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Florida State Preview - Five Things To Know

Feb. 9, 2017

ND Game Notes vs. FSU Get Acrobat Reader

By Alan Wasielewski

WHO: No. -/24 Notre Dame (18-7, 7-5 ACC) vs. No. 14/15 Florida State (21-4, 9-3 ACC)

WHAT: ESPN Prime Time College Basketball

WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (SOLD OUT, 9,149)

WHEN: Saturday, February 11, 2017, 6:00 p.m. ET

NATIONAL TELEVISION BROADCAST: ESPN with Dave O’Brien (play-by-play), Dick Vitale (analyst) and Allison Williams (sideline).

RADIO BROADCAST: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Zach Hillesland (analyst). You can listen online at WatchND.tv or via the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network affiliates. The Notre Dame – Florida State broadcast also will be available on Sirius/XM on Channel 84.

Here are Five Things To Know about the Notre Dame – Florida State rematch –

NOTRE DAME vs. FLORIDA STATE SERIES HISTORY:

Notre Dame and Florida State will be meeting for the sixth time on Saturday evening. The Seminoles hold a 4-1 advantage in the series, with the Irish claiming their only victory in the series at Purcell Pavilion on Dec. 13, 2014 (the first ACC game of the 2014-15 season for both teams).

NOTRE DAME vs. FLORIDA STATE | 1-4 | HOME 1-0 | AWAY 0-3 | NEUTRAL 0-2 | ACC 1-4

Date

City

Site

ND rank

Opp rank

W/L

ND

Opp

3/20/2011

+Chicago, IL

United Center

5 / 4

L

57

71

1/21/2014

~Tallahassee, FL

Donald L. Tucker Civic Center

L

74

76

12/13/2014

~Notre Dame, IN

Purcell Pavilion

24 / nr

W

83

63

2/27/2016

~Tallahassee, FL

Donald L. Tucker Civic Center

23 / 20

L

56

77

1/18/2017

~Tallahassee, FL

Donald L. Tucker Civic Center

15 / 15

10 / 12

L

80

83

+ – NCAA Tournament | ~ – ACC Game.

THREE-YEAR RECORD WIN TOTAL ON THE LINE:

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 18 victories so far in 2016-17, the Irish have matched the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams for the program-best total of 74 wins in three years.

Season 1

Wins

Season 2

Wins

Season 3

Wins

Total

2010-11

27

2011-12

22

2012-13

25

74

2014-15

32

2015-16

24

2016-17

18

74

2013-14

15

2014-15

32

2015-16

24

71

2008-09

21

2009-10

23

2010-11

27

71

DOUBLE-DOUBLE WATCH:

Junior forward Bonzie Colson continues to post impressive scoring and rebounding numbers this season. His ACC-leading 15 double-doubles are the sixth-most in a single season at Notre Dame during the Mike Brey era (2000-01 – current). A list of the top single-season double-double totals of the Mike Brey era (minimum of eight):

Name

Season

Season Double-Doubles

Career Double-Doubles

Luke Harangody

2008-09

25

64

Ryan Humphrey

2001-02

22

32

Zach Auguste

2015-16

20

25

Jack Cooley

2012-13

19

32

Luke Harangody

2007-08

19

64

Bonzie Colson

2016-17

15

19

Jack Cooley

2011-12

13

32

Luke Harangody

2009-10

13

64

Troy Murphy

2000-01

13

45

Torin Francis

2002-03

10

30

Ryan Humphrey

2000-01

10

32

Pat Connaughton

2014-15

8

15

Rob Kurz

2007-08

8

18

Rob Kurz

2006-07

8

18

Torin Francis

2005-06

8

30

THE 1,000-POINT CLUB:

The Notre Dame men’s basketball program has welcomed two players to the 1,000-point career point club this season – and is poised to add one more name to the list very soon.

Notre Dame’s three captains – senior Steve Vasturia, senior V.J. Beachem and junior Bonzie Colson will soon be members of the 1,000-point club.

Vasturia reached the plateau against Northwestern on Nov. 22, 2016, as his 18th point in the game moved him to 1,000 for his career.

Beachem entered the game at Georgia Tech needing 10 points to reach 1,000 and eclipsed the mark in the first half, eventually scoring 23 points in McCamish Pavilion.

Colson enters the game with Florida State with 981 career points, needing 19 more to join his fellow captains in reaching the 1,000-point career scoring mark this season. He would be the 61st Notre Dame player to reach the milestone.

Should Colson reach the 1,000-point plateau this season, it will be the first time since the 1991-92 season that three Irish players have reached 1,000 career points in the same year. LaPhonso Ellis (1,505), Elmer Bennett (1,488) and Daimon Sweet (1,410) all reached the milestone during the 1991-92 season.

A final note for the 1,000-point club. When Colson reaches the mark, it will mean that every Irish player who played in the ACC Championship game against North Carolina in 2015 reached at least 1,000 career points (Jerian Grant, Pat Connaughton, Demetrius Jackson, Zach Auguste, Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem and Bonzie Colson).

BY THE NUMBERS – IRISH vs. SEMINOLES:

1

Junior Bonzie Colson, a selection for the Wooden Award Late Season Top 20, is the only player out of the other 19 on the list to shoot .500 from the field, .800 at the free throw line, average over 10.0 rebounds per game and have over 30 blocks this season. Colson also was named to the Naismith Award Top 30 on Feb. 9.

1.71

Assist-to-turnover ratio for Notre Dame this sesason, the second-best in the nation behind UCLA (1.83).

3.1

Team grade-point-average (rounded up from the official number of 3.096) for the Irish in the fall semester of 2016, the best combined group average posted by a Notre Dame men’s basketball team since the spring of 2009.

9.8

Turnovers-per-game average for the Irish this season, second-best in the nation behind Michigan (9.5).

10.8

Rebounds-per-game average for Bonzie Colson, which leads the ACC and is 11th in the country (as of Feb. 9). Colson also leads the ACC in overall double-doubles (15), double-doubles in ACC competition (8) and 10-rebound performances (16).

11.5

Improved points-per-game scoring average for junior Matt Farrell (14.1 this season compared to 2.6 from 2015-16), the best mark in the ACC and second for a player from the Brey era (1st, +14.4, Tim Abromaitis, 2009-10, 3rd, Chris Quinn, +10.4, 2003-04).

12

Notre Dame blocked 12 shots against Wake Forest on Feb. 7, the most in an ACC game for the Irish. Bonzie Colson (5) and V.J. Beachem (4) both posted career highs for blocked shots in the game.

13

Notre Dame has shot at least 80 percent from the free throw line 13 times this season, including a 17-of-21 performance (.810) against Wake Forest.

14

Freshman T.J. Gibbs, who has seen an increase in playing time over the past five games, has converted on 14 straight free throw attempts, dating back to the Virginia game on Jan. 24.

74

Victories over the past three seasons for the Irish (32 in 2014-15, 24 in 2015-16 and 18 this season) matching the all-time best three-season mark of 74 in 2010-11 (27), 2011-12 (22) and 2012-13 (25). See page 3 of this notes package for more details.

80.7

Free-throw percentage for Notre Dame this season, the best in the nation.

90.5

Free throw percentage for Steve Vasturia this season, first in the ACC and 15th in the nation.

106

Consecutive games started by Steve Vasturia, dating back to the final seven games of the 2013-14 season. Vasturia is the fourth Irish player to start 100 consecutive games during his career (see page 5 of this note package for more details).

269

Total rebounds collected by Bonzie Colson this season, seventh in the nation and first in the ACC.

374

Victories at Notre Dame for head coach Mike Brey, the second-most in Notre Dame history and 19 away from the all-time record (393).

981

Career points scored for Bonzie Colson, who could become the third Irish player (Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem) to reach 1,000 career points this season – a feat the program has not seen since 1991-92 (see page 4 for more details).

— ND —

Alan Wasielewski is an Associate Athletics Communication Director in Fighting Irish Media, working with the men’s basketball and rowing programs.