Dec. 28, 2000
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Long Island Blackbirds (2-7) at
22/23 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (7-2)
Date: Friday, December 29, 2000
Place: Joyce Center (11,418), Notre Dame, Ind.
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.
IRISH ITEMS FOR THE LONG ISLAND GAME:
Notre Dame (7-2) looks to match its best start since the 1988-89 season when it hosts Long Island (2-7). Tonight’s game against the Blackbirds ends a six-game homestand for the Irish who have not played a road games since a 77-74 victory at Vanderbilt on Dec. 2. Notre Dame will play three of its next four games on the road, beginning with the BIG EAST opener at Syracuse on Jan. 2 in the Carrier Dome at 7:00 p.m.
This evening’s contest marks an Irish homecoming for Long Island head coach Ray Martin, a 1977 Notre Dame graduate. Martin, who served as tri-captain of the 1976-77 Irish squad which finished with a 22-7 record and was ranked 10th in the final Associated Press Poll, played for Notre Dame from 1973-77. The Long Island, N.Y., native was a member of one of the greatest four-year eras in the history of the men’s basketball program. During his four-year career, Irish teams During his four-year career, Irish teams which Martin played on, compiled a 90-26 mark for a 77.6 winning percentage.
As a freshman, he played on the Irish team which ended UCLA’s 88-game winning streak as Notre Dame ascended to the top of the college basketball polls with the 71-70. On that day Martin played 22 minutes of the contest, scored two goals and grabbed two rebounds. Notre Dame ended the season fifth in the final Associated Press poll and third in the United Press International ranking.
Notre Dame and Long Island meet for the second time ever. The only previous meeting between the two schools occurred during the 1967-68 season when the Irish defeated Long Island 62-60 in the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden.
This is the first game for the Irish since they beat Vermont 96-86 on Dec. 21. The 96 points scored by the Irish marked the second straight game (and fourth time this season) they topped the 90-point mark.
Long Island has lost five straight heading into this evening’s contest.
Notre Dame fell from 21st to 22nd in the Associated Press Poll this week and is moved up one spot from 24th to 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today ranking. Three weeks ago, the Irish were ranked 10th in both polls after starting the season 4-0.
Brey’s squad is enjoying its first stint in the rankings since the 1989-90 campaign when they began that campaign as a ranked team (19th in the first AP ranking before dropping from that poll the following week).
RECAP OF VERMONT:
For the second consecutive game, Troy Murphy, David Graves and Ryan Humphrey scored 20-plus points each to lead four Irish players in double figures as the Irish won their third straight in beating Vermont 96-86. The three combined for 62 of Notre Dame’s 96 points as Notre Dame topped the 90-point mark for the second straight game, and fourth time this season.
Murphy recorded his second straight double-double (and fourth of the sesaon) as he netted 21 points and grabbed 13 boards. He also dished off a career-high six assists in the contest. The double-double was the 36th of his career.
Graves also scored 21 points to top the 20-point mark for the third consecutive game, a first in his career, and equalled his sesaon-best with seven rebounds. Humphrey added 20 points and nine rebounds, marking the third time he has scored 20 or more points in a game.
Matt Carroll netted 15 points as the the final Irish player in double figures. Martin Inglesby had seven assists and just one turnover, which marked the seventh time in nine games that he committed just one turnover.
Notre Dame was above its 22.4 assist-per-game average as the Irish had 24 assists on 34 field goals made.
For the third straight game, Notre Dame outrebounded its opponent as Mike Brey’s squad owned a 51-44 advantage on the boards.
POLL POSITION:
Notre Dame stands 22nd in the Associated Press Poll and 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today. The Irish were ranked in the top 10 of both polls three weeks ago, which marked the first time since the 1980-81 campaign that a Notre Dame team was ranked in the top 10 of both polls.
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 106-54 for a .663 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 .663 winning percentage among Division I coaches with five years as a head coach stands second only to Tom Izzo of Michigan State (.730). 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 is the first Notre Dame head coach since John Jordan to lead his team to victories in seven of his first nine games at the Irish helm. Jordan, who caoched for 13 seasons at Notre Dame (1951-64), was 7-2 in his first nine games as the Irish head coach in 1951-52 as his squad went on to finish with a 16-10 record that sesaon. Other first-year Notre Dame head coaches to win seven of their first nine games include: Jesse Harper (1913-14), George Keogan (1923-24) and Moose Krause (1943-44). A win tonight over Long Island would make Brey just the third coach in Notre Dame history to start his career 8-2 after 10 games. The other two Irish coaches to post victories in eight of their first 10 games include Harper and Krause.
NOTRE DAME vs. LONG ISLAND:
Tonight’s game is just the second meeting between the two schools and the first-ever visit by the Blackbirds to the Joyce Center. The first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and Long Island occurred in the quarterfinals of the 1968 of the National Invitation Tournament at Madison Square Garden with that Irish squad earning a 62-60 victory.
NOTRE DAME vs. NORTHEAST:
Notre Dame is facing its second Northeast Conference foe of the season when the Irish play Long Island. Already this season, Brey’s squad defeated Sacred Heart 104-58 in the season opener. Notre Dame owns a 17-0 record overall against the Northeast Conference.
MURPHY COPS BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS…AGAIN:
For the second time this season, Troy Murphy was named the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week. Murphy earns the player-of-the week honor for the eighth time in his career after averaging 25.0 points and 14.0 rebounds in wins over Canisius and Vermont last week. His 23.0 points per game leads the BIG EAST in that category. In 1999-2000, Murphy earned player-of-the-week honors in the conference six times. The 2000 BIG EAST Player of the Year and 1999 Rookie of the Year, was an eight-time rookie-of-the week honoree as a freshman. In two-plus seasons, he has been cited for the league’s weekly honors 16 times.
MURPHY IN THE SPOTLIGHT:
Certainly Troy Murphy can stake claim to being the most publicized men’s collegiate basketball player in the last 10 days. 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 this week’s bi-weekly edition of ESPN Magazine.
PRODUCTIVE IRISH:
Notre Dame’s frontline of Troy Murphy, Ryan Humphrey and David Graves continue to put up impressive numbers with Murphy leading the Irish in points per game with 23.0. Humphrey and Graves are second and third in scoring with 17.2 and 17.0 points per game, respectively. The trio is responsible for 66.4 percent of the team’s offensive scoring (515 of 776 points). The three scored 20-plus points for the second straight game in Notre Dame last outing versus Vermont. Murphy nad 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:
Against Canisius all five starters scored in double figures. That’s the second time that has occurred this season. In the loss to Indiana on Dec. 5, all five starters reached double figures for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign when all five starters scored 10-plus points three different times during the season against Stetson, St. Francis (N.Y.) and Boston College.
LOGGING THE MINUTES:
Four of Notre Dame’s five starters – Troy Murphy, David Graves, Matt Carroll and Martin Ingelsby – are averaging 31-plus minutes per game. Ingelsby is averaging 36.2 minutes per game and Murphy 33.7, with Graves and Carroll averaging 33.0 and 31.0, respectively. Only Harold Swanagan (11.2) 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, Jones, Swanagan and Ivan Kartelo combined for just 19 minutes. Ingelsby has played 270 of 280 minutes in Notre Dame’s last seven games. He played 39 minutes in both the Cincinnati and Indiana contests, while playing all 40 minutes against Vanderbilt and Miami (Ohio). In both the Tennessee Tech and Canisius games, he played 38 minutes in those contests.
Overall, Notre Dame’s starters (which includes Murphy despite the fact that he did not start against Miami) have played 1,198 of the 1,400 minutes in the last seven games against the Bearcats, Commodores, Hoosiers, RedHawks, Golden Eagles and Catamounts for an average of 34.2 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 86.2 points per game and outscoring its opponents by 15.6 points per game. The Irish have scored 90-plus points in each of its last two outings against Canisius (99-91) and Vermont (96-86). Brey’s squad has topped the 90-point mark four times overall this season.
500TH GAME AT JOYCE CENTER:
Notre Dame played its 500th game at the Joyce Center on Nov. 18 against Sacred Heart. The Irish are 390-116 all-time at the Joyce Center for a .771 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 1,011 points in 76 career games for a 13.3 career scoring average heading into tonight’s game and currently ranks 40th 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 (1,565 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 2,576 points in two-plus seasons.
INGLESBY MOVES TO SIXTH ON CAREER ASSIST LIST WITH 400TH ASSIST:
Senior Martin Ingelsby moved to sixth on the all-time career assist list at Notre Dame in dishing off his 400th career assist in the last outing against Vermont. Heading into tonight’s game, he needs just 12 to move ahead of John Paxson and into fifth on the career assist list. Paxson, who played for the Irish from 1979-83 finished with 411 assists. Ingelsby owns a 3.92 assist average in 102 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 AND THE WOODEN WATCH:
Troy Murphy is one of the Preseason Top 50 candidates for the 2000-2001 John R. Wooden All-America team. Murphy, a member of the 10-member squad last season, has been designated as one of the top 25 vote-getters. He and Duke senior Shane Battier are the only two previous candidates among the list of 50. The Award Committee will release a Midseason Top 30 list with the 10-member Wooden Award All-America team 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.
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).
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 nine games into his Notre Dame career, Ryan Humphrey has already posted three double doubles in an Irish uniform. He had back-to-back double-doubles in recent outings against Tennessee Tech (10 points, 12 rebounds) on Dec. 17 and Canisius (20 points, 11 rebounds) on Dec. 21. Humphrey, who has 13 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 19 games during his career and scored 10-plus points on 45 occasions.
GRAVES PRODUCES BACK-TO-BACK-TO BACK 20-POINT OUTINGS:
David Graves has had the hot hand for Notre Dame of late as the Irish junior has scored 20-plus points in each of Notre Dame’s last three outings. Graves, who is averaging 21.3 points in wins over Tennessee Tech, Canisius and Vermont, had a season-high 23 points against Canisius after registering his former season-best of 20 points against Tennessee Tech in the previous outing. He had 21 points in Notre Dame’s last outing against Vermont which marked the first time in his career that he has scored 20-plus points in three straight games. Graves led the Irish in scoring for the first time this season against Tennessee Tech with a six-for-14 performance from the field, that included four three-point field goals. He also was 10-for-15 from the field against Canisius.
MURPHY GETS FOURTH DOUBLE DOUBLE OF SEASON:
Troy Murphy registered his third double double of the season, and 36th of his career (in 73 career games) against Vermont as she scored 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. That double-double came just two days after he scored 29 points and grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds in the win over Canisius. His 13 against Vermont marked the 37th time he has grabbed 10-plus rebounds in a game.
CARROLL LIGHTS IT UP FROM THREE:
Sophomore Matt Carroll’s 55.6 three-point field goal percentage leads the Irish. Carroll, who has made 20 of his 36 three-point field goal attempts, was four-of-five from three-point range in Notre Dame’s victory against Tennessee Tech in scoring 16 points on Dec. 17.
DOMINANCE ON THE GLASS:
Notre Dame has grabbed 50-plus rebounds in each of its last three outings and has outrebounded its opponents 160-119. Even more remarkable is that in the last 100 minutes the Irish have played (second half against Tennessee Tech and in both halves of the Canisius and Vermont games), Notre Dame has outrebounded its opponents 135-89.
GETTING TO THE BOARDS:
Heading into Notre Dame’s game with Canisius on Dec. 19, Notre Dame was being outrebounded 40.3 to 39.6 by its opponents and had been outrebounded in four of seven games. Against the Golden Griffins, the Irish had their most dominating performance on the boards this season as they owned a 54-32 (+22) advantage. Notre Dame has reversed that trend of late and outrebounded its opponents in each of the last three games. Overall, the Irish have grabbed more rebounds than their opponents in five of nine games. Notre Dame has been on the plus side of the rebounding column were in contests against Sacred Heart (+15), Cincinnati (+13), Tennessee Tech (+12), Canisius (+22) and Vermont (+7). Prior to the Tennessee Tech game, the Irish had been outrebounded in its previous three outings, including a differential of 18 against Miami of Ohio (44-26). In the first half of the Tennessee Tech contest, Notre Dame was being outrebounded 30-24 by the Golden Eagles, but in the second half, the Irish took control of the boards and had their most dominating half of the season as they outrebounded Tennessee Tech 31-13.
FREE THROW WOES:
For the third straight game, the Irish struggled from the free-throw line, converting just 54.3 percent (19-35) from the charity stripe. In the two previous games, Notre Dame converted just 43.8 percent (7-16) against Canisius and 30.4 percent (7-23) against Tennessee Tech. Heading into the Tennessee Tech game on Jan. 17, Notre Dame had converted 75.3 percent of its free-throw chances, but the last three games (33-74 for 44.6 percent) has dropped the percentage to 65.0.
IRISH HAVE PRODUCTIVE SECOND HALF AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH:
Notre Dame had one of its most productive second halves of the season in the 82-68 win over Tennessee Tech. The Irish shot 61.3 percent (19-31) from the field, 50.0 percent (7-14) from three-point range and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 31-13. In the first half against Tennessee Tech, the shot 37.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.
STREAKING ALONG:
Troy Murphy’s 21 points against Vermont extended his streak of double figure scoring games to 60. The junior forward has netted double figures in 72 of 73 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 game 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 two of Notre Dame first nine games this season. The junior forward had 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 13 career 30-plus outings. He also has scored 20-plus points 42 times in 73 career games.
IRISH THREE-POINTERS EXTEND TO 59 STRAIGHT GAMES:
Notre Dame has had at least one three-pointer in 59 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.
ANSWERING THE CALL:
In a recent addition of ESPN Magazine, ESPN analyst and former Duke basketball standout Jay Bilas highlights five point guard 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 thus far in 2000-01:
“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, htting 48% on threes nad had 41 assists vs. seven turnovers – the kind of stats that soothe any coach.”
INGELSBY RETURNS TO STARTING ROLE:
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 nine games this season, he leads the team in minutes played (36.2) and is averaging 7.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 7.4 assists. In Ingelsby’s first game back as a starter against Sacred Heart, he responded to his return with 15 points, nailing a career-high five three-pointers in the contest. He hit on all five of his three-point attempts from beyond the arc in the first half and finished with six assists and just one turnover in the contest. Against Loyola (Chicago) in the second game of the season, he had scored nine points (all from three-point range), dished off 11 assists and committed just one turnover.
DISHING IT OUT:
Martin Ingelsby leads the Irish with 67 assists. Most impressive is the fact that he has committed just 11 turnovers in nine games. In all but two games (Miami-Ohio and Canisius), Ingelsby has had just one turnover. His 11 assists (one shy of his career-high) against Loyola (Chicago) on Nov. 22 and Canisius give him six 10-plus assist outings in his career. The previous four outings in which he had 10 or more assists occurred in his freshman season (1986-87). For the season, Ingelsby is averaging 7.4 assists per game and has turned the ball over just 11 times in the NINE games. He has played a total of 326 minutes and is averaging a turnover every 29.6 minutes and just 1.22 turnovers per game. Ingelsby’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 6.09 leads the BIG EAST Conference.
CONSISTENT CARROLL:
No Irish player has been as consistent throughout the preseason and in the first NINE games as sophomore Matt Carroll. He registered double figures for the 25th time in his career (and seventh time this season) against Canisius as he scored 15 points. In addition, he grabbed seven rebounds and tied his career-high with nine assists. He is shooting 54.5 (42-77) percent from the field, 55.6 (20-36) from three-point range and 85.7 (12-14) from the charity stripe. Even more impressive is that he is second in the assist column with 44 (4.9 per game).
UNSELFISH IRISH:
The most telling statistic from the first nine games – the 202 assists (22.4 per game). Notre Dame has made a total of 276 field goals which translates into an assist for every 1.37 baskets. As a team, the Irish have committed just 122 turnovers, resulting in a 1.66 assist-to-turnover ratio and a turnover every 2.95 minutes. Last season, Notre Dame had more turnovers (656) than assists (643).
STEADY IN THE BACKCOURT:
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 53.2 percent from the field and 53.1 percent from three-point range, while averaging 10.25 points per game. They also have 102 of Notre Dame’s 178 assists and have committed just 29 turnovers overall for a 3.51 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 9.00 three-pointers (81-186) in its first nine games. David Graves leads the way with 25, while Matt Carroll has made 20 and Martin Ingelsby 17. 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.
BIG EAST DIVIDE:
With the addition of Virginia Tech, the 14-team BIG EAST Conference has been split into two divisions. BIG EAST teams will once again play a 16-game conference schedule. Annually, teams will meet each divisional opponent on a home-and-home basis and will play four games against teams from the other division. Notre Dame has been designated to the West division, which also includes: Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Syracuse and West Virginia. The East division members are: Boston College, Connecticut, Miami, Providence, St. John’s, Villanova and Virginia Tech. The Irish play Boston College, Connecticut, St. John’s and Virginia Tech in the single games this season.
BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT TO CHANGE:
For the first time in the history of the BIG EAST Conference, every team will not advance to the league’s postseason tournament. The top six teams in each division will qualify for the 2001 AT&T BIG EAST Championship in Madison Square Garden on March 7-10. First-round tournament games will feature cross-divisional matchups (the No. 3 seeds will play No. 6 seeds and the No. 4 seeds will play the No. 5 seeds). The top two teams in each division will be awarded first-round byes.
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 207 points he has scored in in his first seven games have elevated him to ninth on the scoring list with 1,565 career points. Against Tennessee Tech, Murphy passed LaPhonso Ellis who scored 1,505 points during his four-year career. He now needs 16 points to move into eight on the all-time scoring list occupied by Bob Whitmore (1966-69) who finished his career with 1,580 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 according to STATS Inc. Troy Murphy is second with 36 career double doubles. He has scored in double figures in 72 of 73 career games he has played and has registered double figures in 60 straight contests heading into this evening’s matchup with Vermont. The only time Murphy has failed to score in double figures was against Syracuse on Dec. 29, 1998.
HOME COOKIN’:
Eight of Notre Dame’s first 10 games of the season are at home and only one of those games is on the opponents’ home floor. Tonight’s contest is the final one of a six-game homestand that began on Dec. 5 against Indiana. The Irish will play their first road game in exactly one month when the Irish travel to Syracuse to face the Orangemen on Jan. 2. That is exactly one month since Notre Dame’s last away game on Dec.2 when the Irish played at Vanderbilt.
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) 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, 112 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. A limited number of single-game tickets remain for contests Canisius (Dec. 19), Vermont (Dec. 21), Long Island (Dec. 29) and Rutgers (Jan. 6). 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.
UPDATE ON FORMER IRISH PLAYERS PHIL HICKEY AND JIMMY DILLON:
Former Irish players Phil Hickey (’99) and Jimmy Dillon (’00) are playing in Helsinki, Finland in the Finnish Championship League for Pussihukat. The team currently is third in the league with 10 wins. Hickey, who has played in all 16 games, is averaging 18.2 points and 14.4 rebounds, while Dillon, who recently joined the squad and has played in just three contests, is avergaing 18.3 points.
IRISH LIFE SKILLS PROGRAM HONORED AS ONE OF NATION’S BEST:
The Notre Dame CHAMPS/Life Skills Program has been identified as one fo 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.