Nov. 28, 2014
Game 7
Chicago State (2-5)
vs.
Notre Dame (5-1)
Saturday, Nov. 29, 2014
1 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Ind.
TV/INTERNET
ESPN3
Zach Zaidman (play-by-play)
Sean Harrington (analyst)
RADIO
Broadcast on WatchND (free)
Sirius 137/XM 203
Check affiliates on Pg. 4 of notes packet
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Jordan Cornette (analyst)
LIVE STATS
FIGHTING IRISH CONTINUE HOMESTAND AGAINST CHICAGO STATE
– Notre Dame continues its six-game homestand on Saturday afternoon as the Irish play host to Chicago State in the third meeting between the two schools. The contest is slated to tip at 1 p.m. (ET) at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
– The contest will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Sean Harrington (analyst) on the call.
– A free audio broadcast will be available on WatchND.tv. Jack Nolan will handle play-by-play duties, while Jordan Cornette will serve as the analyst. The contest also is available on Sirius 137 and XM 203.
IRISH REBOUND FROM LOSS TO FRIARS
– Notre Dame rebounded from its first loss of the season against Providence (six days ago at the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament in Uncasville, Connecticut) on Wednesday night with an 81-54 victory over Grambling State.
– For the second time this season the Irish shot better than 60% from the field as Notre Dame connected on 62.2 percent of is shots (28-45) with four Irish players finishing in double figures. The Irish also made a season-high 12 three-point field goals, hitting on 12 of its 27 attempts for 44.4%.
– Demetrius Jackson matched a career-high scoring effort to lead the Irish with 17 points as he was six-of-eight from the field and four-of-six from beyond the arc.
– Notre Dame outrebounded Grambling 30-29. The Irish have outrebounded all six of their opponents this season.
SERIES RECORD WITH CHICAGO STATE
– Saturday’s matchup will be the third meeting between the two schools with Notre Dame leading the series 2-0.
– Both of the games have been played at Purcell Pavilion. The Irish defeated the Cougars 102-62 in the first meeting on Nov. 17, 2010, and 92-65 on Nov. 26, 2012.
IRISH VERSUS THE WESTERN ATHLETIC CONFERNCE
– Chicago State is the only team that Notre Dame has ever faced from schools that currently comprise the Western Athletic Conference.
BUSY BEGINNINGS FOR THE IRISH
– Saturday’s matchup with Chicago State will be Notre Dame’s seventh game in the first 15 days of the season.
– Notre Dame is slated to play 11 games in the opening 30 days of the campaign. That stretch concludes with a Dec. 13 contest at Purcell Pavilion against Florida State in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both schools.
NOVEMBERS TO REMEMBER
– Notre Dame is 54-1 at home in the month of November under head coach Mike Brey.
– The only loss during that stretch was last season’s 83-70 setback to Indiana State.
TAKEAWAYS FROM THE TIP-OFF TOURNAMENT
– Notre Dame posted a 1-1 record last weekend at the Hall of Fame Tipoff Tournament at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Connecticut. The Fighting Irish topped UMass, 81-68, on Saturday and fell to Providence, 75-74, on Sunday.
– Jerian Grant averaged 22.0 points and 7.0 assists per game and he was named to the all-tournament team along with teammate Pat Connaughton, who averaged 15.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in the two contests.
– All five Notre Dame starters – Grant (20), Zach Auguste (15), Connaughton (13), Steve Vasturia (11) and Demetrius Jackson (11) – scored in double-figures against Providence. Connaughton also chipped in a game-best 11 rebounds.
– After falling behind UMass 23-13, the Fighting Irish finished the first half on an 18-5 run to lead 31-28 at halftime. The run eventually reached 37-10 when the Irish took a 50-33 lead before going on to win 81-68. Grant scored a game-high 24 points, while Auguste notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
IRISH GET OFFENSIVE OUT OF THE GATE
– The Fighting Irish rank fourth nationally in scoring (85.7 ppg.). Notre Dame’s 514 points are the most for the Irish through the first six games of a season since they tallied 515 in 2010-11.
– Notre Dame scored 80 or more points in the first four games of a season for the first time since the 2009-10 campaign when the Irish netted 80-plus points in each of the first five games of the season.
– Notre Dame has scored 74 points or better in each of its first six games. It’s the first time since the 2001-02 campaign that an Irish team has opened up the season with six straight 74-plus point efforts.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Four Fighting Irish players are averaging double-figures in points – Jerian Grant (17.2), Zach Auguste (16.3), Pat Connaughton (13.2) and Demetrius Jackson (12.0).
– Notre Dame has had five double-figure scorers twice in the last four games (Coppin State and Providence).
GRANT HAS AN ALL-AROUND GAME
– Senior guard Jerian Grant leads the ACC in points per game (17.2) and assists per game (7.5).
– Grant has had a hand in 41.4% of Notre Dame’s points this season. He’s netted 103 points and his 45 assists have led to 110 Fighting Irish points.
HOT SHOTS
– The Fighting Irish have shot 50% or above from the floor in all six games this season and shot better than 60% percent in two of the contests (Coppin State – 65.6% and Grambling State – 62.2%) . Notre Dame is connecting on 58.0% (189-326) of its shots. That percentage leads all ACC teams and ranks second nationally.
– Junior forward Zach Auguste is shooting an ACC-best 71.7% (38-48) from the floor and ranks sixth nationally in field goal shooting percentage.
DRAINING FROM DEEP
– Pat Connaughton (17-32), V.J. Beachem (12-23) and Steve Vasturia (11-23) all are shooting 47% or above from three-point range this season. As a team, Notre Dame is shooting 40.6% (54-133) from beyond the arc.
– Connaughton’s 17 three-pointers are the second-most among ACC players, while his three-point percentage (.531) is third in the league.
– Notre Dame made a season-best 12 three-pointers (12-27) against Grambling State on Wednesday.
INSIDE-OUTSIDE ATTACK
– Senior guard Jerian Grant and junior forward Zach Auguste both have scored in double-figures in all six games this season. Grant is averaging a team-best 17.2 points per game, while Auguste is second with a 16.3 ppg. average. Grant’s average is third-best in the ACC, while Auguste is tied for ninth in scoring.
– Both Auguste and Grant have topped the 20-point mark twice this season. Auguste went for 20 against Navy and followed that up with a career-high 21 points versus Coppin State. Grant netted 24 against UMass and 20 versus Providence.
AUGUSTE STAYING HOT
– Junior forward Zach Auguste posted a career-high point total in each of the first three games of the season. He tallied 19 points in the season opener versus Binghamton and followed that up with a 20-point effort versus Navy. Against Coppin State, Auguste topped the 20-point mark for the second straight game with a personal best 21 points.
– Auguste was a perfect nine-for-nine from the field against Coppin State and five-for-five versus Grambling State. His performance against Coppin State tied a Notre Dame record for most field goals without a miss in a single game.
– Auguste has scored in double-figures in a personal-best seven straight games dating back to the final game of the 2013-14 campaign against Wake Forest in the first round of the ACC Tournament.
A DYNAMIC DUO
– Seniors Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant have spent a lot of time on the court together since they first stepped onto the floor during the 2011-12 campaign.
– The duo has combined for 194 games played (176 of them starts), 2,283 points, 837 rebounds, 694 assists and 192 steals.
– Even more impressive is the fact they have accounted for 6,437 minutes played on the court (33.1 mpg.).
IRONMAN
– Pat Connaughton has never missed a game during his Fighting Irish career. He has played in all 107 contests, including 91 starts. Connaughton has started 88 consecutive games.
– Connaughton never left the court in eight games in 2013-14 (six times in ACC play).
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOR PAT
– Senior guard Pat Connaughton is averaging 13.2 points and a team-best 8.2 rebounds per game this season.
– Connaughton has two double-doubles this season. He registered 13 points and 11 boards last Sunday versus Providence. Connaughton notched 17 points and 10 rebounds in the season opener against Binghamton.
– He has nine career double-doubles, which are the most of any current Irish player.
– Connaughton has pulled down 10 or more rebounds in a game 13 times during his career, including three times this season.
GRANT ON PLAYER-OF-THE-YEAR WATCH LISTS
– Jerian Grant has been named to the 2014-15 John R. Wooden Award Top 50 Watch List. It marks the second consecutive season that he has appeared on this list.
– Grant also was selected to the watch list for the Oscar Robertson Trophy.
1,000-POINT PERFORMERS
– With his 17-point performance against Binghamton in the season opener, Pat Connaughton eclipsed the 1,000-point mark for his career to become the 56th member of Notre Dame’s 1,000-point club. He has netted 1,069 points in 107 career games (10.0 ppg.).
– Connaughton became the second current Fighting Irish player with at least 1,000 career points. Senior Jerian Grant has tallied 1,214 points in 87 games in an Irish uniform (14.0 ppg.).
BREY NOTCHES 400TH CAREER WIN
– Notre Dame’s season opener against Binghamton signaled the beginning of head coach Mike Brey’s 20th season as a head coach. The 82-39 win over the Bearcats marked his 400th career win as a college head coach. He has registered a 404-212 (.659) record in 19-plus seasons at Delaware and Notre Dame.
– Brey earned his 300th win at Notre Dame last season against Georgia Tech (Feb. 26, 2014). He has compiled a 305-160 (.656) record in his 14-plus seasons in South Bend. He is one of 17 active head coaches to have 300 or more Division I victories at their current institution.
– Only two other Notre Dame head coaches have reached the 300-win milestone. Digger Phelps led the Fighting Irish to a 393-197 record from 1971-91. George Keogan notched a 327-97 mark from 1923-43.
IRISH ECLIPSE CENTURY MARK AGAINST COPPIN STATE
– The 104 points scored by the Irish in the win over Coppin State were the most in a regulation contest since a 106-65 victory over Sacred Heart on Dec. 19, 2011. It marked the first time Notre Dame eclipsed the 100-point mark since a 101-67 win over Cornell on Dec. 1, 2013, and the 17th time that an Irish team under Mike Brey scored 100 or more points.
BINGHAMTON BITS
– The 39 points scored by Binghamton marked the third time that a Notre Dame team under Mike Brey has held an opponent to under 40 points and the first time since 2007. The two other occurrences were in a 54-38 victory over Charleston Southern on Nov. 26, 2004 at Purcell Pavilion and against Monmouth (76-33) on Nov. 16, 2007, in the U.S. Virgin Islands.
– The 43-point margin of victory was the most lopsided Irish win since Notre Dame defeated Northern Illinois by 46 points (108-62), on Dec. 8, 2007 at Purcell Pavilion. It also was the 12th time under Brey that the Irish registered a 40-plus point victory.
CAPTAIN CONNAUGHTON
– Senior guard/forward Pat Connaughton has been named captain for the 2014-15 season. Connaughton served as one of four captains for the Irish a year ago and becomes the 22nd different Notre Dame men’s basketball player to serve as a captain in multiple seasons.
– Since the 1985-86 campaign, only four other players have served as lone captains for their Irish teams– Ken Barlow (1985-86), Tim Singleton (1990-91), Ryan Hoover (1995-96) and Rob Kurz (2007-08).
ACC HONORS
– The Fighting Irish were picked to finish seventh in the ACC for the 2014-15 season, according to a vote of media in attendance at the league’s annual “Operation Basketball.” Notre Dame senior guard Jerian Grant was selected to the Preseason All-ACC Team for the second consecutive year.
TOM HAWKINS TO BE INDUCTED INTO NOTRE DAME RING OF HONOR
– Nearly 56 years have passed since Tom Hawkins played his final collegiate men’s basketball game for the University of Notre Dame, yet the indelible mark he left on the program remains intact today. While dozens of players have donned an Irish uniform since Hawkins last took the court, none have been able to duplicate his rebounding as he remains the career leader in that category.
– Hawkins, whose 1,318 career rebounds rank currently as the oldest record in the 109-year annals of Fighting Irish men’s basketball, will become the seventh inductee into the Notre Dame Basketball Ring of Honor on Jan. 17, 2015, at halftime of the Notre Dame-Miami men’s basketball game. He will follow six former players–Austin Carr (2011), Adrian Dantley (2012), Skylar Diggins (2013), Luke Harangody (2010) and Ruth Riley (2010)–and former men’s head coach Richard “Digger” Phelps (2014) into the school’s Ring of Honor.
FIGHTING IRISH IN ITALY
– In early August, the Fighting Irish squad traveled to Italy for a 10-day, four-game foreign tour. Notre Dame posted a 4-0 record. The Irish visited Rome, Perugia, Pesaro, Venice and Como during the trip.
– It was the program’s first foreign tour since 2008 when the Irish ventured to Ireland for 13 days.
CONNAUGHTON DRAFTED BY ORIOLES
– The Baltimore Orioles selected Irish swingman Pat Connaughton in the fourth round of June’s Major League Baseball Draft. He was the 121st pick overall.
– Connaughton spent part of June and July pitching for the Aberdeen IronBirds, the Class A Orioles’ affiliate.
– Connaughton finished his Fighting Irish baseball career last spring. He posted a 3.03 ERA and had an 11-11 record on the mound during his three seasons. He fanned 105 batters in 154.2 innings pitched.
FIGHTING IRISH TO HOST SPARTANS IN ACC/BIG TEN CHALLENGE
– Notre Dame will play host to Michigan State Dec. 3 in the 16th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods.
– The Notre Dame-Michigan State contest will mark the 95th meeting between the two Midwest schools, but the first since March 18, 1979, when the Spartans downed the Irish 80-68 in the Mideast Regional final in Indianapolis, Ind., en route to the national championship. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 59-35. Michigan State last played at Notre Dame on Feb. 5, 1975, when the Spartans defeated the Irish 76-73.
– Notre Dame fell at Iowa, 98-93, last season in its inaugural appearance in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
ANOTHER CROSSROADS CLASSIC CLASH
– Notre Dame will battle Big Ten rival Purdue in the fourth annual Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind. The game between the Irish and the Boilermakers will be the second game of a doubleheader on Saturday, Dec. 20. Butler and Indiana will square off in the first contest.
– The Fighting Irish are 2-1 in their three previous Crossroads Classic showdowns. Notre Dame topped Indiana, 79-72, last season and the Irish downed Purdue, 81-68, in 2012. Notre Dame fell to Indiana, 69-58, in the inaugural event in 2011.
NOTRE DAME FIRST AGAIN IN GRADUATION RATE SUCCESS
– The University of Notre Dame once again claims the 2014 national championship for graduating student-athletes in all sports–in the process posting the top NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figure (99) for its student-athletes for the eighth straight year.
– The GSR number for all Notre Dame student-athletes rates the Irish first among the football-playing institutions in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). The 2014 NCAA figures are based on entering classes from 2004 through 2007.
– Twenty-one of Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s athletic programs posted GSR numbers that rank them best in the nation within their sports (including 20 perfect 100 scores)– and 11 produced federal graduation rates that led all NCAA FBS institutions (including eight perfect 100 scores). Men’s basketball at 100 tied for first with 14 other schools.
– Five Irish women’s programs had perfect 100 federal rates ranking them first within their sports among the NCAA FBS subset. Six Irish men’s programs had federal rates ranking them first within their sports (three with perfect 100 scores) among the NCAA FBS subset. Men’s basketball at 85 ranked tied for first with Penn State.
– Five Irish women’s programs had perfect 100 federal rates ranking them first within their sports among the NCAA FBS subset. Six Irish men’s programs had federal rates ranking them first within their sports (three with perfect 100 scores) among the NCAA FBS subset. Men’s basketball at 85 ranked tied for first with Penn State.