Notre Dame (3-8, 0-5) vs. Boston College (3-9, 1-5)
📍 Purcell Pavilion, Notre Dame, IN
📅 Saturday, January, 16, 2021
🕕 4:00 p.m. ET
📺 ACC Network with Mike Monaco and Dan Bonner
📻 Notre Dame Radio Network with Jack Nolan
BY THE NUMBERS – IRISH VS. EAGLES
|
.763 |
Junior forward Nate Laszewski’s NCAA-leading effective field goal percentage in 2020-21. The statistic accounts for the fact that a three-point field goal is more worth more than a two-point field goal – the formula is (FGM + 0.5 * 3PM) / FGA |
|
.634 |
Nate Laszewski’s field goal percentage in 2020-21, which leads the ACC, is fifth among major conference players and 12th in the NCAA (min 5 FGM/G, 5 GP). |
|
.545 |
Nate Laszewski’s three-point field goal percentage in 2020-21, which is first in the ACC, is sixth among major conference players and 11th in the NCAA (min 1.5 3PM/G, 5 GP). |
|
4 |
The kenpom.com strength of schedule rating for Notre Dame this season and the highest of any ACC team. The next highest strength of schedule according to the rating from the ACC is Saturday’s opponent Boston College at 15th. |
|
5 |
The Irish are fifth in the country and first in the ACC in free throw percentage at .812 (the Irish went 19-20 at the line at Virginia on Wednesday night). Trim that national list to teams that have played at least five games and Notre Dame is third in the country and Colorado is the only major conference team ahead of the Irish (first, .845). |
|
9 |
Notre Dame has faced a rugged schedule this season, both by current team ratings and historical records. Of the top 50 programs in terms of winning percentage in CBB history, Notre Dame will face nine of those programs 10 times this season: 1. Kentucky 2. North Carolina 4. Duke (twice) 7. Syracuse 11. Louisville 25. Purdue 31. NC State 38. Michigan State 43. Ohio State – the Irish are 14th all-time on the winning percentage list. |
|
12.3 |
Notre Dame’s NCAA-leading fouls per game number, as the Irish continue their tradition of not fouling the opponent to allow easy points late in a contest. The Irish are ahead of Appalachian State (13.1) and Lipscomb (13.8) for the national lead. |
|
17.8 |
Nate Laszewski’s ACC-only scoring average this season, which ranks third in the league (Matthew Hurt, Duke, 20.3; Michael Devoe, Georgia Tech, 19.3) entering this weekend’s conference action. In all games, Laszewski is sixth in the conference with a 16.7 ppg average. |
|
22 |
Notre Dame has 22 regular-season conference wins vs. its two dedicated ACC rivals – Boston College and Georgia Tech – since it joined the ACC for the 2013-14 season. Those 22 wins are the most in that time frame for a team against its two yearly home-and-home opponents in the league. See page 4 for more information. |
|
23 |
A recent project by CBSSports.com ranked the ‘Greatest College Basketball Programs Ever’ with Notre Dame placing 23rd on the list and sixth in the ACC. Notre Dame will face eight of the teams ranked above them this year a total of nine times: No. 19 NC State, No. 14 Michigan State (0-1), No. 12 Ohio State (0-1), No. 11 Syracuse, No. 6 Louisville, No. 3 Duke (0-1, twice), No. 2 North Carolina (0-1), No. 1 Kentucky (1-0). |
|
112.0 |
The offensive efficiency rating for the Irish this season according to kenpom.com, 28th in the country and the highest ranking for the rating since the end of the 2018 season (32nd). |
|
1907 |
Total victories in the history of Notre Dame men’s basketball, as the Irish became the eighth program to reach 1,900 victories in 2019-20 (Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Temple, Syracuse and UCLA have all reached that plateau). The Irish were 12th all-time in college basketball victories when Mike Brey took over the program in 2000-01 – they have since passed Oregon State, Pennsylvania, St. John’s and Indiana on the all-time wins list into eighth place. |
CHARTING LASZEWSKI’S HOT SHOOTING
Junior Nate Laszewski has established himself as one of the best and most efficient shooters in college basketball this season.
A look at where Laszewski ranks among the NCAA, major conference and ACC leaders:
|
Statistic |
Number |
National Ranking |
Major Conference Ranking |
ACC Ranking |
Notes |
|
FG% |
.634 |
12 |
5 |
1 |
min 5 FGM per game, 5 GP |
|
3FG% |
.545 |
11 |
6 |
1 |
min 1.5 3FGM per game, 5 GP |
|
EFG% |
.763 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
min 5 FGM per game, 5 GP |
IRISH BOAST SOLID RECORD FOR ANNUAL HOME-AND-HOME ACC SERIES
Since joining the ACC for the 2013-14 season, Boston College and Georgia Tech have been designated as the ‘traditional’ yearly rivals for Notre Dame in the league. Each season, the Irish have met the Eagles and Yellow Jackets for home-and-home series. Notre Dame boasts the best record in the league against its designated repeat opponents since 2013-14 (records below are regular-season meetings only, entering 2020-21):
RECORD VS. ACC ANNUAL HOME-AND-HOME OPPONENTS SINCE 2013-14
|
Team |
Opponent |
Opponent |
Record |
|
NOTRE DAME |
Boston College |
Georgia Tech |
22-6 |
|
Duke |
North Carolina |
Wake Forest |
21-8 |
|
Syracuse |
Boston College |
Pittsburgh |
21-9 |
|
Virginia |
Virginia Tech |
Louisville |
19-9* |
|
Florida State |
Miami |
Clemson |
18-11 |
|
North Carolina |
Duke |
NC State |
18-11 |
* – Virginia repeated with Maryland in 2013-14
PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTED BY 1,000 POINT SCORERS
Notre Dame has produced 64 1,000 point scorers throughout the history of the program with 23 of those players reaching that statistical milestone during the Mike Brey era (2000-01 – current). Of the 85 players who have suited up for Notre Dame under Mike Brey, 36 of them were recruited by the staff and exhausted their eligibility with the Irish – 20 of those players have scored more than 1,000 points in a career.
Since 2000-01, Notre Dame leads all ACC teams in 1,000 point scorers (23) and is second in the country over that time frame to Villanova.
|
School |
All-Time 1,000 Point Scorers |
1,000 Point Scorers since 2000-01 |
|
North Carolina |
77 |
20 |
|
Louisville |
69 |
18 |
|
Duke |
67 |
20 |
|
NOTRE DAME |
64 |
23 |
|
Villanova |
64 |
24 |
|
Syracuse |
62 |
19 |
|
Kansas |
61 |
19 |
A DECADE OF ‘NO FOUL’ CONTINUES
One of the mantras of Notre Dame basketball under Mike Brey has been to keep the amount of opponent foul shots down. Defend without fouling is a way of life for Irish basketball and the statistics bear out that trend.
In the last 11 years, Notre Dame has failed to finish among the top 10 in least amount of personal fouls committed just twice. They have also led the country in least amount of personal fouls three times.
The NCAA has been tracking the least amount of fouls committed in a season since 1993. Notre Dame is the only team since 1993 to lead the country in least amount of fouls more than twice (four times) and could be on pace to make it six times this season.
NOTRE DAME FOULS PER GAME NATIONAL/CONFERENCE FINAL RANKING
|
Year |
Fouls Per Game |
NCAA Raking |
Conference Ranking |
|
2009-10 |
15.1 |
10 |
2 |
|
2010-11 |
15.2 |
11 |
1 |
|
2011-12 |
13.8 |
1 |
1 |
|
2012-13 |
14.1 |
8 |
1 |
|
2013-14 |
16.2 |
15 |
5 |
|
2014-15 |
15.1 |
6 |
1 |
|
2015-16 |
15.1 |
1 |
1 |
|
2016-17 |
14.9 |
4 |
1 |
|
2017-18 |
13.1 |
1 |
1 |
|
2018-19 |
13.8 |
1 |
1 |
|
2019-20 |
12.4 |
1 |
1 |
|
2020-21 |
12.3 |
1 |
1 |
FOUR VETERANS NAMED TEAM CAPTAINS FOR 2020-21
Glenn and Stacey Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey has announced four student-athletes to serve as team captains for the University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team.
Graduate students Nikola Djogo and Juwan Durham, along with juniors Prentiss Hubb and Cormac Ryan, will make up a four-player group of captains in 2020-21.
All four Irish players will be serving as team captains for the first time in their careers.
IRISH RECEIVE COMMITMENTS FROM TWO AREA PROSPECTS
Rising high school seniors J.R. Konieczny (Ko-nez-nee) and Blake Wesley, both from South Bend, Indiana, have signed National Letters of Intent to play basketball at the University of Notre Dame.
Rated among the top 150 high school players in the 2020-21 class, Konieczy (Kah-nez-nee) is a four-star recruit according to ESPN.com and earned third-team all-state honors as a junior in 2019-20. He averaged over 24 points a game last season, including a 42-point outburst in the 2020 sectional semifinal – a performance that earned him the Indiana Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Week honors.
A consensus four-star recruit, Wesley is ranked 96th nationally by Rivals and 113th by 247Sports. An honorable mention all-state selection as a junior in 2019-20, Wesley led all local area players with a 26.0 points-per-game average last season.