Jan. 15, 2001

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PITTSBURGH Panthers (10-5, 2-2) at NOTRE DAME Fighting Irish (9-5, 1-2)
Date: Tuesday, January 16, 2001
Place: Joyce Center (11,418)
Time: 7:30 p.m. EST

Radio:
Host Communications Inc. (Jack Lorri, Jack Nolan) originates the Notre Dame Radio Network (includes WNDV-1490 AM and WNDV-92.9 FM in South Bend, WNTS-1590 AM in Indianapolis, WGL-1250 AM WGL 1570 AM in Ft. Wayne, WEFM-95.9 FM in Michigan City, WGOM-860AM in Marion, WVHI-1330 AM in Evansville, WLUV-1520 AM in Rockford, Ill., KATD-990AM in San Francisco, Calif., WDEL-1550 AM in Wilmington, Del., and KIND-1010AM in Independence, Kan.). All radio broadcasts can also be heard through the World Wide Web at www.und.com.

Television:
ESPN Regional – Bob Picozzi (play-by-play) and Bob Wenzel (color). WBND in South Bend and Fox Sports in Pittsburgh.

IRISH ITEMS FOR THE PITTSBURGH GAME:
Notre Dame (9-5, 1-2) begins a crucial BIG EAST homestand this evening as the Irish play host to Pittsburgh (10-5, 2-2). Coach Mike Brey’s squad has played three of its last four games on the road and is 1-3 in its last four outings.

The Irish had a tough 11-day stretch playing three league contests and one non-conference game. Notre Dame looks to end its current two-game slide as the Irish have dropped back-to-back road games at Seton Hall (78-76) and Kentucky (82-71).

With the loss to the Wildcats, the Irish finish the non-conference portion of its schedule with an 8-3 record. In addition to Kentucky, Notre Dame’s two other non-conference losses were to Indiana and Miami of Ohio.

This will be the 40th meeting between the two schools with the Irish holding a slim 20-19 advantage in the series. Since Notre Dame began play in the BIG EAST during the 1995-96 campaign, there have been eight games played with each team winning four times. Last season, each team won on its homecourt as the Irish earned an 81-66 decision at the Joyce Center, and the Panthers claimed a 72-66 victory at Fitzgerald Field House.

Pittsburgh snapped its two-game losing streak on Saturday with a 77-65 upset of 15th-ranked Seton Hall. The Panthers, victorious in four of their last six games, defeated Miami 62-51 in their league opener on Jan. 3 and then suffered consecutive setbacks to Syracuse (71-66) and Connecticut (73-53).

For the first time this season, Notre Dame is unranked in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls. The Irish were ranked in the first 10 polls of the season after starting the preseason ranked for the first time since the 1989-90 campaign. Notre Dame started the preseason tied for 15th in the preseason AP Poll and were 17th in the ESPN/USA Today ranking. Notre Dame climbed as high as 10th in both polls on Dec. 4, but dropped from the top 10 after suffering back-to-back setbacks to Indiana and Miami (Ohio).

RECAP OF KENTUCKY:
Notre Dame traveled to storied Rupp Arena for its matchup with the Wildcats and despite jumping out to a 14-4 lead, suffered an 82-71 setback to lose on the road for the third straight time. All five starters scored in double figures for the third time this season as the Irish were led in scoring by Troy Murphy’s 14 points, a season-low for the junior forward. He also recorded his seventh double-double of the season as he grabbed 11 boards.

Ryan Humphrey also notched his seventh double-double of the 2000-01 campaign as he finished with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. David Graves, a native of Lexington, Ky., had 13 points in his homecoming, while Martin Ingelsby and Matt Carroll had 12 and 11 points, respectively.

After the Irish started the game with a 14-4 lead with 12:18 remaining in the first half, Kentucky came back to pull ahead 17-14 at the 7:43 mark. Notre Dame took a 24-21 lead with 4:29 to play in the opening period, and last led 24-23 with 3:47 left in the first half, before the Wildcats closed out the first half with a 10-2 run to grab a 33-26 halftime advantage.

Notre Dame was held to just 37.1 percent shooting for the game, the second straight game under 40.0 percent. For the second consecutive game, Notre Dame had just 11 assists, well below its 20.7 assist average, and committed 16 turnovers.

POLL POSITION:
For the first time, Notre Dame is not ranked in either the Associated Press or ESPN/USA Today rankings. The Irish were ranked in the 10 previous polls this season and climbed to as high as 10th in both rankings during the week of Dec. 4 before falling out of the top 10 after back-to-back home losses to Indiana and Miami of Ohio.

HEAD COACH MIKE BREY:
Mike Brey was named the 17th head coach in the program’s history on July 14, 2000 following five seasons (1995-2000) as head coach at the University of Delaware. Brey earned his first victory as Irish head coach on Nov. 18 with a 104-58 triumph over Sacred Heart. The win marked the 100th of his coaching career and came in the 152nd game of his coaching career. He has an overall record of 108-57 for a .655 winning percentage. He guided the Blue Hens to a 99-52 record during his tenure while earning berths in three postseason tournaments. Under Brey, Delaware appeared in two NCAA tournaments (’98 and ’99) and played in the National Invitation Tournament in his final season (2000). His .655 winning percentage among Division I coaches with five years as a head coach stands second only to Tom Izzo of Michigan State (.732). Prior to his arrival in Newark, Del., he spent eight seasons (1987-95) on the Duke sidelines along Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski, and before that stint was an assistant coach at DeMatha High School under legendary coach Morgan Wootten from 1982-87.

BREY AND MENTOR KRZYZEWSKI REACH MILESTONES ONE DAY APART:
First-year head coach Mike Brey earned his 100th career victory (in 152 games as a head coach) against Sacred Heart on Nov. 18. That win came just one day after his former mentor, Mike Krzyzewski, earned his 500th win at Duke on Nov. 17. Brey was an assistant under Krzyzewski at Duke from 1987-95.

FIRST-YEAR SUCCESS:
Mike Brey was the first Notre Dame head coach since Moose Krause in 1943-44 to lead his team to eight victories in his first 10 games as head coach. Two other Irish coaches achieved similar success in their first seasons. Jesse Harper, who coached Notre Dame from 1913-18, was 8-2 through the first 10 games of his first season, while William Nelson, whose only season as a head coach was in 1912-13, was 11-2 in his first 13 games.

NOTRE DAME vs. PITTSBURGH:
Tonight’s game marks the 40th meeting between the two teams with Notre Dame holding a slim 20-19 advantage in the series that was first played during the 1926-27 campaign. Since Notre Dame joined the BIG EAST in 1995-96, the two teams have played each other eight times with each team winning on four occasions. Notre Dame won last year’s matchup at the Joyce Center, while the Panthers took the second regular-season meeting between two teams at Pittsburgh, 72-66. The Irish are 5-2 against the Panthers at the Joyce Center. Pittsburgh’s last victory at Notre Dame was in ’98 with a 72-61 decision.

NOTE THE CHANGE IN MURPHY TELECONFERENCE SCHEDULE :
Troy Murphy once again will hold a weekly teleconferences. On page 4 is a listing of those dates and times. Media should take note of the new time. All teleconferences will begin at 11:00 a.m. (a change from 11:15 a.m.), with one exception – the Feb. 15 teleconference will commence at 11:30 a.m.).

HE’S AN ESPY NOMINEE:
Troy Murphy is one of four nominees for an ESPY Award as the Men’s College Basketball Player of the Year. The ninth annual ESPY Awards will be shown live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nev., on Mon., Feb. 12 at 9:00 p.m. EST on ESPN. Murphy is joined by Mateen Cleaves (Michigan State), Marcus Fizer (Iowa State) and Kenyon Martin (Cincinnati) as the nominees for 2000. All three of the other candidates are former collegians and currently on rosters in the National Basketball Association. Murphy has the rare distinction of perhaps winning an ESPY while still attending school.

MURPHY AND THE WOODEN WATCH:
Troy Murphy is among the top 30 candidates and one of four BIG EAST players named to the midseason list for the 2001 John R. Wooden Award. Murphy, a member of the 2000 John R. Wooden All-America team, was one of the top 25 vote-getters on the Preseason List of 50 which was announced in the fall. He and Duke senior Shane Battier are the only two previous candidates among the current list of 30. The 10-member Wooden Award All-America team will be announced on March 27, 2001. From that squad, one member will receive the Wooden Award Trophy as the nation’s ?Most Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player.? The announcement will be made on April 6, 2001, and will be shown on a one-hour telecast on Fox Sports Net. The three other BIG EAST on the list of 30 include Albert Mouring of Connecticut, Eddie Griffin of Seton Hall and Preston Shumpert of Syracuse.

MURPHY IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Certainly Troy Murphy can stake claim to being the most publicized men’s collegiate basketball player in the past month. Feature articles appeared in three major sports publications on the junior All-American. Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl profiled Murphy in a piece entitled “Troy Story”, which appeared in the Dec. 25 issue of the magazine, while Mike DeCoursey wrote an article entitled “Getting a Slight Edge” for The Sporting News which hit the newsstands before the Christmas holiday. Curry Kirkpatrick has a piece entitled “Murphy’s Law” in the Jan. 8 bi-weekly edition of ESPN Magazine.

NAISMITH WATCH:
Troy Murphy is listed as the second-leading vote-getter among 30 preseason candidates announced for the 2000-01 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The preseason candidates including Murphy are: Shane Battier (Duke), Lonny Baxter (Maryland), Charlie Bell (Michigan State), Carlos Boozer (Duke), Cory Bradford (Illinois), Eric Chenowith (Kansas), Jarron Collins (Stanford), Juan Dixon (Maryland), Joe Forte (North Carolina), Jason Gardner (Arizona), Tony Harris (Tennessee), Udonis Haslem (Florida), Brendan Haywood (North Carolina), Casey Jacobson (Stanford), Richard Jefferson (Arizona), Joe Johnson (Arkansas), Ken Johnson (Ohio State), Kaspars Kambala (UNLV), Jason Kapono (UCLA), Mike Kelley (Wisconsin), Terence Morris (Maryland), Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky), Kenny Satterfield (Cincinnati), Brian Scalabrine (Southern California), Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State), Jason Williams (Duke), Loren Woods (Arizona), Michael Wright (Arizona) and Vincent Yarbrough (Tennessee).

HUMPHREY NAMED CBS PLAYER OF THE GAME:
Ryan Humphrey was selected as the CBS Player of the Game versus Kentucky after recording his seventh double-double of the season as he finished with 12 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and three blocked shots.

MAKING THE GRADE:
While Irish head coach Mike Brey is pleased with his team’s play on the court, he can be equally proud of his squad’s performance in the classroom. The team earned an overall grade-point average of 3.027 for the fall semester, the highest combined average since 1992 (when records were first kept). It was the first semester above a 3.00 for any Notre Dame men’s basketball team in 17 semesters. Seven of the 13 players earned a grade-point average of 3.178 and higher with four players earning Dean’s List recognition. The four players named to the Dean’s List were: senior marketing majors Martin Ingelsby (3.405) and Hans Rasmussen (3.467), junior Charles Thomas (3.256), a science business major, and freshman Chris Markwood (3.400), enrolled in the First Year of Studies.

MURPHY JOINS “20-20” CLUB:
Troy Murphy turned in one of the most memborable performances in BIG EAST Conference history on Monday night (Jan. 8) at Seton Hall with his 25-point and 20-rebound outing against the Pirates. It marked only the seventh time in league history and first time since 1992 that a player registered a “20-20” in conference game. Murphy’s performance also was the second time in Notre Dame history that an Irish player had 20-plus points and rebounds in a single game. The only other player to achieve the fete was Walt Sahm against Ball State on Dec. 4, 1964. In that game, he scored 23 points and equaled the school’s rebounding record as he grabbed 30 boards as Notre Dame recorded a 116-82 victory. The last Notre Dame player to grab 20-plus rebounds in a game was LaPhonso Ellis – 20 vs. Dayton on Jan. 27, 1992 in a 76-54 victory.

PRODUCTIVE FRONTLINE SHOWS SCORING AND REBOUNDING VERSATILITY I:
Notre Dame’s frontline duo of Troy Murphy and Ryan Humphrey have proven to be a formidable match for Irish opponents. In all but one game, either Murphy or Humphrey has topped the scoring charts, while one or the other has been the leading rebounder in every game – Humphrey has led the team in rebounding eight times and Murphy on six occasions.

PRODUCTIVE FRONTLINE SHOWS SCORING AND REBOUNDING VERSATILITY II:
Notre Dame’s trio of Troy Murphy and Ryan Humphrey and David Graves continue to put up impressive numbers with Murphy leading the Irish in both scoring and rebounding as he is averaging 23.3 points and 9.9 rebounds. Humphrey and Graves are second and third in the scoring column with averages of 16.4 and 15.1, respectively. The trio is responsible for 65.1 percent of the team’s offensive scoring (766 of 1177 points). The three scored 20-plus points each in back-to-back games against Canisius and Vermont on Dec. 19 and 21, respectively. In the victory over the Catamounts, Murphy and Graves each had 21 points in the win, while Humphrey added 20. In the previous outing against Canisius, just 48 hours prior to the win over the Catamounts on Dec. 21, Murphy had 29 points, Graves 23 and Humphrey 20. That game marked the first time since the 1991-92 season that three players contributed 20 or more points in a game. The last time it happened was in Notre Dame’s 101-98 victory over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on February 15, 1992 when LaPhonso Ellis, Daimon Sweet and Elmer Bennett had 28, 24 and 22 points, respectively.

SPREADING THE WEALTH:
Notre Dame had all five of its starters in double figures for the third time this season in Saturday’s loss at Kentucky. All five Irish starters also reached double-figure scoring in a win over Canisius and loss to Indiana. When all five starters – Troy Murphy, Ryan Humphrey, David Graves, Matt Carroll and Martin Ingelsby – reached double figures against the Hoosiers, it marked the first time since the 1998-99 campaign that all five starters scored 10-plus points in game. That season, Notre Dame’s all five of Notre Dame’s starting members reached double figures three times in games against Stetson, St. Francis (N.Y.) and Boston College.

IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR:
All 12 players who played in the game against Long Island on Dec. 29 in the final game of 2000 contributed points in the final 97-point outing – Troy Murphy (24), Ryan Humphrey (20), David Graves (14), Matt Carroll (14), Jere Macura (7), Harold Swanagan (3), Ivan Kartelo (4), Charles Thomas (3), Martin Ingelsby (2), Torrian Jones (2), Hans Rasmussen (2), Tom Timmermans (2).

WING-ING IT:
The perimeter play of outside shooters David Graves and Matt Carroll give the Irish a deadly three-point shooting arsenal. The duo has made 67 of Notre Dame’s 115 three-point field goals and has 157 (54.9 percent) of the team’s 286 attempts. Carroll is shooting 48.5 from three-point range, while Graves has made 38.5 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.

IRONMAN:
Martin Inglesby leads the team in minutes played this season as he is averging 36.5 minutes per game. He has played the entire 40 minutes in each of Notre Dame’s three BIG EAST games. Inglesby has gone the distance for the Irish in two other games this season – Vanderbilt and Miami (Ohio).

LOGGING THE MINUTES:
Four of Notre Dame’s five starters – Troy Murphy, David Graves, Matt Carroll and Martin Ingelsby – are averaging 30-plus minutes per game. Ingelsby is averaging 36.5 minutes per game and Murphy 34.3, with Graves and Carroll averaging 33.3 and 31.4, respectively. Among the reserves, Harold Swanagan (11.8) is averaging more than 10 minutes per game. In the loss to Indiana, no reserve played more than nine minutes as the starters averaged 36.4 in the contest, and against Miami (Ohio), Torrian Jones, Swanagan and Ivan Kartelo combined for just 19 minutes. Ingelsby has played 511 of 560 minutes in Notre Dame’s 14 games. He played 39 minutes in both the Cincinnati, Indiana and Kentucky contests, while playing all 40 minutes against Vanderbilt, Miami (Ohio), Syracuse, Rutgers and Seton Hall. Inglesby’s two shortest stints of the season came against Long Island (Dec. 29) and Loyola (Nov. 22) as he played just 26 minutes in both of those contests.

Overall, Notre Dame’s starters (which includes Murphy despite the fact that he did not start against Miami) have played 2,301 of the 2,800 minutes in the 14 games for an average of 32.9 minutes per starter.

OVER THE 100-MARK PLATEAU:
The Irish went over the 100-point mark in its first two games of the season posting victories over Sacred Heart (104-58) and Loyola (107-68). It marked the first time since the 1985-86 campaign that a Notre Dame team registered back-to-back 100-point contests. It also was the first time in school history that an Irish team began the season scoring 100-plus points in its first two contests.

POINTS A PLENTY:
Notre Dame is averaging 84.1 points per game and outscoring its opponents by 12.5 points per game. The Irish have scored 90-plus points in three consecutive games – Canisius (99-91), Vermont (96-86) and Long Island (97-49). Brey’s squad has topped the 90-point mark five times overall this season.

WORTH NOTING FROM THE LOYOLA GAME:
Notre Dame’s strong outing against the Ramblers on Nov. 22 produced some noteworthy team numbers in the contest:

• Set school record for three-point field goals made (16) and three-point field goal percentage (.727 – 16 of 22).
• Tied the school record for blocked shots (12).
• Second time since 1985-86 that the Irish recorded back-to-back outings 100-point outings (vs. Manhattan – 102-47 and vs. Miami (Fla.) – 126-73).

500TH GAME AT JOYCE CENTER:
Notre Dame played its 500th game at the Joyce Center on Nov. 18 against Sacred Heart. The Irish are 392-116 all-time at the Joyce Center for a .772 winning percentage since it began play in the inaugural 1968-69 season. The Irish were 16-4 (.800) at home in 1999-2000, marking the third time in school history they had 16 victories (the most at the Joyce Center). Notre Dame also recorded 16 wins at the Joyce during the 1976-77 and 1982-83 campaigns.

GRAVES JOINS 1,000-POINT CLUB:
Junior David Graves joined Notre Dame’s 1,000-point club and became the 41st player in Irish basketball history to reach that mark. Graves tallied his 1,000th point in the win over Vermont on Dec. 21. He notched his 1,000th point in the second half on a free throw with 16:58 remaining in the contest. He has 1,069 points in 81 career games for a 13.2 career scoring average heading into this afternoon’s game and currently ranks 35th on the all-time Notre Dame scoring list.

A 1,000-POINT CLASS ACT:
With David Graves reaching the 1,000-point mark, he joined Troy Murphy (1,684 career points) as the second member of Notre Dame’s class of 2002 to reach that plateau. It marks the first time that a class has produced at least two 1,000-point scorers since the trio of LaPhonso Ellis, Elmer Bennett and Daimon Sweet. The three combined for 4,403 points from 1988-92 with Ellis scoring 1,505 points, Bennett 1488 points and Sweet 1,410 points. Graves and Murphy have combined for 2,753 points in two-plus seasons.

LEADER OF THE PACK:
The consistency of Troy Murphy as both a scorer and rebounder is remarkable when considering these numbers. Of the 78 career games he has played (he missed three games his freshman year because of a sprained ankle), Murphy has led or tied for team-high scoring and rebounding honors on 63 and 53 occasions, respectively. Below is the breakdown year-to-year of how he has led the Irish in both categories during his career.

Some other noteworthy statistics include: 77 of 78 games in double figure scoring, 39 career double-doubles, 14 career games with 30-plus points and 45 contests with 20-plus points.

MURPHY GETS 100TH BLOCK:
Troy Murphy blocked his 100th career shot against Long Island on Fri., Dec. 29 and currently second on the Notre Dame all-time career shot-blocking list with 107. LaPhonso Ellis (1988-92) is the Irish all-time leader in this category with 200.

INGLESBY MOVES TO SIXTH ON CAREER ASSIST LIST WITH 400TH ASSIST:
Senior Martin Ingelsby dished off his 400th career assist against Vermont on Dec. 21. He currently has 440 career assists, good for fifth on the all-time career assist list. Ingelsby passed Irish great John Paxson (1979-83) who finished his career with 411 assists. Heading into tonight’s game, he needs 27 to move ahead of Rich Branning and into fourth on the career assist list. Branning, who played for the Irish from 1976-80 finished with 466 assists. Ingelsby owns a 4.11 assist average in 107 career games.

FOLLOWING TROY ON THE WEB:
Follow All-American Troy Murphy on the world wide web at www.und.com/troymurphy. The site includes biographical information, statistics, pictures, a weekly diary, a listing of awards and honors and links to articles on the web which have been written on this Irish junior. For more information on the site, contact the Notre Dame Sports Information Office at (219) 631-7516.

MURPHY GOES HAWAIIAN:
Troy Murphy’s travels took him twice to Hawaii within a two-week span in August and early September. The Irish junior participated in the Pete Newell Big Man Camp just before returning to campus for the start of the school year and met up with former Notre Dame standout and 1997 BIG EAST Player of the Year Pat Garrity. Murphy made a second trip across the mainland when he played for the USA Men’s Select Team on Sept. 2 in Honolulu against the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team. The game was televised by NBC and Murphy finished with four points and three rebounds.

DOUBLE-TAKE FOR HUMPHREY:
Just 14 games into his Notre Dame career, Ryan Humphrey has already posted sixth double-doubles in an Irish uniform. His most recent came against Kentucky on Saturday as he scored 12 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. He has registered double-doubles in five of the last eight games and in back-to-back contests against Tennessee Tech (10 points, 12 rebounds) on Dec. 17 , Canisius (20 points, 11 rebounds) on Dec. 19 and Long Island (20 points, 11 rebounds) on Dec. 21. Humphrey, who has 16 career double-doubles (10 in two seasons at Oklahoma), registered his first double-double at Notre Dame in the win over Cincinnati on Nov. 25 as he scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds. He also has had 10 or more rebounds in 23 games during his career and scored 10-plus points on 49 occasions. Humphrey also has scored 20-plus points in seven games throughout his career.

GRAVES PRODUCES BACK-TO-BACK-TO BACK 20-POINT OUTINGS:
David Graves has scored 20-plus points in three games this season. He had three consecutive outings (a first in his career) in which he scored 20-plus points against Tennessee Tech (20 points), Canisius (season-high 23 points) and Vermont (21 points) and averaged 21.3 points in those victories. He has scored 20-plus points eight times during his career, which includes a 33-point effort against Vanderbilt during the 1999-2000 campaign.

MURPHY LEADS IRISH WITH SEVEN DOUBLE-DOUBLES:
Troy Murphy registered his seventh double-double of the season, and 39th of his career (in 78 career games), against Kentucky as he scored 14 points and grabbed 11 boards. Murphy’s other double-doubles have come against Sacred Heart (31 points, 14 rebounds), Vanderbilt (23 points, 11 rebounds), Canisius (29 points, 15 rebounds), Vermont (21 points, 13 rebounds), Long Island (24 points, 10 rebounds) and Seton Hall (25 points, 20 rebounds). He has grabbed 10 or more rebounds in 40 career games.

CARROLL LIGHTS IT UP FROM THREE:
Sophomore Matt Carroll’s 48.5 three-point field goal percentage leads the Irish. Carroll, who has made 32 of his 66 three-point field goal attempts, was four-of-five from three-point range in Notre Dame’s victory against Tennessee Tech, scoring 16 points on Dec. 17 and was four-of-six against Syracuse on Jan. 2

FREE THROW WOES:
Notre Dame appears to have solved some of its free-throw shooting problems as the Irish have made 81.0 percent from the charity stripe in the last three games (47-58). Notre Dame had its best night from the line this season against Rutgers hitting 17-of-20 attempts for 85.0 percent accuracy. In the second half of the two-point loss at Seton Hall, the Irish were a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe. Against Syracuse, the Irish converted just 8-21 from the line (38.1 percent). Brey’s squad was 1-for-10 from the free-throw line in the first half (after making their first free throw attempt, the Irish missed their next 10). The Irish have shot below 65.0 percent in five of the last eight games. Heading into the Tennessee Tech game on Dec. 17, Notre Dame had converted 75.3 percent of its free-throw chances, but that percentage has dropped to 66.7 percent.

STREAKING ALONG:
Troy Murphy’s 14 points against Kentucky extended his streak of double figure scoring games to 65. The junior forward has netted double figures in 77 of 78 contests throughout his career. The only time he failed to score in double figures was against Syracuse on Dec. 29, 1995 when he scored just five points. In that game all of his points came from the free-throw line (5-6) as he was 0-11 from the field.

THIRTY SOMETHING:
Troy Murphy has scored 30-plus points in three of Notre Dame’s 13 games this season. In addition to the career-high 37 points in the Rutgers game, he netted 31 in the season opener against Sacred Heart on Nov. 18 and 30 vs. Cincinnati on Nov. 25. He scored 30 or more points in nine games last season and has 14 career 30-plus outings. He also has scored 20-plus points 45 times in 78 career games.

IRISH THREE-POINTERS EXTEND TO 64 STRAIGHT GAMES:
Notre Dame has had at least one three-pointer in 64 consecutive games, a mark that dates back to the 1998-99 campaign. The last time the Irish failed to connect on at least one three-pointer in a game was against Connecticut in a 101-70 loss in Hartford, Conn., on January 12, 1999. Notre Dame set the school single-game three-point mark when it nailed 16 three-pointers against Loyola.

DIALING LONG DISTANCE:
David Graves has hit a three-pointer in 44 straight games. The last time he failed to make a three-pointer was against Maryland on Nov. 26, 1999. In 80 career games, he has had at least one three-point field goal in all but 10 games.

ANSWERING THE CALL:
In a recent addition of ESPN Magazine, ESPN analyst and former Duke basketball standout Jay Bilas highlights five point guards nationally who have played vital roles for their teams this season. Among the five mentioned is Irish senior Martin Inglesby, currently leading the BIG EAST with a 6.09 assist-to-turnover ratio. Here’s what Bilas had to say about Ingelsby’s play:

“Last season, Matt Doherty benched Ingelsby in favor of Jimmy Dillon. Now Dillon and Doherty are gone and Mike Brey has put the ball back into Ingelsby’s hands. So what if he didn’t have much choice? Point is, the 6-0 senior has responded. In the second half of Notre Dame’s win over Cincinnati on Nov. 25, Ingelsby showed some onions by taking Kenny Satterfield off the dribble to ignite an Irish run. Through six games, he was averaging 7.2 points, hitting 48% on threes and had 41 assists vs. seven turnovers – the kind of stats that soothe any coach.”

MY FAVORITE MARTIN:
Senior Martin Ingelsby returned to his role as a starter this season after serving as Notre Dame’s starting point guard for both the 1997-98 and 1998-99 campaigns. A starter in his first two seasons, Ingelsby lost his starting job in the seventh game of the season a year ago and averaged just 14.8 minutes and 4.8 points per game in 1999-2000. Through the first 14 games this season, he leads the team in minutes played (36.5) and is averaging 7.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 7.6 assists. In Ingelsby’s first game back as a starter against Sacred Heart, he responded with 15 points, nailing a career-high five three-pointers in the contest. He hit on all five of his attempts from beyond the arc in the first half and finished with six assists and just one turnover in the game.

DISHING IT OUT:
Martin Ingelsby leads the Irish with 107 assists. Most impressive is the fact that he has committed just 23 turnovers in 14 games. He had a career-high 13 assists against Rutgers, while commiting just one turnover. It marked the fourth time this season he had dished off 10-plus assists in a game. He dished off 11 assists in both the Loyola (Chicago) and Canisius contests, while also registering 10 assists in the win over Long Island. The 13 assists in the Rutgers game was the eighth time in his career in which he had dished off 10-plus assists. For the season, Ingelsby is averaging 7.6 assists per game, which ranks him third nationally in that category. He has played a total of 511 of a possible 560 minutes and is averaging a turnover every 22.2 minutes and just 1.64 turnovers per game. Ingelsby’s assist-to-turnover ratio of 4.65 leads the BIG EAST Conference.

CONSISTENT CARROLL:
No Irish player has been as consistent throughout the preseason and in the first 12 games as sophomore Matt Carroll. He registered double figures for the 29th time in his career (and 11th time this season) against Kentucky as he scored 11 points. He is shooting 52.0 (65-125) percent from the field, 48.5 (32-66) from three-point range and 86.4 (19-22) from the charity stripe. Even more impressive is that he is second in the assist column with 57 (4.1 per game).

UNSELFISH IRISH:
The most telling statistic in Notre Dame’s 14 games – the 290 assists (20.7 per game). Notre Dame has made a total of 423 field goals which translates into an assist for every 1.46 baskets. As a team, the Irish have committed 204 turnovers, resulting in a 1.42 assist-to-turnover ratio and a turnover every 2.75 minutes. Last season, Notre Dame had more turnovers (656) than assists (643).

IRISH BACKCOURT – STEADY AS THEY GO :
Notre Dame’s backcourt duo of Martin Ingelsby and Matt Carroll has posted impressive numbers this season with their consistency. When combining the statistics of the two players, the tandem is shooting 49.8 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from three-point range, while averaging 10.1 points per game. They also have 164 of Notre Dame’s 290 assists and have committed just 53 turnovers overall for a 3.09 assist-to-turnover ratio.

IRISH SHOW TRIPLE THREAT AGAIN:
Notre Dame’s three-point shooting appears to be alive and healthy again this season as the Irish have canned an average of 8.21 three-pointers (115-286) in 14 games. David Graves leads the way with 35, while Matt Carroll has made 32 and Martin Ingelsby 23. In the season opener against Sacred Heart, the Irish began the game by hitting eight of their first nine three-pointers. They also had a school-record 16 against Loyola on Nov. 22. Last season, the Irish averaged 7.8 three-pointers per game en route to establishing the single-season mark with 287.

MURPHY MOVES INTO TOP 10 ON IRISH SCORING CHARTS:
Troy Murphy became the 40th player in Notre Dame history to score 1,000 points on Jan. 29, 2000 when the Irish defeated St. John’s. He started the season 16th on the all-time scoring list, but the 326 points he has scored in in his first 14 games have elevated him to seventh on the scoring list with 1,684 career points. Against Seton Hall, Murphy passed Bob Arnzen (1966-69) who scored 1,665 points during his career. He now needs 36 points to move into sixth on the all-time scoring list occupied by Kelly Tripucka (1977-81) who finished his career with 1,719 points.

Murphy became the second-youngest player in Irish history to score 1,000 points at 19 years and 272 days old. Former Irish All-American Adrian Dantley (1973-76) was 18 years and 355 days old when he scored his 1,000th point. Murphy also joined Dantley as the only Irish players to reach the 1,000-point mark in their sophomore seasons. He scored his 1,000th point in his 48th career game – the fifth-fastest among Notre Dame’s 39 previous 1,000-point scorers. All-time leading scorer Austin Carr (1968-71) needed just 35 games, while Dantley needed 44. It took John Shumate (1972-74) and Bob Arnzen (1966-69) 46 games to score 1,000 points.

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOR MURPHY:
Among active Division I players through games of Jan. 15 according to STATS Inc., Troy Murphy is second with 39 career double-doubles. He has scored in double figures in 76 of 77 career games he has played and has registered double figures in 64 straight contests heading into this evening’s matchup with Pittsburgh The only time Murphy has failed to score in double figures was against Syracuse on Dec. 29, 1998.

LIGHTS, CAMERA ACTION:
Notre Dame will make nine national television appearances during the 2000-01 season as the Irish will be featured three times on CBS and six times on ESPN. It is the most regular-season telecasts since the 1988-89 campaign when that Notre Dame squad also had nine of its games nationally televised. The national lineup is as follows: Indiana (Tues., Dec. 5 on ESPN), at Syracuse (Tues., Jan. 2 on ESPN), at Seton Hall (Mon., Jan. 8 on ESPN), at Kentucky (Sat., Jan. 13 on CBS), St. John’s (Mon., Feb. 5 on ESPN), at Rutgers (Wed., Feb. 14 on ESPN), Seton Hall (Sun., Feb. 18 on CBS), at Connecticut (Mon., Feb. 26 on ESPN) and Georgetown (Sun., Mar. 4 on CBS).

BASKETBALL LUNCHEONS SET:
The second of three basketball luncheons will take place take place on Mon., Jan. 22, 2001 (the day before the Notre Dame-Syracuse game) with the third and final one being held on Tues., Feb. 20, 2001 (the day before the Notre Dame-Boston College game). The luncheons, which begin at noon, will feature Brey, members of his squad, video presentations and other special guests. Tickets are $16 each. Tickets are available by mail by writing Athletics Business Office, 113 Joyce Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Checks should be made payable to University of Notre Dame. No telephone reservations will be accepted. For more information, call 219-631-7246.

TICKET DEMAND:
Season-tickets for the 2000-01 Notre Dame men’s basketball season were sold-out prior to the start of the season. All 3,200 student season-tickets allotted for the upcoming campaign also have been sold, a figure that has doubled from the 1,600 sold for the 1999-2000 season.

WNTS TO BROADCAST 12 IRISH BASKETBALL GAMES:
WNTS Radio 1590 AM in Indianapolis, Ind., will broadcast 12 Notre Dame men’s basketball games during the 2000-01 season in the Indianapolis market as part of the Notre Dame Basketball Network originated by Host Communications. WNTS 1590 AM, which is owned by S&M Broadcasting Company, Inc., has been broadcasting its signal in the Indianapolis area since 1974.

The men’s basketball games on WNTS this season include: Nov. 22 vs. Loyola (Chicago) at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 5 vs. Indiana at 9:00 p.m., Dec.19 vs. Canisius at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 21 vs. Vermont at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 2 at Syracuse at 7:00 p.m., Jan. 8 at Seton Hall at 7:00 p.m., Jan. 16 vs. Pittsburgh at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 23 vs. Syracuse at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 5 vs. St. John’s at 7:00 p.m., Feb. 14 at Rutgers at 9:00 p.m., Feb. 21 vs. Boston College at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 26 at Connecticut at 7:00 p.m.

IRISH LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM HONORED AS ONE OF NATION’S BEST:
The Notre Dame CHAMPS/Life Skills Program has been identified as one of the best in the nation by the NCAA Division I-A Athletic Directors’ Association. Notre Dame received one of four program of excellence award at the Association’s Sept. 25 awards dinner in Dallas. Honored along with Notre Dame were Arizona State University, the University of Iowa and Michigan State University. Notre Dame’s Life Skills Program currently is under the direction of Bernard Muir, associate athletic director for student-athlete welfare.

In existence since August 1996, Notre Dame’s Life Skills Program is committed to the total development of the University’s student-athletes. It fosters the cultivation of skills that allow for their maximization on and off the playing field. The program develops and implements events and activities which are designed to facilitate learning in five key areas: academic excellence, athletic success, career preparation, community involvement and personal development. By the time a Notre Dame student-athlete graduates, he or she will have participated in approximately 40 hours of required skill building and development workshops in each key area. All freshmen and their parents participate in orientation sessions designed to assist in the transition into the University and to inform them about the Life Skills Program as well as other support services.