Fighting Irish Welcome In Hoyas On Monday

Jan. 20, 2013

Game Notes

GEORGETOWN (12-4, 2-3)
vs.
#20/20 NOTRE DAME (15-3, 3-2)

January 21, 2013 o 7:30 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (9,149)
Notre Dame, Ind.

TV/INTERNET:
ESPN
WatchESPN.com
Joe Tessitore (play-by-play)
Sean Farnham (analyst)

RADIO:
Broadcast on UND.com (free)
Sirius/XM 91
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
LaPhonso Ellis (analyst)

LIVE STATS:
Gametracker on UND.com

IRISH WELCOME IN HOYAS FOR MONDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN

• #20/20 Notre Dame (15-3, 3-2) will take to the court for the second time in three days on Monday with a home date with Georgetown (12-4, 2-3). The BIG EAST clash is slated for 7:30 p.m. (ET) inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. The Irish are coming off a 69-66 home victory over Rutgers on Saturday.
• Monday’s game can be seen on ESPN and WatchESPN.com Joe Tessitore (play-by-play) and Sean Farnham (analyst) will be on the call.
• Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst) will call the action for the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network. The broadcast is available on Sirius/XM 91 and can also be heard for free on UND.com (full affiliate listings on Pg. 3).

NOTRE DAME-GEORGETOWN SERIES HISTORY

• Monday will be the 29th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Georgetown. The Hoyas lead the series 15-13, yet the Irish have won three of the last four encounters.
• In last season’s lone meeting, the Hoyas topped the Irish, 59-41, at the Verizon Center in Washington, D.C.
• The Fighting Irish boast an 8-5 home record against the Hoyas. Notre Dame has won two straight against Georgetown inside Purcell Pavilion. The last Hoya victory at Notre Dame was an 85-82 double-overtime decision on Jan. 24, 2006.
• Notre Dame is 11-14 against Georgetown since joining the BIG EAST in 1995.
• Head coach Mike Brey is 9-9 against the Hoyas during his Notre Dame tenure.

PLAYING WELL IN PURCELL

• The Fighting Irish are 112-8 in their last 120 games played at home. That .933 home winning percentage over the course of the last seven seasons ranks second nationally. Kansas is first with a .967 mark.
• Notre Dame is 47-2 in its last 49 home games. Both losses have come against Connecticut.
• Notre Dame has won 28 straight non-conference home games and the Irish are 69-1 in their last 70 non-league home contests. Notre Dame’s last non-conference home loss was an 87-85 setback to Loyola Marymount on Dec. 12, 2009.

ATKINS ON A ROLL IN LEAGUE PLAY

• Junior point guard Eric Atkins is averaging a team-best 16.0 points per game in BIG EAST play. He averaged 10.8 points per game in Notre Dame’s 13 non-conference games.
• Atkins is shooting 54.9% (28-51) from the field in BIG EAST play, including a league-best 66.7% (8-12) from three-point range.
• Atkins currently has a career-long six-game double-figure scoring streak. He has reached double-digits 13 times overall this season.
• He scored a season-high 21 points on Tuesday at St. John’s. It was his fourth career game with 20 or more points.
• Atkins is fourth in BIG EAST play with a 2.2 steals-per-game average. He has 97 career steals.

TOPPING 20

• With his 21-point effort at St. John’s on Tuesday, junior Eric Atkins became the fifth different Irish player to score 20 or more points in a game this season. Jack Cooley, Jerian Grant, Scott Martin and Garrick Sherman also have accomplished that feat.

GOOD KNIGHT

• Senior forward Tom Knight has come off the bench to score a season-high six points in each of the last two games. He is 5-for-7 (.714) from the field in those two contests.
• o On Tuesday at St. John’s, he was 3-for-4 from the field in 17 minutes of action. Knight also grabbed three rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots.

BIG EAST BEASTS

• Notre Dame is 34-11 (.756) over its last 45 BIG EAST regular-season contests.
• The Irish have gone 73-38 (.658) in BIG EAST regular-season play over the past seven seasons. That is the third-best mark in the league over that time span.
• Notre Dame has gone 49-7 (.875) at home in BIG EAST play over the last seven seasons. That is the best home winning percentage for any BIG EAST school in league play over that time period. The Irish are 21-2 in their last 23 BIG EAST home contests.

ASSISTS ALL AROUND

• Notre Dame is second nationally in assists per game (18.7) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.71).
• Junior point guard Eric Atkins is third in the BIG EAST (11th nationally) in assists-per-game (6.7), while fellow junior guard Jerian Grant is sixth in the league (5.4).
• Grant matched a career-high total with 10 assists in Saturday’s victory over Rutgers. His other 10-assist effort came earlier this season versus Chicago State (Nov. 26).
• The Irish have had 20 or more assists in a game eight times this season. Notre Dame had 25 assists on its 35 made field goals in the BIG EAST opener against Seton Hall. The 25 assists against the Pirates tied the most ever for the Irish in a BIG EAST game.
• The Irish have had an assist on 336 of their 500 made field goals this season (.672).
• The Fighting Irish rank seventh nationally in fewest turnovers per game (10.9). The Irish have had fewer than 10 turnovers in three of the last five games.

HOT SHOTS

• Notre Dame is shooting 50.5% from the floor this season. That figure ranks fifth nationally and it leads the BIG EAST.
• The Irish have shot 50% or above from the field in five of the last eight contests.
• Notre Dame shot a season-best 62.0% (31-50) in its 89-67 win over Niagara (Dec. 21). The Irish have shot 60% or better from the floor three times this season.

DRAINING FROM DEEP

• The Irish rank first in the BIG EAST and 10th nationally with a .406 three-point percentage. Notre Dame is shooting 47.2% (34-72) from distance in league play. That mark leads all BIG EAST teams.
• Notre Dame boasts the top three three-point shooters in BIG EAST play. Eric Atkins is first at 66.7% (8-12), followed by Pat Connaughton (9-16, 56.3%) and Scott Martin (10-18, 55.6%).
• Connaughton was 4-for-6 from beyond the arc Saturday versus Rutgers. The four treys were a season-high total for the sophomore.
• The Irish were 12-for-18 from three-point range in the BIG EAST opener against Seton Hall (Jan. 5). The 66.7% three-point shooting clip is the best ever for Notre Dame in a BIG EAST contest. The 12 treys tied a season-high total for the Irish and it marked the third time this season the Irish made 10 or more three-pointers in a game.

MARTIN A MARKSMAN

• Scott Martin is shooting a team-best 47.7% (31-65) from three-point range this season. That percentage is the fourth-best among all BIG EAST players.
• Martin was 6-for-7 (.857) from three-point range against Seton Hall in the BIG EAST opener. The six made treys were a career-high total and a season-best total for the Irish.
• He shot just 26.1% from beyond the arc last season. Martin has deposited 31 treys this season after making 30 all of last season.

CASHING IN FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE

• Notre Dame is second in BIG EAST play from the free throw line (77.9%).
• The Fighting Irish are shooting 81.0% (85-105) from the free throw line in the last seven games. Notre Dame shot a season-best 88.2% (15-17) from the line on Saturday versus Rutgers. It was the fourth time this season (second straight game) that the Irish shot 80% or above from the charity stripe.
• Notre Dame shot 63.2% (96-152) from the line in the first nine games of the season, but the Irish have shot 77.9% (120-154) in the last nine games.
• Junior guard Jerian Grant has made his last 18 free throw attempts. He is 12-for-12 in BIG EAST play.
• Senior forward Jack Cooley is 23-for-28 (.821) from the free throw line in the last seven games.
• Notre Dame made a season-high 24 free throws (on 33 attempts) in the win over Purdue (Dec. 15). The Irish put the game away by going 16-for-18 from the charity stripe in the final five minutes of the contest.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE DOMINANCE FROM COOLEY

• Senior forward Jack Cooley is first in the BIG EAST and sixth nationally with 11 double-doubles this season. His 11th double-double occurred in Saturday’s win over Rutgers as he registered 19 points and 10 rebounds.
• Cooley has produced a double-double in the first half alone twice this season (Niagara 20 pts, 10 rebs; BYU 12 pts, 10 rebs).
• Cooley has 24 career double-doubles, which all have occurred in the last two seasons.

JACK ON ATTACK

• Senior forward Jack Cooley is averaging team-best totals in points (15.1) and rebounds (10.7). The rebound mark leads all BIG EAST players and is ninth nationally. He also is first in the league in offensive rebounds per game (4.6).
• He has reached double-figures in points in 13 straight games, which is a career-best streak. It’s the longest such streak for an Irish player since Ben Hansbrough netted double-figures in the final 17 games of the 2010-11 campaign.
• Cooley has scored in double-figures in 17 of the 18 games this season.
• Cooley is 10th nationally and first in the BIG EAST in field goal percentage (.609).
• He is averaging 1.3 blocked shots per game this season, which is tied for ninth in the BIG EAST. Cooley’s 99 career blocked shots are the seventh-most in Notre Dame history.

COOLEY ON WOODEN AWARD MIDSEASON TOP 25 LIST

• Senior forward Jack Cooley has been named to the John R. Wooden Award Midseason Top 25 list by the Los Angeles Athletic Club. The list is comprised of 25 student-athletes who are the front-runners for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

INSIDE EFFICIENCY

• Notre Dame’s Jack Cooley (Sr./F) and Garrick Sherman (Sr./C) rank first and second, respectively, in the BIG EAST in shooting percentage. Cooley has a .609 (103-169) mark, while Sherman stands at .591 (52-88).

ATKINS ASSISTING THE IRISH EFFORT

• Junior point guard Eric Atkins is seventh nationally and second in the BIG EAST in assist-to-turnover ratio (3.27).
• Atkins has four double-doubles this season (points & assists). He has dished out 10 or more assists in a game five times this season. Atkins is 11th nationally and third in the BIG EAST with a 6.7 assist-per-game average this season.
• He is second in the BIG EAST in minutes played per game (36.8).

AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT

• Junior point guard Eric Atkins had 130 assists and a 1.83 assist-to-turnover ratio last season. He currently has 121 assists and a 3.27 assist-to-turnover ratio this season.
• Atkins shot 39.4% from the field last season and is currently shooting at a 50.0% clip. He has improved his three-point shooting from 37.5% last season to a current mark of 46.0%.
• Sophomore guard/forward Pat Connaughton had 30 assists during his freshman campaign and already has dished out 48 assists this season. He had a 1.25 assist-to-turnover ratio last season, but has improved that to 3.43 this season.

SPREADING THE WEALTH

• Seven different Irish players have posted a team-high point total this season.
• The Fighting Irish have seven players who are averaging at least 7.3 points per game, including three with a double-figure average.
• Eight different Irish players (Atkins, Auguste, Biedscheid, Connaughton, Cooley, Grant, Martin, Sherman) have notched a double-digit scoring effort this season.
• Notre Dame has had at least four double-figure scorers in nine of the team’s 18 games this season. The Fighting Irish have boasted at least five double-digit performers six times. The Irish had a season-high six double-digit scorers against Chicago State on (Nov. 26).

IRISH HELP HURRICANE SANDY VICTIMS

• During the first timeout of Saturday’s game versus Rutgers, a check was presented to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in the amount of $10,033 to help with relief efforts for the victims of Hurricane Sandy. A special online auction was held from Jan. 7-18 on Notre Dame’s official athletic web site UND.com and fans had the opportunity to bid on several unique items with the proceeds going to help with the relief efforts. Governor Christie is a longtime friend of Irish head coach Mike Brey.

FEW FOULS FOR THE FIGHTING IRISH

• Notre Dame ranks second nationally in fewest personal fouls per game (12.2).

CLEANING UP THE GLASS

• The Fighting Irish are 12-0 this season when outrebounding their opponent. Notre Dame has a +5.1 rebounding margin per game this season.

ELDER STATESMAN

• Mike Brey is in his 13th season along the Irish sidelines. He is the second-longest tenured coach in the BIG EAST, behind only Jim Boeheim of Syracuse. Brey stands fifth all-time in career BIG EAST victories (both regular-season and tournament) with his 136-91 (.599) mark. He is one of nine coaches in BIG EAST history to record 100 conference wins.
• Brey needs just three more league victories to move into a tie with former St. John’s head coach Lou Carnesecca for fourth place on the BIG EAST all-time wins list.
• Notre Dame was just 36-58 (.383) in five seasons of BIG EAST play prior to Brey’s arrival.

MARTIN TALLIES 1,000TH CAREER POINT

• With his sixth point in the win over Kennesaw State on Dec. 19, Scott Martin (GS/G) reached the 1,000-point milestone for his collegiate career. Martin has 776 points during his Notre Dame career. He tallied 272 points during his freshman season at Purdue.

TAMING THE CATS

• Kentucky’s 50 points in Notre Dame’s 64-50 triumph on Nov. 29 were the fewest allowed by the Irish against a top-10 team since a 52-47 home win over No. 5 Maryland on Jan. 28, 1984. They are the fewest points for the Wildcats under head coach John Calipari.

BREY VS. THE TOP 10

• The 64-50 win over #8 Kentucky on Nov. 29 improved Notre Dame to 17-23 (.425) against teams ranked in the top 10 of the Associated Press poll under head coach Mike Brey. That includes a 12-6 mark at home.
• Notre Dame has won four straight against top-10 opponents are 5-1 in the last six games against top-10 teams.
• The Irish are 5-4 versus non-conference top-10 opponents under Brey.
• Under Brey, unranked Notre Dame squads are 10-16 against top-10 teams.

A VETERAN PRESENCE

• The Irish returned 2,003 of their 2,257 total points (88.7%) and 1,068 of their 1,144 rebounds (93.4%) from one season ago. The team also brought back 88.7% of its minutes played from last season.

108 SEASONS AND GOING STRONG

• The 2012-13 campaign marks the 108th season of basketball at Notre Dame and the 18th season as a member of the BIG EAST Conference. Notre Dame teams have posted an all-time record of 1738-942 for a .649 winning percentage. In 17 seasons as a member of the BIG EAST, the Irish own a 163-132 (.553) record in conference regular-season play.

FIGHTING IRISH CAPTAINS

• Scott Martin (GS/G), Jack Cooley (Sr./F) and Eric Atkins (Jr./G) will captain the Fighting Irish during the 2012-13 season. Martin and Atkins are the 20th and 21st players in program history to serve as two-time team captains.

IRISH AIM FOR SEVENTH STRAIGHT 20-WIN CAMPAIGN

• Notre Dame has reached the 20-win mark in each of the last six seasons and nine times in the last 12 seasons under head coach Mike Brey. The last time Irish teams reached the 20-win plateau in six straight campaigns was from 1983-89 under head coach Digger Phelps.

POSTSEASON STRETCH

• Notre Dame has earned appearances in the postseason in each of the last 13 seasons, which marks the longest stretch in school history. The Irish have been to the NCAA Tournament on eight occasions and the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) five times during this current stretch. Under head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame has played in the NCAAs eight times and NIT four times.

DOUBLE-DUTY

• Sophomore guard/forward Pat Connaughton also is a pitcher on the Fighting Irish baseball team. Last spring, he appeared in 12 games, including 10 starts, and posted a 4-4 record with a 3.18 earned-run average. He logged 45.1 innings on the mound and registered 40 strikeouts.
• Connaughton was selected by the San Diego Padres in the 50th round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft.

IRISH RANK NUMBER ONE IN 2012 GSR

• University of Notre Dame athletic programs again rank as the best in the country in graduation rates, based on Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figures released by the NCAA–including first-place ratings in the sports of football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and ice hockey.
• Among the 120 Football Bowl Subdivision institutions, Notre Dame had the highest percentage of its sports with 100 percent scores (for the seventh time in eight years), with a .863 figure (19 of 22).
• In men’s basketball, Notre Dame achieved a perfect 100 GSR rating, with only Duke, Illinois, Kansas, Utah State, Wake Forest, West Virginia and Western Kentucky also reaching the top slot.
• The four-year GSR data is based upon the entering classes from 2002 to 2005.

BREY SIGNS HERALDED QUARTET IN NOVEMBER EARLY SIGNING PERIOD

• Irish head coach Mike Brey signed four players – V.J. Beachem (Fort Wayne, Ind./New Haven), Demetrius Jackson (Mishawaka, Ind./Marian), Austin Torres (Mishawaka, Ind./Penn) and Steve Vasturia (Medford, N.J./St. Joseph’s Prep) – to national letters of intent during the November 2012 early signing period.
• Beachem (6-6, 180-pound small forward) averaged 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.3 assists in 2011-12. An all-state selection he played on the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Junior All-Star Team.
• Jackson averaged 22.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.0 steals as a junior while leading Marian to the Class 3A sectional title. An honorable mention All-American by MaxPreps.com, he is an all-state honoree and two-time Northern Indiana Conference Player of the Year.
• Torres (6-6, 200-pound power forward) was an all-Northern Indiana Conference honorable mention selection after averaging 10.0 points and 7.2 rebounds. He plays on the same MBA Select AAU Team as Jackson.
• Vasturia (6-5, 190-pound shooting guard) was named MVP of the Philadelphia Catholic League after leading his team to the Philadelphia 4A state championship while averaging 21.0 points and 9.3 rebounds.