansas City, Mo. in the semifinals of the Guardians Classic as the Irish registered a 75-50 victory on November 25, 2002. • This afternoon’s contest is just the second home game of the season for the Irish who enter the game riding a 38-game home win streak at the Joyce Center (the second longest in the country). • Notre Dame looks to make history today with a victory when it looks to set the all-time consecutive game home court win streak set in 1948.

Harangody Sidelines Indefinitely • Luke Harangody has been diagnosed with pneumonia and is sideline indefinitely. No timetable has been set for his return. Harangody became ill following Notre Dame’s win over Texas on Nov. 26, but did play in the loss to top-ranked North Carolina in the championship of the EA Sports Maui Invitational. • Harangody will miss his first career game when the Irish take on Furman on Sunday. He has played in 70 career outings and made 54 consecutive starts.

Irish Set For Five Of Six At Home • After opening up the season by playing four of its first five game on the road, the Irish will play five of its next six at the friendly confines of the Joyce Center. The only road game will be a neutral site contest against Ohio State at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Ind., at the Hall of Fame Showcase.

Climbing The Polls • Notre Dame is ranked eighth in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls this week. The Irish began the year ranked ninth in both preseason polls and climbed to eighth in the first AP poll of the season. This is the highest ranking for Notre Dame since the 2002-03 campaign when the Irish climbed to as high as fifth in the AP poll and sixth in teh ESPN/USA Today ranking in the second week of January 2003.

Keeping The Streak Alive • Notre Dame ran its current home court win streak to 38 games (second-longest in the nation and longest in the 40-plus year history of the Joyce Center) following the season-opening win over USC Upstate (94-58). The Irish have recorded back-to-back undefeated campaigns at the Joyce Center each of the last two seasons and are the only school in BIG EAST history to finish undefeated at home in consecutive seasons. The win tied the all-time school home win streak record. That mark was set at the Notre Dame Fieldhouse and began with a 41-31 win over Wisconsin on December 11, 1943 and ended with a 68-51 loss to St. Louis on February 9, 1948.

The Captains • Seniors Ryan Ayers, Zach Hillesland, Kyle McAlarney and Luke Zeller have been named captains for the 2008-09 campaign. They are the fifth four-man group to serve as captain in the 104-year history of the program.

Irish Roll Under Brey in November • Irish teams have traditionally played well under Irish head coach Mike Brey during the month of November. During his eight seasons on the Notre Dame bench, his teams have compiled a 34-6 (.850) record.

Series Record vs. Furman • Notre Dame is 1-0 all-time against the Paladins. The lone matchup took place in the semifinals of the Guardians Classic in Kansas City, Mo., with the Irish earning a 75-50 victory.

Irish vs. the Southern Conference • Notre Dame is 17-1 all-time versus teams from the Southern Conference. It’s lone loss was to Davidson 54-51 on January 4, 1983 in overtime in Charlotte, N.C.

Irish Earns Runner-Up Finish In Maui • Notre Dame finished second at the EA Sports Maui Invitational in its second-ever appearance in the tournament. The Irish advanced to the championship game against top-ranked North Carolina by virtue of its wins over Indiana (88-50) and sixth-ranked Texas (81-80). Notre Dame lost to the Tar Heels 102-87 in the title game • In the win over Indiana, five Irish players recorded double figures with Tory Jackson matching his career-high as he finished with 21 points, five rebounds, six assists and three steals. Kyle McAlarney canned six three-pointers as he netted 18 points, while Luke Harangody finished with 14 points, five rebounds and a career-high five steals. Ryan Ayers netted double figures for the first time this season and Luke Zeller posted his first career double-double as he tallied 10 points and grabbed a personal best 11 boards. • In the first game of the 2008-09 college basketball season matching two top-10 teams, the eighth-ranked Irish prevailed by one point over the sixth-ranked Longhorns. Luke Harangody led led all scorers and rebounders with 29 points and 13 rebounds as one of three players in double figures as he recorded his third double-double. Kyle McAlarney finished with 19 points and he nailed five three-pointers while playing all 40 mintues of the contest. Tory Jackson turned in another key effort as he tallied 16 points, grabbed five rebounds, dished off seven assists and made three steals. • Kyle McAlarney made a school record 10 three pointers (eclipsing the record he set a last season against Syracuse in February 2008) en route to a career-high 39-point performance against the Tar Heels as the Irish fell in the championship game. McAlarney, who played 39 minutes in the contest, also finished with six assists. Luke Harangody finished with 13 points and seven boards in the loss, while Tory Jackson notched double figures for the fourth consecutive game as he added 10 points.

More Maui Tidbits • Luke Harangody and Kyle McAlarney were named to the all-tournament team at the EA Sports Maui Invitational, joining Danny Green, Tyler Hansbrough and Ty Lawson. Lawson was the tournament’s most valuable player. • Kyle McAlarney averaged 25.3 ponts, 3.0 reboudns and 3.7 assists as he shot 51.0 percent from the field (25-49) and 55.3 percent (21-38) from three-point range. • Luke Harangody ended the tournament averaging 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds, while Tory Jackson averaged 15.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 2.3 steals. • Notre Dame earned its best-ever finish in its second-ever appearance in the Maui Invitational. In its only other appearance in 1993, the Irish were 1-2.

Big Win Against Hoosiers • Notre Dame’s 88-50 win over Indiana in the first round of the EA Sports Maui Invitational marked the largest margin of victory ever for an Irish team in the 68th meeting between the two schools. It also marked the second straight win for Notre Dame against the Hoosiers. The two teams has not played each other since a 55-45 victory in Bloomington, Ind., on Dec. 8, 2004.

Action Jackson • Tory Jackson’s 21 points against Indiana matched the junior guard’s career high and was the third time in his career that he scored 20-plus points in a game. Both of Jackson’s other two 20-point efforts occurred during his freshman season (2006-07 campaign) when he scored 21 points versus Marquette and 20 against Georgetown in the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship. • Heading into today’s game against Furman, Jackson has scored in double figures in four consecutive games.

Double The Pleasure • Luke Zeller’s 10 points and 11 rebounds against Indiana was the first career double-double for the Irish senior. The 11 boards also marked a personal high and the second time this season that he achieved a personal best. In the season opener against USC Upstate, he finished with a career-high 18 points.

A Top-10 Win • Notre Dame’s win over number-six Texas in the semifinals of the Maui Invitational was the first for the Irish over a top-1o foe since Dec. 7, 2006 when the Irish beat #4/5 Alabama at he Joyce Center (99-85). Notre Dame is 10-12 versus top-10 foes under Mike Brey Just Another Day In The Office For Gody • Luke Harangody, who averaged 20.4 points and 10.6 rebounds during the 2007-08 campaign, scored 30 points and grabbed 14 rebounds in the season opener against USC Upstate. It marked the fourth 30-plus point performance of his career and his 26th career double-double. • Luke Harangody’s 27 points and 17 rebounds in Notre Dame’s win at Loyola Marymount on Friday night marked his 56th game in double figures and the 23rd time in his career with 20-plus points. The 17 boards were the second-most in 67 career outings and 27th time in his career that he has registered a double-double. • His 29 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Texas was the 28th double-double of his career and the 24th game of his career with 20-plus points.

Great Beginnings • The 94 points scored in the 95-58 victory over USC Upstate were the most scored by an Irish team in a season opener since the 2001-02 when Notre Dame defeated New Hampshire 99-53 on Nov. 16, 2001.

Zach Attack • Zach Hillesland, who battled plantar fasciitis during the preseason and missed the first exhibition game against Briar Cliff, started Sunday’s game against USC Upstate and scored 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds while also dishing off four assists in 21 minutes. Hillesland was 4-6 from the field and 5-7 from the line. It marked 13th time in his career in which he scored in double figures.

Deja Vu • Luke Zeller had a career outing against USC Upstate in the season opener as he came off the bench in 19 minutes of action to score a personal best 18 points as he connected on 6-7 shots from the the field and was 4-6 from three rebounds. In addition to the 18 points, he grabbed five rebounds. Just one day prior to Luke’s performance, his brother Tyler scored 18 points as a starter for the North Carolina Tar Heels in his collegiate debut.

Finding The Range • Heading into the EA Sports Maui Invitational, Kyle McAlarney was shooting just 15.4 percent from the field (2-13) and 25.0 percent (2-8) from three-point range in his first two games. McAlarney ended his slump in Maui as he was 25-49 from the field (.510) and 21-38 (.553) from three-point range.

Passing Thoughts • After leadin g the nation in assists a year ago (18.4 per game), Notre Dame dished off 25 assists in the season opener against USC Upstate. Last season, the Irish dished off 20-plus assists in 12 games, including a season-high 28 in the season opener against Long Island. Notre Dame also had 20 assists in the loss to North Carolina and is averaging 18.0 assists per game this season.

It’s All In The Experience • Notre Dame’s starting lineup of Zach Hillesland (82 games played/25 starts), Luke Harangody (70 games played/54 starts), Ryan Ayers (86 games played/23 starts), Tory Jackson (70 games played/58 starts) and Kyle McAlarney (79 games played/60 starts) boast a combined 220 starts in the 387 games the five have combined to play in during their careers. Luke Zeller, who was the first player off the bench in the season opener against USC Upstate, has started 25 games in the 97 that he has appeared in during his three-plus seasons with the Irish.

Top 10 Debut • Notre Dame was ranked ninth in ESPN/USA Today Preseason Coaches’ Poll that was released on October 30. It was was the highest preseason ranking ever for the Irish in the preseason coaches’ poll. Prior to this season, it’s highest ranking ever was 17th in 2000-01 in the poll which began in 1991-92. The last time the Irish started the season ranked in the preseason coaches poll was in 2004-05 (21st). The BIG EAST led all conferences with seven teams ranked in the top 25 — Connecticut (2nd), Louisville (3rd), Pittsburgh (6th), Marquette (17th), Georgetown (18th) and Villanova (25th). • The Irish also were ranked ninth in the Preseason Associated Press Poll. It marked the fifth time in program history that Notre Dame has debuted in the top-10 of the AP poll. • The Irish have not begun a season ranked in the top 10 of the AP rankings since 1980-81 when they were 10th. Notre Dame’s highest-ever AP preseason mark was third in 1978-79. The Irish were ranked fourth in 1977-78 and fifth in 1979-80. The last time Notre Dame was ranked in the preseason AP poll was in 200-405 when the Irish were 20th. • A total of seven BIG EAST teams appear in the top 25, including four in the top 10. • Seven BIG EAST teams also appeared in the preseason AP poll.

Leader Of The Pack • Notre Dame led the nation in assists during the 2007-08 campaign. In 33 games, Notre Dame dished out 608 assists (the third-highest single-season total in school history) for an 18.4 average per game.

Nine Straight Postseason Appearances • Notre Dame’s appearance in last year’s NCAA tournament field marked the fifth NCAA berth for the Irish in seven years. Since 2000, Notre Dame has appeared in either the NCAA or NIT tournaments each of the last nine years — the longest postseason stretch in school history.

Five 20-Win Seasons Under His Belt • With its 25-8 record last season, Notre Dame reached the 20-win mark for the fifth time in eight seasons and second consecutive year under head coach Mike Brey. Notre Dame’s 20-win campaigns under Brey have been in 2000-01 (20-10), 2001-02 (22-11), 2002-03 (24-10) and 24-8 (2006-07). In the 103-year history of the program, Notre Dame teams have won 20 or more games on 32 occasions.

BIG EAST Turnaround • Under head coach Mike Brey’s tenure, Notre Dame has had only one losing season. That season was in 2005-06 when the Irish finished 6-10 after beginning the BIG EAST campaign with a 1-8 record. Since that 1-8 start, Notre Dame has gone 30-11 (.732) over the last 41 regular-season games.

Now That’s Something To Talk About • Notre Dame’s current record-setting 38-game home win streak spans three seasons — the final two games played during the 2005-06 campaign, the entire 2006-07 season (18 games), 17 games in 2007-08 and one game into the 2008-09 campaign. Here’s a look at the dominance of the Irish during its present win streak: Notre Dame Opponents FG Percentage 1081-2251 (.480) 929-2361(.386) 3-FG Percentage 331-835 (.396) 251-761 (.330) Points/Avg. 3,198 (84.2 ppg.) 2,471 (65.0 ppg.) Margin of Victory +727 points (+19.1)

Notes: Notre Dame has shot .500 or better in 16 of 38 games Notre Dame opponents have shot .500 or better in 3 of 38 games 27 wins by 10-plus points 14 wins by 20-plus points 10 wins by 30-plus points 5 wins by 40-plus points 1 win by 50-plus points

Home Cookin’ • Notre Dame’s 17-0 record at home in 2007-08 marked just the fourth time since the opening of the Joyce Center in 1968-69 that an Irish team finished undefeated at home during the regular season. In 2006-07, the Irish were 18-0, which marked the most wins ever for a Notre Dame team in a single season. In addition to this year’s team and the 2006-07 squad, only two other Notre Dame squads ever completed a season undefeated at home — the 1973-74 and 1985-86 squads both finished their campaigns with identical 15-0 records. The Irish have been the only BIG EAST team to finish undefeated at home each of the last two seasons. Dating back to the 2005-06 campaign, Notre Dame has won 38 consecutive games at the Joyce Cetner — an active streak that is second among all Division I teams and is the longest during Mike Brey’s tenure.

• Notre Dame’s current streak dates back to the final two games of the 2005-06 campaign as Irish defeated DePaul (66-61) in the regular-season finale and Vanderbilt (79-69) in the first round of the NIT. Notre Dame’s last loss at home was an 80-72 setback to Marquette on February 25, 2006.

Current NCAA Division I Home Court Win Streaks: 1. BYU 48 2. NOTRE DAME 38 3. Tennessee 34 4. Kansas 28 5. Georgetown 24

BIG EAST Win Streak • Notre Dame’s 18-game BIG EAST homecourt win streak is its longest since the Irish joined the conference in 1995-96 and is the second-longest in conference history.

20 – Pittsburgh (6 games in 2003-04, 8 games in 2002-03 and 6 games in 2001-02) 18 – Notre Dame (1 game in 2005-06, 8 games in 2006-07 and 9 games in 2007-08) *The only team that the Irish have not played at home during the streak is Georgetown. Notre Dame will face the Hoyas on January 5.

Joyce Center Streakin’ • Notre Dame broke the Joyce Center home win streak mark on December 8 with its 108-62 win over Northern Illinois. Here’s a look at the Joyce Center streaks: 38 – Began with a 66-61 win over DePaul on 3/4/06 (current streak) 24 – Began with a 94-68 win over Xavier on 2/3/73 and ended with a 94-84 loss to Indiana on 12/11/74 22 – Began with an 88-68 win over Pittsburgh on 1/26/77 and ended with a 69-68 overtime loss to DePaul on 2/12/78 16 – Began with a 92-70 win over Fairfield on 12/9/82 and ended with a 51-47 loss to UCLA on 12/3/83 16 – Began with an 89-76 win over West Virginia on 2/20/02 and ended with a 87-79 loss to Connecticut on 2/24/03.

The Irish All-Time • The 2008-09 camapign marks the 104th season of basketball and the 14th as a member of the BIG EAST Conference. Notre Dame teams have posted a 1634-894 record for a .646 winning percentage. In BIG EAST play, the Irish own a 115-103 (.528) record all-time in conference regular-season play.

Always In It • Since the 2005-06 campaign, Notre Dame’s 31 losses have been by a combined 222 points for an average of 7.2 points per game. In the 87 losses suffered by Irish teams in Mike Brey’s eight seasons, only 24 have been by 10 or more points and have been by a combined 621 points for an average of 7.3 points per game. Notre Dame’s 26-point loss (92-66) to Marquette on January 12, 2008 was the largest ever for an Irish team under Brey.

BIG EAST Formula For Success • Since his arrival at Notre Dame, Mike Brey has led the Irish to an 80-50 (.615) record in BIG EAST regular-season games and a 3-8 mark in tournament play for an overall record of 83-58 (.589) against league foes. In Brey’s first season, the Irish posted their first-ever winning record in BIG EAST play and won the league’s West Division title with an 11-5 mark. Prior to Brey’s arrival at Notre Dame, Irish teams had a 35-53 (.398) regular-season record after joining the league in 1995-96.

308 And Counting • Heading into Sunday’s game against Furman, Notre Dame has hit at least one three-pointer in 308 straight games, a mark that dates back to the 1998-99 campaign. The last time an Irish team failed to hit a three-pointer in a game was in a 101-70 loss to Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center on Jan. 12, 1999 as Notre Dame finished 0-7 from beyond the arc in the game. The 2005-06 Irish squad set the single-season record with 288 three-pointers and fell just one field goal short of that mark (287) in 2006-07.

Home Sweet Home • Since the inaugural season in 1968-69 at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame owns a 492-141 (.777) winning percentage. The Irish are 108-27 (.800) at the Joyce Center during Mike Brey’s eight-plus seasons.

Road Warriors • In Mike Brey’s eight seasons, his Irish teams have compiled a road record of 64-60 (.516) that includes a 41-40 (.506) in true road games and a 23-20 mark (.535) in neutral site contests.

Three New Faces On The Irish Bench • Anthony Solomon is back on the Irish sidelines this season as an assistant coach. He first was a member of Mike Brey’s staff in 2000-03 before leaving to become the head coach at St. Bonaventure University (2003-07) and then serving as an assisant at Dayton during the past 2007-08 season. • Ben Hansbrough and Scott Martin transferred to Notre Dame in June 2008 and will not be eligible to play during the 2008-09 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules. Hansbrough played two seasons at Mississippi State where he saw action in 65 contests and made 28 starts from 2006-08. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 28.2 minutes per game during his two-year stint. Martin played just one year (2007-08) at Purdue and was the fourth-leading scorer for the Boilermakers as he averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds.

Irish Sign Four • Irish head coach Mike Brey announced the signing of four players to national letters of intent on November 12. Mike Broghammer (Orono, Minn./Hopkins), Joey Brooks (Houston, Texas), Jack Cooley (Glenview, Ill.) and Tom Knight (Dixfield, Maine). • Broghammer, a 6-9, 235-pound forward, averaged 11.9 points and 10.9 rebounds as a junior in leading his prep team to a final 27-2 record in 2007-08. A two-time all-conference honoree, scored in double figures in 16 of 29 contests as a junior. He is the nephew of former Duke standout Christian Laettner. • Brooks, a 6-5, 200-pound guard, led Strake Jesuit College Preparatory to the District 18-5A crown as a junior while averaging 22.0 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals. He garnered first-team all-district honors and earned all-state recognition. • Cooley, a 6-9, 235-pound forward, averaged a double-double in his junior season at Glenbrook, netting 20.7 points and 11.2 rebounds, in adddtion to 3.4 blocked shots and 3.1 assists. A second team all-state honoree by the Chicago Tribune and Associated Press, he also garnered all-conference recognition. • Knight, a 6-9, 265-pound forward, averaged 16.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 2.3 steals and 3.1 blocked shots as a junior while being tabbed as a all-Mountain Valley Conference first-team selection. He led Dirigo to back-to-back Mountain Valley Conference crowns in 2007 and 2008 and runner-up finishes in those two seasons in the Class C Western Maine regional finals.

Success In The Classroom • The basketball team was one of six Notre Dame teams to earn the 2007-08 BIG EAST Team Academic Excellence award which recognized the highest collective grade averages in each conference sport. The Irish have earned a 3.097 cumulative grade point average and has produced a GPA of 3.0 or better in seven of the last nine semesters and the team cumulative GPA has been above 3.0 for other last eight semesters.