Complete Notes (PDF)

Dec. 20, 2006

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

Notre Dame vs. Army:
Notre Dame looks to extend its eight-game win streak tonight against Army. The contest is the fourth of seven straight home games for the Irish and the final before the Christmas holiday. Following tonight’s game, Notre Dame will not be in action again until Dec. 28 when it hosts Rider. The Irish then close out the 2006 portion of their schedule with a Dec. 30 matchup against Stony Brook. The Irish matched their longest win streak during the Mike Brey era on Tuesday night in the 86-69 win over Portland. Notre Dame teams under Brey have twice produced eight-game win streaks in 2000-01 and 2002-03 campaign. A win tonight be the longest win streak for a Notre Dame team since the 1986-87 season when that squad won 11 straight. The current 9-1 record marks the best start for an Irish team since 2002-03 campaign. The Irish moved up one spot this week in the Associated Press poll after making it debut last week, but are still unranked in the ESPN/USA Today poll. Notre Dame is ranked for the first time since the first week of December in 2004. The only setback for the Irish this season is a two-point decision to eventual NIT champion Butler (71-69) in the first round of the Midwest Region of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The Irish are averaging 87.0 points per game (sixth in the nation) and have topped the 90-point mark six times and scored 80-plus points eight times. Notre Dame is 7-0 at home this season and owns a nine-game home winning streak dating back to last season. The Irish have won all seven previous meetings against the Black Knights. The last matchup between te two teams was 71-52 victory by Notre Dame at the Joyce Center on December 19, 2004.

Note The Change:
The Notre Dame-Louisville game on Wed., Jan. 3 has moved from a 7:30 p.m. start time to a 6:00 p.m. (EST) tip-off.

Quick Pace:
A win tonight against Army would mark the 10th victory of the season and the earliest in terms of date that an Irish team would reach the 10-win plateau in the 102-year history of the program. The 2002-03 squad which began the campaign 12-1 and finished with a 24-10 record earned its 10th win of the season on Dec. 21, 2002.

Falls Sidelined:
Colin Falls has missed missed the last two games against Elon and Portland after undergoing shock wave therapy on Dec. 8, the only two games he has missed during his career. The procedure was done to treat plantar fasciitis in his left foot. Prior to the Elon game on Dec. 16, Falls had played in all 99 games of his career and made 60 consecutive starts (he has started 68 in three-plus seasons).

Out Of The Gate:
Notre Dame’s 9-1 start is the best for the Irish since the 2002-03 campaign when that Irish squad began the season 12-1 en route to a 24-10 campaign and NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 appearance.

Points A Plenty:
After 10 contests, Notre Dame is averaging 87.0 points game (good for sixth nationally in scoring offense). The Irish rank fifth in margin of victory at 21.7 points per game, During its recent eight-game win streak, Notre Dame’s average margin of victory is 22.0 points per game.

Back In The Polls
Notre Dame entered the polls for the first time this season at No. 21 in the Associated Press ranking on Dec. 11, marking the first time since the first week of December of 2004 that it had earned a top-25 ranking. The Irish were never ranked after that point in 2004-05 and were not ranked at all during the 2005-06 campaign. This year’s appearance in the AP poll marks the fifth time in seven seasons under head coach Mike Brey that his team has been ranked at some point during a season.

Brey Receives Honorary Monogram:
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey received an honorary monogram from the Notre Dame Monogram Club at the Athletic Department’s Christmas Party on Dec. 14. Honorary monograms are occasionally awarded to people who have provided exceptional service to the University, whereby extending invitations to them to be members of the Notre Dame Monogram Club. Recipients – whose identities are traditionally kept a secret until the actual ceremonies – are presented with a scroll and blue blazer adorned with the Monogram Club logo. The select group of honorary monogram winners includes such notables as the late Pope John Paul II and United States President Ronald Reagan; former University president Rev. Ted Hesburgh, C.S.C.; television personality Regis Philbin; and national-championship football coaches Ara Parseghian and Lou Holtz.

A Different Story:
Notre Dame’s 81-74 win against No. 23/19 Maryland on Dec. 3 snapped a seven-game losing streak for the Irish against ranked opponents. Four nights later, on Dec. 7, Notre Dame crafted a 99-85 victory against No. 4/5 Alabama at the Joyce Center for its first win over a top-10 team since the 2004-05 campaign. Notre Dame faced eight ranked foes a year ago and were just 1-7 versus those opponents.

Irish Love The BB&T Classic:
With its win over Maryland (81-74) at the BB&T Classic on Dec. 3, Notre Dame improved to 3-0 overall in the event. The Irish won the title in December of 2002 by knocking off the defending national champion Maryland (ranked ninth and eighth in the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today polls) 79-67 in the first round and then dispatching second-ranked Texas (who advanced to the Final Four that spring) 98-92 in the championship game.

Friendly Confines For Irish At Verizon Center:
Notre Dame’s win against Maryland at the Verizon Center on Dec. 3 pushed the Irish record to 8-2 all-time in games played at the Verizon Center (formerly the MCI Center). On Sunday, the Irish were making their first appearance at the Verizon Center since suffering a 55-54 setback to Georgetown on Jan. 23, 2005. Prior to the loss, Notre Dame had won six straight at the Verizon Center. During the 2002-03 campaign, the Irish were 3-0 in the MCI Center with victories over 2001 national champion Maryland (79-67) and Texas (98-92) to win the 2002 BB&T Classic in early December and then ended the regular season with an 86-80 win over Georgetown. Notre Dame’s first-ever appearance at the Verizon Center was on Feb. 7, 1998 and the Irish dropped a 76-56 decision to the Hoyas. It’s first win in the building was a 77-54 victory on March 4, 2000. Four of Notre Dame’s six wins in the Verizon Center have come against the Hoyas. As Notre Dame’s head coach, Mike Brey is 6-1 all-time in the MCI Center (3-1 versus the Hoyas). Certainly one of the most memorable was an epic four-overtime contest as the Irish prevailed 60 minutes later with a 116-111 victory. Former Irish standout Chris Thomas played the entire game in what ranks as the longest game in Notre Dame and BIG EAST Conference history. Notre Dame is scheduled to return to the Verizon Center on Sat., Jan. 6 against Georgetown in the second game of the BIG EAST regular season.

Winning Impressively:
Five of Notre Dame’s nine victories have been by 24 or more points as the Irish are outscoring their opponents by a +21.7 margin (87.0 to 65.3). Coach Mike Brey’s squad has posted wins of 30-plus points in four games – IPFW (92-49), Lafayette (92-60), Winston-Salem (90-45) and Elon (94-63). The 45-point win over Winston-Salem St. on Nov. 29 was the largest margin of victory since a 99-53 win (46 points) over New Hampshire on Nov. 16, 2001. The 99 points scored by Notre Dame in its victory over Alabama were the most by an Irish team over a top-10 opponent since Feb. 15, 1992 in a 101-98 victory at No. 10 Syracuse.