Dec. 5, 2016
WHO: Notre Dame vs. Fort Wayne
WHEN: Tuesday, December 6, 2016 | 9:00 p.m. ET
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
TICKETS: und.com/buyticketsVIDEO BROADCAST INFORMATION: ESPNU with Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst).
AUDIO BROADCAST INFORMATION: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network, with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Zach Hillesland (analyst).
How To Listen/Watch The IrishHere are the Five Things To Know about the Notre Dame – Fort Wayne matchup on Sunday:
NOTRE DAME – FORT WAYNE SERIES HISTORY:
Notre Dame and Fort Wayne will be meeting for the seventh time on Tuesday evening. The Irish lead the all-time series 6-0 (5-0 at Purcell Pavilion), with the most recent game a 74-62 victory for the Irish on Dec. 17, 2012.
IRISH BACK IN THE TOP 25:
Notre Dame’s 8-0 start to begin the 2016-17 season has earned the team a spot back into the top 25. On Monday, Dec. 5, the Irish were voted #23 in the Associated Press poll and #22 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll. It is the first AP ranking for the Irish since the week of Feb. 22-28, when Notre Dame was ranked 23rd. It is the first USA Today/Coaches Poll for the team since the final ranking fo the 2015-16 season, when the Irish were placed 17th. As for a weekly coaches poll spot, the Irish were ranked #20 the week of Feb. 22-28, 2016.
THE ULTIMATE WEAPON – THE FREE THROW LINE:
Notre Dame is first in the country (as of Dec. 5) in free throw percentage, shooting 85.8 percent (139-162) from the charity stripe this season. Here are some of the superlatives for the team from its free throw shooting –
- Junior Matt Farell is tied with four other players in the country with a perfect 1.000 shooting percentage from the free throw line (20-20).
- Dating back to the 2015-16 season, Farrell has connected on 24 consecutive free throws.
- Farrell is the first Notre Dame player in the Brey era to begin the season connecting on his first 20 free throw attempts.
- Farrell combines with Steve Vasturia (11th, 22-23, .957) to give Notre Dame the only team in the country with two players in the national top 11 for free throw shooting.
- Farrell and Vasturia combine with Bonzie Colson (31st, 40-44, .909) to give Notre Dame the only team in the country with three players in the top 35 for free throw shooting.
- Colson’s 12-for-12 effort at the free throw line against Iowa tied four other ND players for fourth-best in school history.
- Notre Dame has missed three or less free throws in seven of eight games this season and hit all 14 attempts in the victory over North Carolina A&T.
IRISH MATCH BEST START OF THE BREY ERA:
Notre Dame enters the game against Fort Wayne with an 8-0 record, matching the best start of the Mike Brey era (since 2000-01).
The 2010-11 team won its first eight games (also the most recent season the Irish won an in-season tournament – the 2010 Old Spice Classic), while the 2001-02 team won its first seven games.
COLSON NAMED ACC PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Junior forward Bonzie Colson has earned his first ACC Player of the Week Award on Dec. 5, 2016, after helping the Irish to a 2-0 week and an 8-0 start to the season, while enjoying a personal five-game streak of double-double performances.
Against Iowa in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge, Colson was dominant in the paint with a game-high 24 points, a career-high 17 rebounds and finished a perfect 12-12 from the free throw line. Colson helped the Irish out-rebound the Hawkeyes 45-32.
Colson ended up with his fifth consecutive double-double in the victory over North Carolina A&T while only playing 26 minutes. Notre Dame’s leading scorer was not needed in the 54-point victory, the largest margin of victory in Purcell Pavilion history, but he was still able to grab a game-high 11 rebounds. Colson was one of a school-record seven Irish players to score in double figures in the contest.
For the week, Colson averaged 17.0 ppg, 14.0 rpg and 2.5 bpg.
The award marks the first ACC weekly award earned in Colson’s career.