Irish Lock Horns With Bulls For First Time

Feb. 13, 2006

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Notre Dame Fighting Irish (11-10, 2-8)
vs.
South Florida Bulls (6-17, 0-10)

Wednesday, February 15, 2006 * 7:30 p.m. (EST) Joyce Center (11,418) * Notre Dame, Ind.

Television: None

Radio: Jack Lorri (play-by-play) and Jack Nolan (color analyst). Notre Dame Sports Properties originates the Notre Dame Radio Network which includes: ESPN Radio in Chicago (Chicagoland area and Midwest); WZOW 97.7 FM and 102.3 FM in South Bend, Ind.; ESPN 950 AM in Indianapolis, Ind.; WGL 1250 AM in Fort Wayne, Ind. and Northeast, Ind.; WLUV 96.7 AM in Rockford and DeKalb, Ill. and Beloit and Janesville, Wis.; WEFM 95.9 FM in Michigan City and Gary, Ind.; ESPN (WRSW) 1480 AM in Warsaw, Ind.; WAMW 107.9 FM and 1580 AM in Washington, Ind.; and www.und.com.

Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available for all home games, via the Notre Dame athletic website (www.und.com).

Wednesday’s Game:
After a one week break from action, the Notre Dame men’s basketball team will look to build on its 27-point victory (90-63) over Rutgers last Wednesday night when the Irish play host to BIG EAST newcomer South Florida in the first-ever meeting between the two schools … This evening’s matchup is the only regular-season contest scheduled between the Irish and the Bulls … The win over the Scarlet Knights snapped a five-game BIG EAST losing streak for the Irish … It was the longest skid since the 1993-94 campaign and first time that a Notre Dame team had lost five straight since becoming a league member in 1995-96 … The eight BIG EAST losses (three in overtime, including two double-overtime decisions) suffered by the Irish have been by a combined 26 points (3.3 points per game), while the 10 losses have totalled 43 points (4.3 points) … Notre Dame has been involved in nine contests that have been decided by five points or less, while four games have been decided by six to 10 points … Notre Dame is 2-7 in games decided by five points or less and 2-2 in games where the outcome is six to 10 points … Notre Dame shot a season-best 58.9 percent from the field against the Scarlets … The Irish’s inside game was a key in the victory as Notre Dame outscored Rutgers 40-24 in the paint … The Irish were led by Torin Francis’ 21-point effort as he was 8-12 from the field … Classmate Rick Cornett turned in his best performance of the season as he netted a season-high 14 points as he shot 5-8 from the field … Russell Carter turned in another solid performance as he finished with 17 points, following a career-high 24-point effort against Louisville on Feb. 4 … In averaging 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds over the last two games, Carter is 13-22 (.591) from the field and 8-13 (.615) from three-point range … Following tonight’s game with South Florida, Notre Dame plays consecutive games on the road against Seton Hall (Feb. 18) and Connecticut (Feb. 21).

Always In It:
Notre Dame’s 10 losses this season have been by a combined 43 points for an average of 4.3 points per game … The only double-digit loss was to North Carolina State (61-47) … The eight BIG EAST losses are by a combined 26 points (3.3) … The Irish’s 27-point margin of victory against Rutgers (90-63) last Wednesday night matched the largest for a Notre Dame team in BIG EAST play since becoming a member in 1995-96.

Bustin’ Out:
Notre Dame has topped the 90-point mark in three games this season (all in BIG EAST play) … The last time a Notre Dame team went over the 90-point mark three-plus times was during the 2002-03 campaign when that Irish squad hit the 90-point mark on eight occasions … In its 90-63 victory over Rutgers, Notre Dame scored 52 second-half points and shot a season-best 58.9 percent from the field … Notre Dame topped the 90-point mark for the second time in a BIG EAST game this season in its win over Providence on Jan. 14 … The 52 points scored in the first half were the most-ever by an Irish team in the first half of a BIG EAST contest … Notre Dame shot 56.9 percent from the field (its third game this season shooting better than 50 percent) and 61.9 percent from three-point range as the Irish connected on 13-21 from beyond the arc … It marked the best-ever three-point shooting percentage by a Notre Dame team in a BIG EAST game.

Thirty Something:
Chris Quinn’s 31-point performance against Louisville on Feb. 4 marked his third 30-plus point effort of the season … All three of his 30-point games have come against BIG EAST opponents … His first career 30-point game came against Pittsburgh when he tossed in a career-high 37 points in a 100-97 double-overtime loss … Against Providence 10 days later, he netted 31 points … Quinn is the first Notre Dame player since Troy Murphy in 2000-01 to record three 30-plus outings (Murphy had five that season) … It also marks the first time since 1999-2000 that an Irish player has registered three 30-plus outings during the regular-season of conference play … Murphy had four in his sophomore season … Prior to Quinn’s second 30-plus point performances against Providence, the last Notre Dame player to have multiple 30-point performances in a season was Chris Thomas during the 2003-04 season as he also registered two outings with 30 or more points that season – 31 vs. Connecticut and 39 vs. St. Louis.

No Mistakes In These Efforts:
Freshman Kyle McAlarney, who has started each of the last two games and five contests overall this season, has dished off 12 assists in the last two games and has not committed a turnover in averaging 33.5 minutes per game … It marks the first time in his career that he has not committed a turnover in consecutive games … While averaging 22.9 minutes per game, McAlarney has dished off 53 assists and turned the ball over 33 times.

Free Falls-ing:
Colin Falls has scored in double figures in 14 games this season and netted 20-plus points in four games overall … In the eight games prior to Rutgers (vs. DePaul, Syracuse, Providence Marquette, Georgetown, Villanova, West Virginia and Louisville), he averaged 17.6 points and shot 47.3 percent (43-91) and 48.1 percent (38-79) from three-point range … His 141 points over those eight contents was the highest eight-game point total in consecutive outings during his career.

Beyond The Arc:
Notre Dame’s 17 three-pointers against Louisville on Feb. 4 tied the school record set against St. John’s on March 6, 2004 at Madison Square Garden … Notre Dame is averaging 9.9 three-pointers in 21 games and 11.7 since the start of BIG EAST play … Notre Dame has made 10-plus threes in seven of the last 10 games and in 10 games overall … The Irish rank eighth nationally in three-point field goals made.

Quinn Feeling Generous:
Senior co-captain Chris Quinn has been on a scoring tear of late, averaging 20.8 points per game (271 points) over his last 13 outings, but he has been just as adept at helping his teammates find scoring opportunities … Over that same 13-game stretch, Quinn is averaging 7.0 assists (91 assists) and ranks third nationally in that category.

Backcourt Prowess:
Notre Dame’s backcourt of Chris Quinn, Colin Falls and Kyle McAlarney had its most productive outing of the season in the win over Providence on Jan. 14 … The trio combined for 67 of the team’s 92 points and shot a combined 23-32 (.718) from the field and 13-19 (.684) from three-point range … Quinn was 11-14 overall and 5-7 from beyond the arc, while Falls connected on 8-12 and 5-9 from three-point range … McAlarney was 4-6 from the field and 3-3 from the three-point stripe.

Paint Production:
Notre Dame’s inside game proved dominant in the victory over Rutgers last Wednesday night as the Irish outscored the Scarlet Knights 40-24 … Torin Francis and Rick Cornett combined for their most productive outing together this season as they scored 35 points … Francis netted 21 points on 8-12 shooting from the field, while Cornett tossed in a season-high 14 points, hitting 5-8 … In the previous outing against Louisville, the duo was just 1-11 from the field and scored a combined three points.

Like A Lighting Rod:
All 12 of Kyle McAlarney’s points against Providence came in the first half … In fact, he scored Notre Dame’s final nine points of the first half (all from three-point range) in a span of 1:30 that enabled the Irish to hold a 52-40 halftime advantage.

Comeback Kids:
Despite a 1-8 BIG EAST record, Notre Dame has made comebacks in several contests and put themselves in position to win the game …

• at Pittsburgh (1/4): Notre Dame trails the Panthers by nine with 47 seconds to play in regulation and stages a furious comeback, outscoring Pittsburgh 13-4 … Notre Dame ties the score (77-77) with 14 seconds to play on Colin Falls’ three-pointer… In the first overtime, Pittsburgh leads by seven with 1:08 to play, but the Irish outscore the Panthers 10-3 down the stretch … Chris Quinn scores Notre Dame’s final five points, including a game-tying layup with five seconds left in the first overtime session … In the second overtime, the Irish take a three-point lead (97-94) with 2:20 to play, but are held scoreless down the stretch.
• at DePaul (1/7): Notre Dame trails by 17 less than nine minutes into the contest and trail by 10 (37-27) at the break … Notre Dame erases the halftime deficit with three three-pointers by Colin Falls and a basket by Torin Francis to cut the deficit to one … Notre Dame ties the game with 10:54 remaining, but is never able to take the lead.
• vs. Syracuse (1/11): Syracuse opens up an 11-point lead (68-57) in the second half with 8:32 to play, but the Irish pull to within two (73-71) with 5:33 remaining, Syracuse opens up a seven-point lead with 1:46 left to play … The Irish close to within three with 45 seconds, but could get no closer.
• at Marquette (1/20): Notre Dame opens up an 11-point lead (30-19) with 5:01 remaining in the first half, but the Golden Eagles pull to within three (33-30) at the break … Marquette takes the lead 44-43 with 13:38 remaining and has a six-point advantage (54-48) with 9:29 to play … Notre Dame leads by three (59-56) with 7:09 to play and owns a two-point advantage (65-63) with 2:46, but the Irish are held scoreless down the stretch and the Golden Eagles pull out the victory on Steve Novak’s jumper with one second remaining.
• vs. Georgetown (1/24): The Irish fall behind by as many as 15 in the first half and trail (36-28) at intermission … The Hoyas hold a seven-point lead (63-56) with 3:13 remaining, but the Irish pull to within two (67-65) with nine seconds left … Georgetown converts one of two free-throw attempts to lead by four with eight seconds left in regulation … With one second remaining, Colin Falls nails a three-pointer and is fouled and converts the free throw to send the game into overtime … In the first overtime session, Georgetown jumps out to a three-point advantage, but Rick Cornett’s dunk with 40 seconds remaining knots the game at 76-76 – the third tie in overtime … Chris Quinn misses a layup at the buzzer as the teams head into overtime … Georgetown scores the first three points of overtime and go on to earn a three-point victory.

vs. Villanova (1/28): Notre Dame starts off strong and opens up a seven-point advantage with 5:18 to play in the first half, before Villanova closes out the final five minutes with an 18-10 run to take a 35-34 halftime lead … The Wildcats outscore Notre Dame 24-8 in the first nine minutes of the second half and hold a 17-point advantage (59-42) with 10:42 to play … Notre Dame holds Villanova scoreless for more than five minutes and cut the deficit to 11 points (61-50) with 7:08 to play … Notre Dame then goes on a 16-2 run and take the lead 66-63 with 1:38 to play … Villanova cuts the lead to one on two free throws, but two free throws by Russell Carter gives the Irish a 68-65 adavantage with 1:03 to play … The Wildcats take a 69-68 lead after two free throws from Randy Foye and a layup by Allan Ray … Torin Francis knots the game at 70-70 on a layup with 13 seconds remaining, but Kyle Lowry’s tip-in with less than two seconds gives Villanova the victory.

at West Virginia (2/1): Notre Dame trails by as many as 15 (29-14) with 6:50 to play in the first half, but the Irish close out the stanza with a 21-10 run, including a three-pointer by Chris Quinn as time expires … The Irish jump out to a three-point advantage early in the second half, but the Mountaineers lead by five with 13:30 to play in the contest … The game remains close for the final 13 minutes … Notre Dame enjoys a one-point lead (62-61) with 5:14 left to play, but the Mountaineers take a six-point lead 71-65 with 1:40 remaining … The Irish hold West Virginia scoreless for the remainder of the contest and close to within the final 71-70 outcome on a jumper by Russell Carter with 1:26 to play and a three-pointer by Quinn with 49 seconds left … A missed layup by Johannes Herber gives Notre Dame the final position with 15 seconds to play … Quinn is unable to convert a jumper with four seconds left as West Virginia holds on for the victory.

at Louisville (2/4): Two free throws by Chris Quinn give Notre Dame an 80-77 lead with 11 seconds to play … Taquan Dean’s three-pointer with one second remaining sends the game into overtime … The Irish take a one-point lead 20 seconds into the overtime session … With 2:43 remaining, David Padgett’s tip-in gives the Cardinals an 86-82 advantage … Notre Dame ties the game with 50 seconds left in overtime on back-to-back jumpers by Quinn and Russell Carter … Brandon Jenkins scores the last three points of the game for Louisville with a layup at 22 seconds and then on a free throw with eight seconds left.

A ‘Quinn’tessential Performance:
Senior co-captain Chris Quinn’s career-high 37 points against Pittsburgh in Notre Dame’s double-overtime nailbiter on Jan. 4 was a single-game record for the Petersen Events Center (the Panthers’ home arena) … From the 4:02 mark of the first half – when the Irish were down 64-55 – Quinn scored 19 straight Notre Dame points to bring them within three, 77-74, with 14 seconds left in regulation and then picked up the assist on Colin Falls’ game-tying three-point field goal in regulation … On top of those gaudy scoring numbers, Quinn also tied a career-high by dishing out nine assists and chipped in six rebounds. Quinn also set personal bests in field goals (12), field goals attempted (23) and minutes played (49) in the contest … The 37 points also was a Petersen Events Center single-game record … The point total matched Pat Garrity’s 37-point performance against Seton Hall on Jan. 17, 1998 and Troy Murphy’s 37-point effort against Rutgers on Jan. 6, 2001 as the most points scored by an Irish player in a BIG EAST game … It also was the first 30-point plus effort by a Notre Dame player since Chris Thomas scored 39 points against Saint Louis in the second round of the NIT on March 22, 2004.

Opponents Take Notice:
Freshman Kyle McAlarney has scored double figures in six game this season … The Irish rookie has played in all 21 contests and made five starts (four in BIG EAST play) … He earned his first career start against IPFW when Chris Quinn missed the contest due to an ankle injury and has been in the starting lineups against Marquette, Georgetown, Louisville and Rutgers … McAlarney is the fifth-leading scorer, averaging 6.9 points and is shooting 44.9 percent from the field … McAlarney had scored in double-figures in four straight games before the Pittsburgh contest on Jan. 4 … The last freshman to have four consecutive double-figure scoring outings was Chris Thomas in 2001-02 when he had streaks of nine and seven straight games in double figures … McAlarney has averaged 8.0 points (96 points) and 3.0 assists (36 assists) in the last 12 games and is shooting 30-59 from the field (.508) and is 23-47 (.489) from three-point range.

Points Are Plenty:
Notre Dame has topped the 80-point mark 11 times in 21 games this season and scored 90-plus points on three occasions … The Irish are averaging 79.0 points in BIG EAST play … Their 85-49 (36 points ) victory over Fordham was their largest of the season … Last year, Notre Dame reached the 80-point plateau only once – an 88-73 win over Marist on Dec. 22, 2004 … The last time the Irish scored 80 or more points at least four times in one season was 2003-04, when they accomplished the feat six times, but didn’t collect their fourth 80-point outing until their 20th game … The last team to score 80-plus points in four games faster than this year’s Notre Dame team was the 2002-03 Irish squad, who only needed nine games to reach the mark … The 36-point margin of victory against Fordam on Dec. 28 was the largest for an Irish team since a 44-point win against IUPUI on Nov. 18, 2002.

Close Calls:
Through the first 21 games into the season, Notre Dame has already played in 13 games that have been decided by seven or fewer points … The Irish are 4-9 in those contests … Notre Dame was involved in 15 games last season that were decided by seven points or less … The Irish finished with a 9-6 record in those contests.

Francis Ranks Among Best In Double-Doubles:
Senior co-captain Torin Francis’ 28 career double-doubles rank him 10th in school history … While LaPhonso Ellis’ record of 54 double-doubles may be out of reach, Francis is within striking distance of some of Notre Dame’s greatest players as he continues to climb the list.

Carter Cutting Loose:
Russell Carter’s performances against Louisville and Rutgers have been the top back-to-back performances of his career (his 41 points are the most in consecutive outings … Against Louisville, Carter scored a career-high 24 points (the first 20-point effort of his career) in the overtime loss while playing 38 minutes and grabbing six boards … He shot 8-11 (.727) from the field and was 4-6 (.667) from three-point range … In the win over Rugers, he netted 17 points and grabbed nine rebounds … Carter was 5-11 from the field and 3-7 from beyond the arc in 31 minutes.

Rookie Ball:
With Chris Quinn out of the lineup against IPFW due to an injury, freshman Kyle McAlarney started at point guard for the Irish … Also in the starting lineup was another first-year player, Luke Zeller … Zeller has been in the starting rotation for the last four games since earning his first career start against Alabama … The last time two freshmen were in the starting lineup in the same game was during the 2001-02 campaign when Chris Thomas and Jordan Cornette made starts together six different times throughout the season.

Series Record vs. South Florida:
Tonight’s game is the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and BIG EAST newcomer South Florida.

Double Delight:
In the win over IPFW, Notre Dame had two players register double-doubles in the same game … Torin Francis recorded his third double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 rebounds, while teammate Russell Carter earned his first career double-double with an 11-point and 14-rebound effort … The 14 boards were a career high for Carter … Ironically, the last time two Irish players posted double-doubles in the same game was against the Mastodons in a 73-45 victory on Nov. 23, 2004 … In the contest, Chris Thomas finished with 10 points and 11 assists, while Dennis Latimore had 12 points and 11 rebounds … Against Syracuse, Francis again recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while Colin Falls registered his first career double-double as he netted 18 points and handed out a career-high 10 assists.

Francis Collects 800th Rebound:
With his nine rebounds against Pittsburgh on Jan. 4, Torin Francis became just the 11th player in Notre Dame history to grab 800 rebounds … Francis stands ninth on the all-time Irish rebounding charts … He currently has 883 career boards in 104 games and needs just two more to pass Collis Jones for the eighth on the all-time list.

Double The Pleasure:
Torin Francis’ 22 points and 13 rebounds against Michigan marked his second straight double-double following a 13-point and 11-rebound effort against North Carolina State … It also marked the third time in four games that he had grabbed 10-plus rebounds (he also had 14 in the season opener against Lafayette) … Francis only recorded back-to-back double-doubles once last season – 16 pts./10 rebs. vs. Pittsburgh and 21 pts./13 rebs. vs. Rutgers … He nearly had a double-double against Alabama finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds … His third double-double of the season came against IPFW as he netted a season-high 24 points (one off of his career high) and grabbed 11 rebounds … He registered his fourth of the season in Notre Dame’s win over Wofford as he scored 12 points and grabbed 11 boards and had his fifth against Syracuse with 13 points and 10 rebounds … Francis has scored in double figures in 60 career games, netted 20-plus points in 21 contests and registered 28 career double-doubles (good for 10th in school history).

The Irish All-Time:
The 2005-06 men’s basketball campaign marks the 101st season of basketball and 11th as a member of the BIG EAST Conference … In 100-plus seasons, Irish teams have posted a 1576-873 record for a .644 winning percentage … In BIG EAST play, Notre Dame owns an 86-92 (.483) record all-time in conference regular-season play.

The Captains:
Guard Chris Quinn and forwards Torin Francis and Rick Cornett are serving as captains for the 2005-06 season … It marks the second straight year that Francis and Quinn have served in that role … The duo are the 11th and 12th players to serve as two-time captains.

Postseason Trend:
Since 2000, Notre Dame has appeared in either the NCAA or NIT tournaments each of the last six years … The Irish played in the 2000 NIT and then earned three consecutive NCAA tournament berths – 2001, ’02 and ’03 – followed by NIT appearances in ’04 and ’05 … This is the longest stretch of postseason appearances for Irish teams since making eight consecutive postseason trips from 1983-90 – (NIT in 1983 and ’84 and NCAA from 1985-90).

December Delight:
Notre Dame posted a 7-1 record during the month of December … It marked the most wins under head coach Mike Brey that an Irish team had won during the month of December as well being the most games played … Notre Dame’s best record under Brey during the month of December was 6-0 during the 2002-03 campaign.

Home Sweet Home:
Since the inaugural season in 1968-69 at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame owns a 453-139 record all-time for a .765 winning percentage … The Irish are 68-26 (.723) at the Joyce Center during Mike Brey’s five seasons, and since the 1996-97 campaign, they own a 116-41 mark for a .739 winning percentage … Notre Dame’s 13-5 mark a year ago at home marked the seventh time in eight years that the Irish won 10 or more home games.

Welcome To The Club:
With his career-high 26-point performance against Michigan on Dec. 3, Chris Quinn became the 44th player in Notre Dame basketball history to score 1,000 career points … In 114 (he played in his 100th career game against Florida International) career outings, Quinn has scored 1,312 points for an 11.5 career scoring average.

Francis Gets To 1,000:
With his first basket of the game against Florida International on Dec. 10, Torin Francis became the 45th player in Notre Dame basketball history to score 1,000 points, joining teammate Chris Quinn who just a week earlier reached the mark against Michigan on December 3 … In 104 career games, Francis has scored 1,190 points and owns an 11.3 career scoring average.

1,000-Point Duo:
Teammates Chris Quinn and Torin Francis became the 44th and 45th players, respectively, in Notre Dame basketball history to reach the 1,000-point plateau … The senior co-captains reached the mark on successive Saturday outings … Francis has 1,190 career points in 104 outings for an 11.3 average, while Quinn has scored 1,312 points in 114 games in an Irish uniform for a 11.5 career average … The last time two players from the same class scored 1,000 points was Notre Dame’s Class of 2002 – Troy Murphy and David Graves … Murphy had reached the 1,000-point mark in his sophomore season and finished his career with 2,011 points before leaving after his junior year for the NBA … In 94 career games, he averaged 21.4 points per game … Graves finished his career with 1,746 points and reached the 1,000-point mark in his junior year (2000-01), the same season that Murphy topped the 2,000-point mark.

Quinn and Francis In Elite Company:
Senior forward Torin Francis collected his 700th career rebound in the season opener verus Lafayette and reached the 800-rebound mark against Pittsburgh on Jan. 4 … With 1,190 points, he is the 10th player in Notre Dame history to collect 1,000 career points and 800 career rebounds, joining this select company:

• Adrian Dantley (2,223 points, 843 rebounds)
• Troy Murphy (2,011 points, 924 rebounds)
• Tom Hawkins (1,820 points, 1,318 rebounds)
• Bob Arnzen (1,665 points, 944 rebounds)
• Bob Whitmore (1,580 points, 1,043 rebounds)
• LaPhonso Ellis (1,505 points, 1,075 rebounds)
• Collis Jones (1,367 points, 884 rebounds)
• Ron Reed (1,153 points, 872 rebounds)
• Walt Sahm (1,077 points, 1,146 rebounds)

Francis’ classmate Chris Quinn dished out his 300th career assist in the win over Wofford … With 1,312 career points to his credit, the Dublin, Ohio, native is the eighth player in Notre Dame history to score 1,000 points and hand out 300 assists, entering into this select company:

• Chris Thomas (2,195 points, 833 assists)
• David Rivers (2,058 points, 586 assists)
• Matt Carroll (1,850 points, 314 assists)
• David Graves (1,746 points, 340 assists)
• Elmer Bennett (1,488 points, 516 assists)
• John Paxson (1,366 points, 411 assists)
• Rich Branning (1,232 points, 466 assists)

Where Charity Prevails:
Notre Dame connected on a season-high 92.3 percent from the foul line against Marquette as the Irish hit 12 of their 13 attempts … Notre Dame’s previous season high was against IPFW (17-19 for 89.5 percent) … The Irish shot a season-low 53.8 percent in the third game of the season against North Carolina State …The 45 free throws attempted by Notre Dame in their win over Columbia constitute a high mark in the Mike Brey era … In that contest, Notre Dame was 28-45 (.622) … As a team, Notre Dame is 312-437 (71.9 percent), while opponents are 248-360 (68.9 percent).

Shuffling The Starting Five:
Through the first 21 games of this season, Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey has used six different starting lineups, each with varying results … Senior forward Torin Francis and junior guard Colin Falls have been mainstays in the Irish starting lineups … Chris Quinn missed a game due to injury

Hitting The Boards:
Notre Dame owns a +3.9 advantage over its opponents on the boards as the Irish are averaging 38.6 rebounds per game, compared to 34.7 by their opponents … Notre Dame has outrebounded 15 of their 21 opponents … The only teams to outrebound the Irish are Hofstra (40-39), Columbia (39-37), Pittsburgh (51-43), Marquette (33-27), Georgetown (45-42) and Louisville (42-37) with the Irish owning a 2-4 record in those games … Notre Dame has outrebounded five opponents – Lafayette (43-29), North Carolina State (38-27), IPFW (40-29), Fordham (43-31), Wofford (37-26) and West Virginia (41-22) by double digits … Notre Dame had a streak of outrebounding opponents come to an end at six games against Columbia … The last time an Irish team outrebounded at least six straight opponents was a stretch that spanned the 1999-00 and 2000-01 seasons when they bested nine straight teams on the boards: Georgetown (51-29), Rutgers (35-28), Miami (Fla.) (31-29), Michigan (30-26), Xavier (40-31), BYU (29-22), Penn State (38-25), Wake Forest (37-32) and Sacred Heart (48-33) … The Irish held Fordham to 13 defensive rebounds, the lowest total in the Mike Brey era … In a testament to their team rebounding prowess, four Irish players – Torin Francis, Luke Zeller, Russell Carter and Rob Kurz – all had seven rebounds at DePaul to help the Irish win the rebound battle 36-35 … Notre Dame held West Virgnia to just 22 boards, the fewest ever by an Irish opponent during Mike Brey’s tenure.

New Faces In Irish Starting Lineup:
When the starting five took the court for Notre Dame’s season-opening game against Lafayette, two of the Irish players were relatively new additions to the starting lineup … Junior guard Russell Carter made just his second career start, while sophomore Rob Kurz was in the starting lineup for the first time in his collegiate career and has started four games overall this season … In contrast, the other three Irish starters – senior guard Chris Quinn, senior forward Torin Francis and junior guard Colin Falls – carried 166 combined starts into the 2005-06 opener … Freshman Luke Zeller has started nine games, while another rookie, Kyle McAlarney was in the starting five against IPFW in place of injured co-captain Chris Quinn and has made four startering appearances overall this season … Senior Rick Cornett earned his second career start, and first of the season, in the Columbia game … McAlarney has earned a spot in the starting lineup in five games this season.

For The Defense:
Notre Dame’s defense has yielded 1,607 points in its 21 games for an average of 69.6 points per game … Last season, the Irish held opponents to just 64.1 points per contest, the fewest in head coach Mike Brey’s five seasons … Notre Dame has held three opponents to 50 points and under – (Hofstra, Florida International and Fordham).

McAlarney Magic:
Freshman Kyle McAlarney has played in all 21 games for the Irish and is averaging 6.9 points and 1.7 rebounds and is one of Notre Dame’s top scorers off the bench … In six of the last 14 games, he has scored in double figures, netting a career-high 16 points against Niagara, 14 points versus Columbia, 10 points against Fordham, 12 in the wins over Wofford and Providence and 13 in the loss to Villanova … McAlarney enjoyed a stellar shooting performance in consecutive outings against Niagara, Columbia, Fordham and Wofford as he shot a combined 17-24 (.708) from the field and 12-19 (.632) from three-point range.

Tough Enough:
Notre Dame’s 2005-06 schedule features five teams – Connecticut, Louisville, Alabama, West Virginia and Syracuse – that began the season ranked in the top 25 … In addition, Notre Dame will take on eight teams that played in the 2005 NCAA Tournament – North Carolina State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Villanova, West Virginia, Louisville and Connecticut.

Russellmania:
Prior to the Marquette game, guard Russell Carter had been in the starting lineup for 16 staight games dating back to last season … He had been in the starting lineup for each of Notre Dame’s first 15 contests and earned his first career start in the first round NIT matchup against Holy Cross in what was the final game of the season … After not starting the Marquette and Georgetown contests, he returned to the starting lineup against Villanova … He has started 19 games this season and 20 overall during his career … Carter produced his best performance in an Irish uniform on Saturday against Louisville as he scored a career-high 24 points on 8-11 shooting from the field, including a 4-6 performance from there-point range … In addition, he grabbed six rebounds while playing 38 minutes … Carter has posted 11 double-figure scoring efforts in 2005-06. Big Luke:

Freshman Luke Zeller has performed well for the Irish this season and is averaging 4.1 points and 3.9 rebounds … He keyed Notre Dame’s victory over Hofstra when he scored six points and grabbed nine rebounds (eight in the second half) and was instrumental in the Irish second-half comeback against Michigan with two three-pointers as he finished with eight points and grabbed six rebounds in 23 minutes of action … He was held scoreless and without a rebound in the first half against Niagara, but responded with four points and seven boards in the final stanza … He chipped in three offensive rebounds en route to a five-board night against Columbia … Against Fordham, he scored a career-high 11 points and was one rebound away from being the first Notre Dame freshman to record a double-double since Torin Francis in 2002-03 … Against Pittsburgh, he turned in his second consecutive 11-point effort to help the Irish battle the Panthers in a double-overtime shootout … In the loss to Syracuse , he matched his career-high as he grabbed nine boards.

Hot Stuff:
Notre Dame shot a then season-best 55.2 percent from the field against Niagara on Dec. 21 … The Irish connected on 32-58 from the field and were 17-28 (.607) in the second half … It was also the best a Notre Dame team has shot since February 22, 2003 versus Virginia Tech (98-76 Irish victory) when that Irish squad was 36-65 from the field for 55.4 percent … The Irish connected on 56.9 (29-51) percent from the field against Providence on Jan. 14 marking the third game this season that they have shot better than 50.0 percent … Notre Dame shot 54.7 (29-53) percent against Fordham … The Irish shot a season-best 58.9 percent from the field (33-56) against Rutgers last Wednesday night.

“B” Is For BIG And BIG EAST:
With its membership of 16 teams, The BIG EAST Conference is the largest Division I conference in the nation … The new additions are Cincinnati, DePaul, Louisville, Marquette and South Florida.

Irish Set For Three Repeat Games In BIG EAST Play:
Notre Dame will play DePaul, Marquette and Providence twice (both home and away) as part of its BIG EAST Conference regular-season 16-game slate during the 2005-06 campaign … Playing under a straight divisional format with 16 teams this year, Notre Dame will play 10 opponents once, but will not face either Cincinnati or St. John’s during the regular season.

Keeping It Close:
In the 66 losses suffered by Irish teams in Mike Brey’s four seasons, only 16 have been by 10 or more points and have been by a combined 442 points for an average of 6.7 points … Notre Dame’s biggest losses have been on the road at Pittsburgh (72-55 on January 6, 2003) and against Arizona (88-71 on March 27, 2003) in the West Regional semifinal in Anaheim, Calif…. Prior to those setbacks, the worst defeat was a 16-point decision at Connecticut during Brey’s first season … Notre Dame’s 11 losses during the 2001-02 season were by a combined 49 points for an average margin of defeat of 4.5 points … Only one loss that season (versus Georgetown at the Joyce Center) was by double figures, while eight of those setbacks were by five or less points.

Not So Lucky:
Notre Dame is the only team from one of the six major conferences to have a winning record in league play each of the past two seasons yet fail to make the NCAA Tournament … 20 teams from the Big Six (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC) had a winning record in both 2003-04 and ’04-05, while 19 other schools made the tournament both seasons.

BIG EAST Distinction:
Notre Dame and Syracuse are the only two schools to post winning conference records in BIG EAST play each of the last five seasons … Notre Dame has gone 11-5 (2000-01), 10-6 (2001-02), 10-6 (2002-03), 9-7 (2003-04) and 9-7 (2004-05), while Syracuse has posted marks of 10-6 (2001-01), 9-7 (2001-02), 13-3 (2002-03), 11-5 (2003-04) and 11-5 (2004-05).

Road Warriors:
In Mike Brey’s five-plus seasons, his Irish teams have compiled a road record of 45-38 (.542) … That includes a 30-27 mark (.526) in true road games and a 15-11 (.577) record in neutral site contests.

BIG EAST Formula For Success Under Brey:
Since his arrival at Notre Dame, Brey has led Notre Dame to a 50-39 (.562) record in BIG EAST regular-season games and a 2-5 mark in tournament play for an overall record of 52-44 (.542) against league foes … In Brey’s first season, the Irish posted their first-ever winning record in BIG EAST play and won the BIG EAST West Division title with an 11-5 mark … Prior to Brey’s arrival at Notre Dame, Irish teams had a 35-53 (.398) regular-season record since joining the league in 1995-96.

Not So Lucky:
Notre Dame is the only team from one of the six major conferences to have a winning record in league play each of the past two seasons yet fail to make the NCAA Tournament … 20 teams from the Big Six (ACC, BIG EAST, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC) had a winning record in both 2003-04 and ’04-05, while 19 other schools made the tournament both seasons.

Down To The Wire:
Five of Notre Dame’s 29 games in 2004-05 were decided by a single point … The Irish were 3-2 in those contests … Notre Dame teams are 9-4 overall during Mike Brey’s tenure in one-point games … Thirteen of Notre Dame’s 17 BIG EAST contests last season were decided by less than 10 points.

Irish Among Best In Wins Average:
Over the last six years, Notre Dame is one of 25 teams nationally that has averaged better than 20 wins per season … The Irish have compiled a 123-71 record for a .634 winning percentage after finishing 22-15 (1999-2000), 20-10 (2000-01), 21-11 (2001-02), 24-10 (2002-03), 19-13 (2003-04) and 17-12 (2004-05).

228 And Counting:
Heading into tonight’s game against South Florida, Notre Dame has hit at least one three-pointer in 228 straight games, a mark that dates back to the 1998-99 campaign … The last time an Irish team failed to hit a three-pointer was a 101-70 loss to Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center on Jan. 12, 1999 as Notre Dame finished 0-7 from beyond the arc in the game.

Over The Century Mark:
Notre Dame has scored 100-plus points five times during the Mike Brey era … The last 100-point effort by an Irish team was in a 101-96 overtime decision at Boston College on Jan. 25, 2003.

Threes Fall For Falls:
In 82 career outings, 204 of Colin Falls’ 238 field goals have come from three-point range … That translates into 85.7 percent … Seventy-four of his 90 field goals this season have come from three-point range (82.2) … Overall during his career, he has connected on 204 of 498 three-point attempts for 41.0 accuracy from the field.

Another Way To Get His Three Points:
While Colin Falls is considered Notre Dame’s three-point threat and leads the team in three-point field goals, the junior sharpshooter has also found another way to get his three points … In 2004-05, Falls was fouled a total of 16 times while shooting from beyond the arc and converted on 43-48 (.896) of his free-throw attempts … This season, he was fouled twice in the Hofstra game and made 4-6 from the charity stripe … He was also fouled while shooting from beyond the arc versus DePaul and made 2-3 from the line … Falls was fouled against Providence and Marquette and connected on all three of his free throws in both of those contests … Against Georgetown, he nailed his first-ever four-point play to send the game into overtime … Against Rutgers, he also was fouled, but missed all three of his attempts … For the season he is 13-19 (.684) from the line after being fouled shooting a three-pointer.

Kurz Earns BIG EAST Honor Roll Honors:
Rob Kurz was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll for the week of Nov. 21 after finishing with career bests of 18 points and eight rebounds in Notre Dame’s 84-66 win over Lafayette … Kurz played a career-high 25 minutes in the game and shot 8-10 from the field.

Francis Earns BIG EAST Honor Roll Honors Twice:
Senior Torin Francis was named to the BIG EAST Honor Roll in consecutive weeks … He earned the recognition for the first time the week of Dec. 12 after averaging 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in wins over Alabama and Florida International … Against the Crimson Tide, he scored 14 points and grabbed nine rebounds and followed up that performance with 16 points, seven rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals and two assists versus the Golden Panthers … Francis also was named to the honor roll this week after scoring 24 points and grabbing 11 rebounds against IPFW in Notre Dame’s 65-63 win.

McAlarney’s Garners BIG EAST Honor Roll Recognition:
Freshman Kyle McAlarney’s performances against Niagara and Columbia earned him recogntion on the BIG EAST Honor Roll for the week of Dec. 27 … In the two wins, the rookie averaged 15.0 points as he scored 16 against Niagara on six-of-eight shooting from the field, including a four-of-seven performance from three-point range … Against Columbia, he netted 14 points as he hit five of his eight field goal attempts and was three-of-six from three-point range … In the two games, he shot a combined 11-16 (.688) from the field and 7-12 (.583) from three-point range.

Quinn Earns BIG EAST Honor Roll Honors On Two Occasions:
Chris Quinn has been named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll twice this season … Quinn earned the honor after averaging 26.5 points, 9.0 assists and 4.0 rebounds in losses to Pittsburgh and DePaul … In losses to West Virginia and Pittsburgh, he averaged 27.5 points, shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 63.2 percent from three-point range.

McDonald’s All-Americans:
Notre Dame’s 2005-06 team features two McDonald’s High School All-Americans – Torin Francis and Luke Zeller … A total of 15 players who have donned an Irish uniform have been McDonald’s All-Americans … Zeller, a freshman from Washington, Ind., is the most recent McDonald’s All-American, following Francis who earned McDonald’s accolades in 2002 … Francis also was named the recipient of the Morgan Wootten Award as the McDonald’s National Boys Player of the Year … Zeller played his McDonald’s All-American game at the Joyce Center on March 30, 2005 … Former Irish players who were also McDonald’s All-Americans include: Tim Andre (1979-83), Ken Barlow (1982-86), LaPhonso Ellis (1988-92), Ryan Humphrey (2000-02), Tracy Jackson (1973-77), Tim Kempton (1982-86), Dan Miller (2001-03), John Paxson (1979-83), David Rivers (1984-88), Keith Robinson (1986-90), Tom Sluby (1980-84), Barry Spencer (1980-84), Chris Thomas (2001-05), Torin Francis (2002-present) and Luke Zeller (2005-present).

Mr. Indiana:
When former standout Chris Thomas (2001-05) entered Notre Dame in the fall of 2001, he became the first Mr. Indiana Basketball to play for the Irish. Thomas, who graduated in May of 2005 and finished as the school’s career leader in nine categories, earned the honor in 2001. History repeated itself four years later when current freshman Luke Zeller copped the state’s top honor in 2005.

Irish Sign Two In Early Signing Period:
Irish head coach Mike Brey signed two players during the early signing period on Wed., Nov. 9 – Luke Harangody (Schererville, Ind.) and Tory Jackson (Saginaw, Mich.), Harangody, a 6-8, 250-pound forward attends Andrean High School in Merrilville, Ind … As a junior, he led his team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 23.2 points and 12.3 rebounds … He ranked 11th and third, respectively, in scoring and rebounding among all Indiana players in his junior season … Named the 2005 Post Tribune Northwest and The Times Northwest Player of the Year, he led Andrean to a 21-3 record and to the Gary (Ind.) Class 3A sectional championship … Jackson, a 5-10, 175-pound guard, was named the ’05 Michigan Class C Player of the Year and was a unanimous all-state selection … He paced his Buena Vista High School team to a 17-6 record in ’04-’05 while averaging 30.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.0 steals … This past summer, he played for the Blue Team which garnered the silver medal at the ’05 Youth Development Festival as his squad finished with a 3-1 mark.

All In The Families:
Sophomore Rob Kurz’ sister Laura is a sophomore on the Duke women’s basketball team … Freshman Ryan Ayers’ father Randy is currently an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic … He formerly was the head coach at Ohio State and with the Philadelphia 76ers.

Irish Successful On And Off The Court:
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team is enjoying success both on the court and in the classroom this season … The 12 members of the Irish basketball program combined to produce a 3.244 grade-point average during the 2005 fall semester – its highest GPA ever and the fourth straight semester the team has been over a 3.000 grade index … It also was the first time that the Irish had a team average of better than 3.200.

Nine members of the team were over a 3.000 grade-point average – Ryan Ayers (3.250), Russell Carter (3.083), Rick Cornett (3.250), Colin Falls (3.333), Zach Hillesland (3.500), Chris Murphy (3.400), Kieran Piller (3.600), Chris Quinn (3.833) and Luke Zeller (3.400).

Chris Quinn Earns District Academic Honors:
Chris Quinn was named to the ESPN The Magazine District V All-Academic First Team this past week … With his selection to the team, he is now eligible for national Academic All-America honors … Quinn a marketing major in the Mendoza College of Business and owns a 3.428 grade index. During the 2005 fall semester, he was named to the Dean’s List after earning a 3.833 grade point average. Quinn was the recipient of the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley … Joining him on the District V first team are: Adam Boone (Minnesota), Jamaal Tatum (Southern Illinois), Dan Oppland (Valparaiso) and Neil Plank (Illinois State) … The national team will be announced on Tues., Feb. 28.

Omari Isreal Leaves Program:
Junior forward Omari Isreal left the Irish basketball program on November 11 and will transfer to Loyola College … As a sophomore last season, he averaged 1.4 points and 1.8 rebounds … He missed the 2003-04 campaign, his freshman season, while recovering from knee surgery for an ACL injury suffered in the final season of his prep career.

Kevin White Radio Show:
Look for the Kevin White Radio Show on ESPN 1000 AM radio in Chicago … The hour-long show, which debuted on Sept. 4, is in its sixth season and will run for 30 weeks throughout the year.

Guests regularly will include familiar names from all facets of college athletics … The show features White, Notre Dame’s director of athletics, and ESPN 1000’s Dave Juday … It can be heard regularly at 11:00 p.m. Central time on Sunday evenings … ESPN 1000 in Chicago can be heard in more than 30 states around the country.

Sponsors of the show include Gatorade, Xerox, adidas, Comcast, McDonald’s, Chase, Coca-Cola, Sirius Satellite Radio, Jordan Industries and Sayers Computer Source.

Notre Dame Basketball Radio Show:
Logan’s Roadhouse Restaurant in Mishawaka will once again be the site of the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Show during the 2005-06 season featuring Irish coach Mike Brey and a player each week … The 30-minute radio show will be broadcast live on Monday nights on WZOW 97.7 FM and 103.3 FM and will run 10 times during the year beginning at 7:00 p.m. … The remaining dates of the show are Jan. 30, Feb. 6, Feb. 13 and Feb. 27 … Jack Nolan once again will serve as the show’s host.

Inside Irish Basketball With Mike Brey:
The University of Notre Dame and Notre Dame Sports Properties once again will combine to create “Inside Irish Basketball with Mike Brey.” … The show will be available to network and cable affiliates across the country in 2005-06 … It will air throughout the season and will be produced and distributed by Notre Dame Sports Properties … Jack Nolan of WNDU will once again serve as the host … Nolan and Irish head coach Mike Brey will recap games from the previous week, in addition to previewing upcoming opponents on the schedule … The remaining airing dates for the show are: Feb. 14, Feb. 21, Feb. 28, Mar. 7 and Mar. 14.