Feb. 19, 2002
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IRISH ITEMS FOR WEST VIRGINIA – The Notre Dame men’s basketball team (17-8, 7-5) will look to snap a two-game losing streak tonight when the Irish play host to West Virginia (8-16, 1-11) in the second to last home game this season. Notre Dame will be looking to sweep the Mountaineers for the second consecutive season. In the first meeting between the two teams on January 9, the Irish posted a 67-64 victory. Coach Mike Brey’s squad has dropped consecutive three-point decisions to Rutgers (65-62) on the road and Syracuse (68-65) at home. Prior to their last two losses to the Scarlet Knights and Orangemen, the Irish had won five straight. West Virginia enters the contest having lost five straight. After beginning the season with a 7-2 record, the Mountaineers have lost 14 of their last 15. It’s lone BIG EAST win was an 89-81 decision in Morgantown, W. Va. against Providence. Following tonight’s contest, Notre Dame has two consecutive road games at Miami (Feb. 23) and at St. John’s (Feb. 27) in Madison Square Garden. Notre Dame has already earned West division series sweeps against Seton Hall and Pittsburgh this season. During the 2000-01 campaign, the Irish earned regular-season series sweeps against Pittsburgh and West Virginia. A win against the Mountaineers would mark the first-ever sweep. This will be the 24th meeting between the two teams with the Irish holding a 16-7 advantage in the series. Notre Dame has won five straight over the Mountaineers and owns a 10-2 record against them at the Joyce Center. Notre Dame last suffered a loss to West Virginia on February 14, 1999 in Morgantown (85-80). The last Mountaineer win at the Joyce Center was on January 17, 1987 as West Virginia slipped by the Irish with a two-point victory (57-55). Notre Dame has been stellar on the road this season with an overall 7-3 road mark playing opponents on their home floor. The Irish are 3-1 in neutral site contests, giving them an overall 10-4 mark in games played away from the friendly confines of the Joyce Center. Brey’s squad is 4-2 overall in BIG EAST road games, with its only other loss coming at Syracuse. The eight losses the Irish have suffered this season are by a combined 34 points for an average margin of defeat of 4.25 points per game. The 83-73 setback against Georgetown was the largest loss of the season. Prior to that loss, Notre Dame’s five other defeats had been by a combined total of 18 points. In its 12 BIG EAST contests, Notre Dame is averaging 71.9 points, while giving up 69.5 points per game. Brey’s squad has held six league foes to 65 points and under and three of those teams (Pittsburgh, Syracuse and Seton Hall) to under 60 points. Notre Dame is shooting 45.6 percent from the field and shot a season-low 33.9 percent from the field against Rutgers six days ago. In the contest, the Irish also hit a season low from three-point range as they connected on just 10.5 percent from beyond the arc. Brey’s squad broke out of its shooting slump against Pittsburgh on Jan. 30 as the Irish shot 66.7 percent for the game. Prior to its matchup with the Panthers, Notre Dame had shot 38.9 percent from the field (163-418), 29.1 percent from three-point range (44-151) and 56.1 percent from the free throw line (74-132). The Irish converted 46.2 percent (6-13) from beyond the arc versus the Panthers and were 15-21 from the charity stripe (71.4 percent). Notre Dame has enjoyed a strong defensive presence at the Joyce Center this season as the Irish have allowed an average of 64.2 points per game. Coach Mike Brey’s squad has held its 11 home opponents to 53 points and under on four occasions. The 83 points scored by Georgetown were the second-most given up by the Irish at the Joyce Center this season. Four Notre Dame players are averaging double figures with senior Ryan Humphrey leading the team in both scoring and rebounding as he is averaging a double double, 18.5 points and 10.3 rebounds. Humphrey has had eight double doubles in the last 10 games, including three straight. His most recent double double came in Sunday’s game against Syracuse as he scored 15 points and grabbed 13 rebounds. He had a double double in Notre Dame’s four-overtime victory over Georgetown, scoring 23 points and grabbing 14 boards, which was followed by an 18-point and career-high 19-rebound effort at Rutgers. Humphrey has scored in double figures in 22 of the 23 games he has played and has 14 double doubles in those contests. He has netted 20-plus points in eight games this season. He had his streak of 21 consecutive games in double figures snapped against Rutgers on Feb. 6 as he finished with eight points and 14 rebounds. Freshman point guard Chris Thomas, who came off two of the greatest back-to-back performances in Notre Dame basketball history in wins over Rutgers and Georgetown as he averaged 27.0 points, 11.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals, has struggled in Notre Dame’s last two outings. He was held to without a field goal against the Scarlet Knights as he was 0-14 from the field and 0-9 from three-point range. He hit all six of his free throw attempts, dished off nine assists and grabbed five rebounds in 39 minutes of playing time. Against Syracuse, he scored just one point in the second half and finished with eight points and six assists. Thomas stands second in the Irish scoring column with a 15.4 scoring average. In addition, he leads the team in assists (7.20) and steals (2.32). Thomas has dished off six or more assists in 18 games this season and has 10-plus assists in four contests. David Graves is averaging a career-high 14.1 points per game, in addition to 5.0 rebounds per contest, both of which rank third best on the team. He also stands second in both the assists (58) and steals (46) columns. Graves, who started the first 18 games of the season, has come off the bench in the last six games and averaged 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. Matt Carroll is the fourth Irish player averaging in double figures with an 13.1 scoring average, in addition to 4.8 rebounds per game. Carroll tallied a career-high 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for the second double double of his career and had 18 points and six rebounds against Syracuse. Harold Swanagan is averaging career bests of 8.1 points and 7.0 rebounds. Freshman Jordan Cornette has been in the starting lineup in six games this season is averaging 2.9 points and 3.3 rebounds. Torrian Jones has earned the starting nod in the team’s last seven games for the Irish. His start against Seton Hall on Jan. 26 marked the first of his career as he finished with four points and three rebounds. He is averaging 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds. Jones scored seven points in the win over Georgetown. Tom Timmermans has given the Irish significant minutes off the bench in Notre Dame’s last seven games and is averaging 2.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. He has averaged 17.7 minutes per game in Notre Dame’s last three outings and grabbed a career-high six boards against Rutgers. Prior to the loss to Rutgers on February 14, Rutgers game on Thursday night, Notre Dame was 13-0 when leading at the half. In its last two contests against the Scarlet Knights and Syracuse, Notre Dame owned halftime leads. Against Rutgers, the Irish held an early 10-point lead in the contest and were up 35-32 at the break. A 21-6 run to start the second half, broke open the game for Rutgers and the Irish would never regain the lead. In the loss to the Orangemen, Notre Dame led by one at the break and built a seven-point advantage seven minutes into the second half, before the Orangemen closed out the game by holding the Irish to 13 points over the final 12:16.
NOTRE DAME-WEST VIRGINIA GAME 1 – Notre Dame overcame its second-largest halftime deficit of the season (15 points) and pulled off its biggest comeback in its seven-plus seasons as a member of the BIG EAST Conference as the Irish defeated West Virginia 67-64 for the second straight year in Morgantown. Coach Mike Brey’s squad shot just 28.1 percent in the first half and trailed by as many as 18 points in the first half. The Irish began the second half by outscoring the Mountaineers 21-8 as they nailed six of their first seven field goals from three-point range. Notre Dame grabbed the lead 42-41 with 14:17 to play in the game, but West Virginia owned a five-point advantage (62-57) with 1:23 remaining. Freshman Chris Thomas hit six-of-seven free throws down the stretch to lift the Irish to the victory. Thomas scored all of his 15 points in the second half. Ryan Humphrey finished with 18 points to lead four Notre Dame players in double figures, while Matt Carroll tallied 14 points and David Graves 10. Notre Dame shot just 28.1 percent in the first half and 53.8 percent in the final 20 minutes. The Irish held the Mountaineers to three field goals in the final 11 minutes of the contest.
RECAP OF SYRACUSE GAME – Notre Dame was swept by Syracuse in the regular-season series as the Irish dropped a 68-65 decision at the Joyce Center. The Orangemen held Notre Dame to just 13 points in the final 12:52 of the contest, outscoring the Irish 23-13 after they had built a 52-45 advantage. Notre Dame shot 44.2 percent from the field and limited the Syracuse to just 37.0 percent accuracy. The Orangemen forced 17 Irish turnovers and made 11 steals, the second most by an opponent this season. Notre Dame was led in scoring by Matt Carroll’s 18 points. Ryan Humphrey recorded his third straight double double and 14th of the season as he finished with 15 points, 12 rebounds, four blocked shots and three assists. David Graves was the only other Irish player in double figures as he tallied 11 off the bench. Chris Thomas was held to eight points, but dished off six assists in 40 minutes.
HEAD COACH MIKE BREY – Mike Brey is in his second year as the Notre Dame head coach and seventh in the collegiate ranks. He 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 where he led the Blue Hens to an overall record of 99-52. In his first season with the Irish, he guided Notre Dame to a 20-10 record and 11-5 BIG EAST mark in claiming the league’s West divisional championship, the first conference title in school history. In addition, he helped Notre Dame earn an NCAA tournament berth for the first time in 11 seasons as the Irish advanced to the second round for the first time since 1989. Notre Dame’s 19 wins during the regular season under Brey a year ago represented the most wins by an Irish coach in his first season. He also became just the second coach in school history to take his team to the NCAA Tournament in his first year as a head coach and the only first-year coach to lead his team to a first-round victory. John Dee also made the tournament in his first season in 1964-65, but lost in the first round to finish 15-12. Brey has an overall record of 136-70 (.660) as a head coach and is 37-18 (.673) at Notre Dame. He coached in his 200th career game against Seton Hall on Sat., Jan 26. The 9-1 start by the Irish to begin the season marked the second time one of Brey’s teams has begun a campaign by winning nine of its first 10 games. He earned his first victory as Irish head coach coach on November 18 with a 104-58 triumph over Sacred Heart, which also marked the 100th of his coaching career and came in the 152nd game as a head coach. While at Delaware, Brey guided the Blue Hens to 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). Prior to his arrival in Newark, Del., he spent eight seasons (1987-95) on the Duke sidelines alongside 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 HAS THE FORMULA FOR BIG EAST SUCCESS AT NOTRE DAME – Since his arrival to Notre Dame, second-year Irish mentor Mike Brey has led Notre Dame to a 18-10 record in BIG EAST regular season games for a 64.3 winning percentage. The Irish won the BIG EAST West Division title a year ago by fashioning an 11-5 record (the most conference wins in its six-year tenure in the league). Prior to his arrival at Notre Dame, Irish teams had a 35-53 (39.8 percent) regular-season record in its conference games since 1995-96.
BREY IN OVERTIME GAMES – Notre Dame’s epic quadruple overtime battle with Georgetown marked the seventh time in Mike Brey’s six-plus seasons that he had coached an overtime game. It was the first four overtime game he had been involved in as a head coach. After starting out his career 0-2 in overtime games, Brey has now won five straight overtimes contests for an overall 5-2 mark.
INSTANT CLASSIC – Shortly following the Irish’s four-overtime victory between Notre Dame and Georgetown, many were calling it one of the best games thus far of the 2001-02 season. Some even have mentioned it as one of the greatest college games of all-time. Certainly, ESPN agreed as the contest was replayed on ESPN Classic on Friday night.
IRISH THRIVING ON THE ROAD – Notre Dame has played just 11 home games this season, but the Irish have found life on the road to be rather friendly. The Irish are 7-3 in contests played on the an opponent’s home floor and are 3-1 in neutral site contests for an overall mark of 10-4 away from the Joyce Center. A year ago, Notre Dame was 6-4 on the road in Mike Brey’s first season and 2-2 in neutral site games for an overall 8-6 record. In two seasons under Brey, Notre Dame has a 16-8 (.667) road mark and 5-3 (.625) record in neutral site contests. Over the past two seasons, Notre Dame is 21-11 (.656) playing away from home.
SERIES RECORD VS. WEST VIRGINIA – Notre Dame leads the series 16-7 and owns a five-game win streak over the Mountaineers. The Irish have won seven of the last eight meetings between the two teams. Notre Dame has a 10-2 record against West Virginia at the Joyce Center. West Virginia’s last win in the series was on February 14, 1999 in Morgantown as the Mountaineers earned an 85-80 victory.
OVER THE CENTURY MARK – Notre Dame’s 116 points in the win against Georgetown represented the most by an Irish team in BIG EAST play and the most since the 117 scored against Davidson in a 117-74 victory on Feb. 7, 1976. It was the first time Notre Dame had reached the century mark under Mike Brey since opening the 2000-01 campaign by scoring 100-plus points in its first two games. The Irish have scored 100 or more points three times under Mike Brey.
SIXTY SOMETHING – Notre Dame shot a season-high 66.7 percent against Pittsburgh on Jan. 30 in its 89-76 victory as the Irish connected on 34 of their 51 shot attempts. Notre Dame shot 67.7 percent in the first half and 65.0 percent in the final 20 minutes of the contest. It was the best shooting performance by the Irish since the second game of the 2000-01 campaign when they shot 64.3 percent against Loyola (Chicago). It was the best field goal shooting percentage by any BIG EAST team in a league contest since St. John’s shot 68.6 percent in a victory over Connecticut on Jan. 2, 1990.
OFF TO A QUICK START – Notre Dame’s 7-0 start was its first since the 1979-80 campaign when the Irish were undefeated in their first seven games to achieve a No. 3 ranking before losing 86-80 on the road against second-ranked Kentucky and then dropping a 67-59 decision to San Francisco. That ’79-’80 squad finished the season with a 22-6 mark. Notre Dame was 9-1 for the first time since the 1985-86 campaign.
7-0 START IS THIRD BEST IN SCHOOL HISTORY – Notre Dame’s 7-0 start equaled the third best in school history. The Irish also were 7-0 in 1976-77 and 1979-80. The two best starts by Notre Dame teams were in 1945-46 (13-0) and 1973-74 (12-0). Those Irish squads finished 17-4 and 26-3, respectively.
A PERFECT NOVEMBER – With its win against Army on November 28, Notre Dame finished the first month of the season with a perfect 6-0 slate. It’s the most wins ever by an Irish team in the month of November and the second time in the program’s history that Notre Dame has played six games during that month. The Irish played six games in the month of November during both the 1999-2000 and 1998-99 campaigns and finished with 4-2 and 2-4 marks, respectively.
STRANGERS AT THE JOYCE – It seems hard to believe, but Notre Dame has played just 11 games at the Joyce Center this season and has just two home games remaining. The 13 home games will be the fewest played by an Irish squad since the 1995-96 season. Notre Dame began the 2001-02 season by playing three of its first six games at home, but went more than a month without a home contest as the Irish only enjoyed one home date throughout the entire month of December (Dec. 30 vs. Colgate) after playing five consecutive road outings beginning on Dec. 1.
CARROLL, THOMAS EARN BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS – Matt Carroll shared co-BIG EAST Player of the Week honors with Michael Sweetney and Chris Thomas claimed his fifth rookie-of-the-week honor after leading the Irish to wins over Rutgers and Georgetown last week. It marks the first time that two Notre Dame players have earned the league’s two honors in the same week. Carroll, a first-time recipient of the honor, averaged 22.0 points and 5.5 rebounds. He scored a career-high 30 points in the Georgetown contest as he tallied Notre Dame’s final seven points in the fourth overtime session. He also grabbed 10 rebounds to record his second career double double. Thomas posted a pair of double doubles in the two contests, averaging 27.0 points, 11.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 2.5 steals. He played the entire 60 minutes in the four overtime classic against Georgetown. In addition, Thomas was named Sports Illustrated’s Player of the Week.
MERRY “CHRIS”-MAS – Chris Thomas’ 180 assists ranks as the single-season best by an Irish freshman. Since 1973-74 , only three players – Rich Branning, David Rivers and Doug Gottlieb – have led their respective Irish teams in the assist column as freshmen. Branning had 138 during his rookie season in 1976-77, while Rivers dished off 127 in the 1984-85 campiagn and Gottlieb 154 in 1995-96. Branning and Rivers went on to lead their teams in that statistical category all four years, while Gottlieb only played one year before transferring to Oklahoma State.
GRAVES RECOVERS IN TIME TO PLAY – AND THE STREAK CONTINUES Back spasms forced senior David Graves to spend the night in the campus infirmary on the eve of Notre Dame’s matchup with Rutgers on Feb. 6. After treatment throughout the night before the game and on the day of the contest, Graves made his first appearance less than six minutes into the game. The Irish forward played 28 minutes total in the game as he turned in one of his best performances of the season, scoring 18 points, grabbing eight rebounds and making three steals. He was six-for-11 shooting the ball from the field and nailed four of his seven three-point attempts. Graves has played in all 122 games during his Irish career.
GETTING MORE AGGRESSIVE ON THE BOARDS – Notre Dame enjoyed its second-largest rebounding advantage of the season against Rutgers in the first game played between the two teams as the Irish owned a 46-32 advantage. In the second contest, the Irish outrebounded the Scarlet Knights 50-40. Coach Mike Brey’s squad has outrebounded its opponents 40.8 to 37.8. In the first Notre Dame-Georgetown game on Jan. 21, the Hoyas owned the largest advantage on the boards of any opponent this season they outrebounded the Irish 54-41. The Irish had a season-low 22 rebounds against Indiana and a season-high 64 against Georgetown on Saturday – a mark which tied the BIG EAST single-game rebounding mark. Notre Dame has been outrebounded in eight games this season, but has outrebounded five of its last six. Prior to Sunday’s game with Syracuse, Notre Dame has outrebounded their three previous opponents by 10-plus boards in each contest. In their last six games, the Irish have averaged 47.8 rebounds, while their opponents have averaged 39.0 rebounds. In the last three games, Notre Dame has totalled 155 boards – 64 against Georgetown, 50 versus Rutgers and 41 against Syracuse.
GETTING DEFENSIVE IN THE BIG EAST – Notre Dame has turned in solid defensive performances in its 12 BIG EAST games. The Irish have held three of their opponents to 56 points and under. In its 60-51 win over Seton Hall on Jan. 26, the 51 points scored by the Pirates were the fewest allowed by the Irish in a BIG EAST game. The 53 points scored by Pittsburgh in the 56-53 Irish victory on January 12 were the third fewest allowed in a league contest. Prior to the Seton Hall game, the fewest points allowed by the Irish in league play was 52 in a 69-52 victory over Syracuse on January 2, 1997 at the Joyce Center. Notre Dame has held three of its BIG EAST opponents to 56 points and under and five teams to 64 points and under. The 111 points scored by Geogetown were the most ever allowed by the Irish under Mike Brey and in BIG EAST play. In the first meeting between the two teams, the 84 points allowed by Notre Dame at the time, represented the most ever scored upon the Irish in league play during Brey’s tenure.
WINNING BIG – Notre Dame’s margin of victory through 23 games this season has been by an average of 11.5 points per game. Notre Dame’s victories have included a 42-point victory over New Hampshire, a 40-point win over Hawaii Pacific and 37-point margins against Monmouth and Army. Notre Dame has beaten seven teams by 27-plus points and 10 of its 17 victories have been by 10-plus points. Its closest margin of victory was a one-point win (70-69) over Miami-Ohio in Oxford, Ohio on Dec. 8.
CARROLL REACHES 1,000-POINT MILESTONE – Junior Matt Carroll became the 42nd player in Notre Dame basketball history to score 1,000 points against Rutgers on Feb. 6. He has played in 92 career games and scored 1,064 points for a career scoring average of 11.6 points. Carroll has started 85 of those 92 conests and made 63 consecutive starting appearances, the most by any current Irish player on the roster.
NOTRE DAME MISFIRES – Notre Dame’s field goal percentage has dropped to below 46.0 percent (45.6 percent). In seven of its last 13 contests, the Irish have shot below 40.0 percent. Only twice in the last 15 games has Notre Dame shot 50.0 percent from the field (vs. Canisius – 22-44 and vs. Pittsburgh – 34-51). Below is a breakdown of Notre Dame’s shooting in its last 12 games: Opponent Total Field Goal Pct. Three-Point FG Pct. Free Throw Pct. VILLANOVA 22-57 (.386) 9-27 (.333) 19-30 (.633) at West Virginia 23-58 (.397) 10-30 (.333) 11-22 (.500) at Pittsburgh 21-54 (.389) 4-10 (.400) 10-13 (.769) at Syracuse 22-63 (.349)* 5-24 (.208) 2-7 (.286)* KENTUCKY 26-60 (.433) 9-25 (.360) 4-11 (.364) GEORGETOWN 28-75 (.373) 4-21 (.190) 13-21 (.619) SETON HALL 21-51 (.412) 3-14 (.214) 15-28 (.536) PITTSBURGH 34-51 (.667) 6-13 (.462) 15-21 (.714) at Seton Hall 23-60 (.383) 6-15 (.400) 11-15 (.733) RUTGERS 30-64 (.469) 14-23 (.609) 15-19 (.789) at Georgetown 41-94 (.436) 7-23 (.304) 27-39 (.692) at Rutgers 21-62 (.339) 2-19 (.104) 18-24 (.750) SYRACUSE 23-52 (.442) 5-19 (.263) 14-24 (.583) Totals 335-801 (.418) 84-263 (.319) 174-274 (.635) *season low
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES OF THE JOYCE CENTER – Notre Dame is 7-4 at the Joyce Center this season with an average margin of victory of 9.3 points per game. Coach Mike Brey’s squad has outscored its opponents 864-761. Irish teams own an all-time record of 404-122 (.768) at the Joyce Center in 33-plus seasons. Notre Dame is 35-12 (.745) in its last 47 home contests.
DEJA VU – Notre Dame recorded a three-point win (67-64) at West Virginia as the Irish fought back from a double-digit first-half deficit for the second consecutive year. Against the Mountaineers in Morgantown on February 11, 2001, Coach Mike Brey’s squad trailed 39-31 at the half, but outscored West Virginia 38-27 in the second half to earn a 69-66 victory. Notre Dame trailed by 18 at the half on January 9 against the Mountaineers, but nearly doubled its point total in the second half by outscoring the home team 46-28 and holding West Virginia to just 22.7 percent shooting in the second half.
THREE IS A COMMON THEME – Five of Notre Dame’s 25 games have been decided by three points with the Irish owning a 2-3 mark in those contests. Notre Dame defeated West Virginia (67-64) and Pittsburgh (56-53) on the road and lost to Alabama (79-76) in New Orleans, La., at Rutgers (65-62) and at home against Syracuse (68-65).
IRISH RECORD BIGGEST COMEBACK IN BIG EAST PLAY – Notre Dame’s win over West Virginia marked a first for the Irish in BIG EAST play as they recorded their biggest comeback in seven-plus seasons as a league member. Coach Mike Brey’s squad erased a 15-point halftime deficit and outscored the Moutaineers 46-28 in the second half. Notre Dame’s largest halftime deficit ever in a BIG EAST game was against Miami at the Joyce Center on Feb. 29, 1996 as the Irish trailed 41-17 (24 points) at the break in an eventual 71-59 loss. Prior to the West Virginia game, the biggest second-half turnaround by an Irish team in a BIG EAST contest was against Pittsburgh on Jan. 5, 1999 at the Joyce Center. Notre Dame trailed 36-34 at the break in that contest, but outscored the Panthers 53-28 in the second half in the eventual 87-64 victory.
HUMPHREY STATES HIS CASE – Ryan Humphrey is clearly enjoying his best season on the basketball court as the Irish tri-captain is averaging team and personal bests of 18.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.74 blocked shots per game. Against Syracuse on Jan. 14, Humphrey scored 54.9 percent of Notre Dame’s 51 points as he finished with 28 points and 11 rebounds. The 28 points marked the first 20-plus point performance for Humphrey in a BIG EAST game. He had 18 points and a career-high 19 boards against Rutgers six days ago.
A RARE FRESHMAN FETE – Chris Thomas’ 32 points and 11 assists against Rutgers on Feb. 6 marked the first time in Notre Dame basketball history that an Irish freshman scored 30-plus points and dished off 10-plus assists in a game. The 32 points marked a career-high, while the 11 assists matched his career best. It was his first career double double, although he did record a triple double in his first collegiate game versus New Hampshire. Thomas recorded his second consecutive double double against Georgetown (Feb. 9) with 22 points and 12 assists.
IRISH DOUBLE THE PLEASURE FOUR TIMES AGAINST HOYAS – In the four-overtime win against the Hoyas, a record four Irish players recorded double doubles in the game – Chris Thomas (22 pts./8 asts.), Ryan Humphrey (23 pts./14 rebs.), Harold Swanagan (11 pts./10 rebs) and Matt Carroll (30 pts./10 rebs.). They accounted for 74.1 percent of the scoring and 65.6 percent of the rebounding
TAKING CARE OF THE BALL – Notre Dame is averaging 18.04 assists and 12.84 turnovers for a 1.40 assist-to-turnover ratio. Conversely, Irish opponents are averaging 13.60 assists per game and 13.67 turnovers for a 0.95 assist-to-turnover ratio. Notre Dame had fewer than 10 turnovers in six games this season and committed just 11 turnovers or fewer in 10 of 24 contests. Notre Dame had a season-low six turnovers (two in the second half) against Georgetown on Jan. 21 and committed just seven turnovers in games at Miami-Ohio and Pittsburgh. Against the RedHawks, the Irish had just one turnover in the final 20 minutes against Miami-Ohio, which included just one in the final 20 minutes of the contest. The seven turnovers in that contest were the fewest by an Irish team since a Jan. 29, 1995 contest at the Joyce Center against Boston College when that Notre Dame team had just seven in a 74-68 victory. Including that game and the Miami-Ohio contest, it covered 199 contests. Against Canisius on Dec. 22, Notre Dame had 10 first-half turnovers, but only committed four in the second half to finish the game with 14. In the Alabama game, the Irish turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and only three times in the final 20 minutes of the contest. In its last 11 games, Notre Dame is averaging 17.5 assists per game and 13.5 turnovers for a 1.29 assist-to-turnover ratio. There have been only two games this season where the Irish had more turnovers than assists – vs. Villanova (15-16) and vs. Seton Hall (13-17). Notre Dame committed a season-high 20 turnovers against Pittsburgh in its matchup at the Joyce Center.
SUPER SUB – David Graves was a starter in Notre Dame’s first 18 games of the season, but in the last seven contests, has come off the bench to average 14.8 points and 5.4 rebounds. Last season, Graves started the first 14 games of the season and then came off the bench in 13 of the last 16 games. In those 13 contests, he averaged 12.9 points and 5.3 rebounds.
WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS – Notre Dame’s Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic title marked the fourth time the Irish have captured the championship of an in-season tournament and the first in 10 years. Previously Notre Dame won the title of the Sugar Bowl Tournament in 1954, 1955 and 1992.
105 AND COUNTING – Heading into today’s contest versus Syracuse, Notre Dame has hit at least one three-pointer in 104 straight games, which dates back to the 1998-99 campaign. The last time the Irish did not make a three-pointer was in a 101-70 loss to Connecticut in the Hartford Civic Center as Notre Dame finished 0-7 in the contest from three-point range. The Pittsburgh game on Jan, 26 marked the 100th consecutive game in which the Irish hit a three-pointer. Notre Dame made a season-high 14 against Rutgers on Feb. 6.
CONFERENCE CALL – Notre Dame’s 13-game non-conference schedule featured teams from 11 different conferences – America East, Big Ten, Conference USA, Ivy League, Metro Atlantic Athletic, Mid-American, Northeast, Pacific West, Patriot League, Southeastern and Southern. The Irish have played teams from two of those conferences twice – the Patriot League (Army and Colgate) and SEC (Alabama and Kentucky). Notre Dame finished 10-3 in non-conference play this season.
BOMBS AWAY – Matt Carroll was six-of-six from three-point range against Tennessee-Chattanooga, matching the school record for three-point field goal percentage. Previously David Rivers and Martin Ingelsby each went five-for-five from three-point range. Carroll is the first Irish player to hit all six of his attempts in a game from downtown.
PICKING UP THE HAWAIIAN HARDWARE – Ryan Humphrey was named the Most Valuable Player of the Hawaii Pacific Thanksgiving Classic. He averaged 24.0 points and 6.3 rebounds, while shooting 73.7 percent from the field in helping the Irish to three wins and the tournament title. Humphrey registered a career-high 31 points against Hawaii Pacific in his first game of the season. Also earning all-tournament honors for the Irish were David Graves, Matt Carroll and Chris Thomas. Graves averaged 15.0 points per game, including nine three-point goals, and registered his fourth career double double against Tennessee-Chattanooga (13 points, 10 rebounds). Carroll averaged 16.7 points and hit 12 three-pointers, including a six-for-six performance against the Mocs. Carroll set a career-high and became the first Irish player in school history to hit six three-point goals in a game without a miss. Thomas averaged 10.3 points and 8.0 assists, including a career-high 13 assists in the Hawaii Pacific game.
FROM DOWNTOWN – The Irish are 177-of-482 (.367) from three-point range this season for an average of 7.08 three-point goals per game. The school record for three-pointers in a season is 287, set in 1999-2000, an average of 7.8 per game.
ON THE OFFENSIVE – Chris Thomas certainly has had an impact on the Irish offense this season. The rookie point guard has figured in on 43.1 percent of Notre Dame’s offensive firepower this season – of the 699 field goals scored, he has 121 field goals and dished off 180 assists.
THOMAS IN CONTROL – Notre Dame’s 1.40 assist-to-turnover ratio, can be attributed to the play of freshman point guard Chris Thomas who has already dished off 180 assists (7.20 per game) and has committed just 73 turnovers for a 2.92 assist-to-turnover mark. He is averaging a turnover every 12.9 minutes played. Thomas went two consecutive games (Cornell and Hawaii Pacific) without turning the ball over, while finishing with a total of 19 assists. He dished off a personal best 13 assists against the Sea Warriors, the second 10-plus assist performance of his career after dishing off 11 in his collegiate debut against New Hampshire. He played the entire 60 minutes against Georgetown in the quadruple overtime game and commited just five turnovers, including one in the final 40 minutes. In Notre Dame’s win at Seton Hall, Thomas played all 40 minutes and turned the ball over just once.
MINUTEMAN – Heading into this season, Harold Swanagan had averaged just 18.3 minutes per game in the 97 career contests he had played in during his first three seasons. This season, Swanagan is playing an average of 25.0 minutes (a career best) – 6.7 more minutes than the average of his first three campaigns. Against Indiana, he tied his career-high by playing 38 minutes of the contest.
GOING THE DISTANCE – Chris Thomas has played the entire game in eight of Notre Dame’s 12 BIG EAST games, including 60 minutes against Georgetown. He has played the entire game in 10 games overall this season. He went the distance in his first BIG EAST game versus Villanova and has also played the entire 40 minutes against Pittsburgh (both games), Syracuse (both games), Georgetown and Seton Hall (second game). Thomas also played 40 minutes in back-to-back games against Indiana and Miami-Ohio. He leads the team in minutes played (864) for an average of 37.6 minutes per game. He has played 30-plus minutes in 22 of 23 games this season. Thomas played a season-low 26 minutes against Monmouth on Nov. 25.
DOUBLE THE PLEASURE – Ryan Humphrey registered his 14th double double of the season and the 34th of his career against Syracuse as he finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds. He ranks 11th nationally (according to Sports Inc.) in that category and first among all BIG EAST players. Humphrey has registered a double double in eight of the last 10 games and in 11 of his last 16 contests. Here is is breakdown of double doubles this season: vs. Hawaii-Pacific (31 pts./10 rebs.), vs. DePaul (18 pts./16 rebs.), at Indiana (23 pts./12 rebs.), at Canisius (14 pts./11 rebs.), vs. COLGATE (21 pts./10 rebs.), vs. VILLANOVA (18 pts./10 rebs.), at Syracuse (29 pts., 11 rebs.), vs. KENTUCKY (14 pts./12 rebs.), vs. GEORGETOWN (19 pts./11 rebs.), vs. Seton Hall (16 pts./12 rebs.) , at Seton Hall (11 pts./10 rebs.), at Georgetown (23 pts./14 rebs.), at Rutgers (18 pts./19 rebs.) and vs. Syracuse (15 pts., 13 rebs).
TERRIFIC TORRIAN – Sophomore Torrian Jones certainly ranks as Notre Dame’s most improved player of the year and has proven to be a real spark for the Irish in the lineup. He earned his first career start against Seton Hall on Jan. 26 and responded with four points and three rebounds. Since that game, he has gotten the starting nod in the squad’s last seven outings. The second-year player currently is averaging 3.3 points and 2.1 rebounds. In outings against Monmouth and Army, he grabbed 16 rebounds in 36 minutes for an average of 2.3 rebounds per minute. In the Monmouth game, Jones tied his career-high (established against Hawaii-Pacific) with seven points and a career-best 10 rebounds. He also had seven points in the win at Georgetown. Jones played 22 minutes versus Miami and had six points and two rebounds in addition to an assist, steal and a block. Jones had the game-winning block on a three-point shot attempt by Miami-Ohio with four seconds to play in the game. In the loss to Villanova, he was a defensive spark off the bench and had six points and three steals in 14 minutes of action. In the win at West Virginia, he played six minutes and had a key basket late in the game.
DOUBLE DOUBLE DOUBLE – Harold Swanagan registered his fourth double double of the season and seventh of his career when he scored 11 points and grabbed 10 rebounds against Georgetown. That followed a 12-point and 11-rebound performance against Rutgers in the previous outing. Swanagan’s first double-double of the of the season was against UT-Chattanooga as he had 19 points and 10 boards and his second came in the DePaul game as he scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. David Graves also has a double double to his credit as he had 13 points and 10 rebounds versus UT-Chattanooga.
MOUNTING THE COMEBACK – The Irish have trailed at the half in 10 of their last 18 games. In Notre Dame’s first seven games of the season, the combined time the Irish had trailed in those contests was under seven minutes. Heading into its eighth game of the season at Indiana, Coach Mike Brey’s squad had never trailed at the half. Here’s a look at the noteworthy comebacks this season: at Indiana – Notre Dame found itself trailing by 10 at the break after falling behind by as many as 14 in the first half. The Irish never led in the contest, but were able to pull within one with 21 seconds to play before the final one-point outcome. at Miami-Ohio – Notre Dame briefly held a one-point lead against Miami-Ohio early in the contest, but did fall behind by as many as 13 in the first half. The Irish trailed by six at the intermission and gained the lead, which it never relinquished, with 6:19 left in the contest. at Canisius – Notre Dame trailed by two at the half against Canisius, but outscored the Golden Griffins 51-38 in the second half. vs. Alabama – Notre Dame fell behind by 20 in the first half against Alabama and trailed by 18 before beginning the second half with a 22-7 run. The Irish led by one twice in the second half (with 6:23 remaining and with 3:28 left in the contest), but fell short in its comeback attempt. Villanova – Notre Dame trailed by four at the half against Villanova and then fell behind by as 14 with 8:18 to play. The Irish then used a 22-8 run to take a one-point lead with 45 seconds remaining, before falling two points short in the game. at West Virginia – Notre Dame mounted one of its biggest comebacks in recent memory against West Virginia as the Irish trailed by as many as 18 in the first half and 15 at the break. The Irish outscored the Mountaineers 46-28 in the second half and held West Virginia to just three field goals in the final 11 minutes of the contest.
MAKING THE EARLY COMPARISONS – While it is early in his Irish career, Chris Thomas already has a couple of noteworthy accomplishments to his credit. With his 24-point effort against New Hampshire and 22-point performance in the Cornell game, he became the first Irish freshman to score 20-plus points in each of his first two games. He is also just the second Notre Dame player to record two consecutive 20-point outings in the first two games of his career. Only Austin Carr, who finished his career as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,560 career points, recorded back-to-back 20-point games in the first two games of his career. As a sophomore in his first season (1968-69), Carr opened up his career with point totals of 20 vs. Kings College, 26 vs. UCLA, 22 vs. Wisconsin and 30 vs. St. Louis in his first four games.
TRIPLE THE PLEASURE – It only took one game for freshman point guard Chris Thomas to do what no other Irish player had done previously in the program’s 96-plus year history – a triple double. Thomas scored 24 points, dished off 11 assists and made a school and Joyce Center record 11 steals against New Hampshire. The Irish rookie shot nine-of-18 from the field and five-of-nine from three-point range in 34 minutes of action.
GRAVES IN THE GROOVE – With classmates Ryan Humphrey and Harold Swanagan not in the game against New Hampshire, tri-captain David Graves had one of the top performances of his career as he tossed in a game-high 26 points (third highest point total of his career), grabbed five rebounds and made a career-high seven steals all in just 27 minutes of action on the court. He hit 10-of-16 shots from the field and was three-of-six from three-point range.
MACURA FINDS HIS MATCH – Irish head coach Mike Brey made the decision at the start of the preseason to have forward Jere Macura become more of an inside player, which has seemed to benefit the junior’s play as he registered back-to-back career-high outings in his first two games. Macura made the most of his two starts in the first two games of the season. Against New Hampshire, he had a then career-high 14 points, while also grabbing six rebounds in 26 minutes of action as he connected on six-of-nine shots from the field in the contest. Macura then followed that up with a career-high 16-point outing against Cornell. In addition, he also grabbed eight rebounds in the contest. Last season, Macura had just one double-figure game (10 points at Rutgers in Piscataway, N.J.) after scoring in double figures five times as a freshman. Currently, he is averaging 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds and has played in 15 games.
STEALING THE SHOW – Notre Dame had a school record and Joyce Center record 26 steals against New Hampshire, bettering the old mark of 22 set against Vermont on Dec. 21, 1976. Chris Thomas led the Irish with 11 (a school record), while David Graves had a career-high seven steals which would have tied the old mark set by Ray Martin in 1974. Notre Dame already has 60 more steals than their opponents (148-88).
JORDAN JUMPS INTO THE ACT – While freshman Chris Thomas certainly made his mark this season, Notre Dame’s other rookie, Jordan Cornette, also has played well and earned starts in recent outings against Georgetown, Seton Hall and Pittsburgh. The 6-9 forward earned his sixth start of the season in place of Harold Swanagan against the Panthers on Jan. 30 and was in the starting lineup in the win over Seton Hall at the Joyce Center when he played a career best 32 minutes, tallying six points and grabbing a personal best 10 rebounds. Against Georgetown on Jan. 21, he had a career-high 11 points (on five-for-eight shooting from the field) and played 31 minutes. He logged 29 minutes against New Hampshire in the season opener and had eight points, six rebounds and three assists. His playing time increased when Harold Swanagan went out of the game with a knee injury, which left the Irish with just two frontline players – Macura and Cornette. Against Cornell, he started in place of Swanagan and played 29 minutes while scoring three points and grabbing six rebounds. Cornette has played in 23 contests (did not see action in the Indiana and Syracuse contests) and is averaging 15.0 minutes per game. He scored six points and grabbed two rebounds in the loss to Alabama as he played 17 minutes, logging 12 in the second half. He started in place of Swanagan in contests against Colgate and Villanova. In his first BIG EAST contest versus the Wildcats, he played 25 minutes.
TIMMERMANS STANDS TALL – After missing the first nine games of the season with a sprained right knee, sophomore Tom Timmermans has had an impact in recent outings coming off the bench. Against Georgetown, he played a personal best 23 minutes while scoring five points and grabbing a then career-high five rebounds. He logged 18 minutes against Colgate on Dec. 30 and finished with a career-high six points and four rebounds. Timmermans had a career-high six boards in nine minutes against Rutgers on Thursday night. He played 21 minutes against Syracuse on Sunday and tied his career rebounding high.
TRIFECTA – The perimeter shooting combination of David Graves, Matt Carroll and Chris Thomas have combined for 94.2 percent of Notre Dame’s three-pointers this season. The Irish trio has made 162 of the team’s 172 shots from beyond the arc and has taken 89.8 percent (434 of 482) of its three-point attempts. Graves leads the team with 60 three-pointers, followed by Thomas (53) and Carroll (52).
IRONMEN – David Graves has played in all 122 games of his Irish career, while Harold Swanagan has missed just three games (all this season against Colgate, Georgetown and Seton Hall). Prior to the Colgate contest, Swanagan had played in 108 consecutive contests. Graves and Swanagan played in all 30 games during their freshman and junior seasons and saw action in all 37 in their sophomore season. Graves has earned 99 starting appearances during his three seasons, while Swanagan has made 70 starts.
BLOCK PARTY – Notre Dame set the single-season team record for blocked shots last season with 178 in 30 games for an average of 5.93 blocks per game. The previous mark of 145 was set by the 1991-92 Irish team. Notre Dame had 110 blocks during the 1999-2000 campaign. Ryan Humphrey led the Irish with 79 blocks, the second-highest individual single-season mark in school history and ranked 18th in the nationally with 2.7 blocks per game. Humphrey has 63 blocks for an average of 2.74 blocks per game this season. As a team, Notre Dame has blocked 128 shots (5.12 per game).
THE DEFENSE NEVER RESTS – Notre Dame’s field goal percentage defense has been impressive this season as the Irish have held 10 of their 25 opponents to 37 percent and under shooting from the field. Notre Dame has held five opponents to under 32 percent – New Hampshire (31.5), Monmouth (31.7), Army (29.5), DePaul (29.6) and Seton Hall (29.0). Alabama shot 50.8 percent from the field, marking the first time in 36 contests (dating back to last season) that an Irish opponent had shot better than 50.0 percent from the field. Villanova became the second team in 38 games above 50.0 percent from the field as the Wildcats connected on 56.0 percent.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE – Notre Dame’s defense has limited its opponents to just 66.4 points per game with only 10 opponents scoring more than 61 points. The Irish are outscoring their opponents by 11.5 points per game. The Irish played their first two games of the 2001-02 campaign at home and came away with convincing victories over New Hampshire (95-53) and Cornell (78-48). The 103-point opponent total in the two games is the lowest by an Irish team to start the season since the 1985-96 campaign when Notre Dame allowed 105 points in wins over St. Joseph’s of Indiana (79-49) and Butler (87-56).
BROTHERLY LOVE – Junior Matt Carroll and freshman Jordan Cornette both have brothers who are playing their collegiate ball at Division I schools. Matt’s brother Pat is a freshman at St. Joseph’s, while Jordan’s brother Joel is a junior member on the Butler team.
KEVIN WHITE RADIO SHOW – A weekly half-hour talk show featuring first-year athletics director Kevin White debuted Aug. 27 on Chicago’s ESPN Radio 1000. “The Kevin White Show” is scheduled to air from 11:00-11:30 p.m. for 30 consecutive Sundays on ESPN radio (1000 AM in Chicago, www.espnradio1000.com). The show also can be heard in 35 states. White will welcome to the show a series of guests and prominent figures associated with college athletics, including administrators, coaches and media members.
SOLD-OUT – Notre Dame played its first home game to a sold-out Joyce Center (11,418) as the Irish played on a football weekend. The basketball contest was played following the pep rally. There have been five sellouts in 11 home games this season – New Hampshire, Colgate, Kentucky, Seton Hall and Syracuse.
FIRST SEMESTER SUCCESS IN THE CLASSROOM – Notre Dame enjoyed tremendous success in the classroom this semester as the Irish combined for a 3.002 grade point avearge during the 2001 fall semester. Seven of the 13 players earned a 3.00 or higher. Harold Swanagan registered the highest grade index of any player on the team. In addition to Swanagan, the other six players above a 3.00 were: Matt Carroll, Jordan Cornette, Torrian Jones, Dan Miller, Charles Thomas and Chris Thomas.
MEN’S BASKETBALL BANQUET – Tickets are now on sale for the annual Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Banquet which will be held on Wednesday, April 3, 2002 at the Joyce Center. Tickets are $35 each for the men’s banquet and all proceeds from the event benefit the Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Scholarship Fund. Checks can be made payable to the University of Notre Dame and mailed to the Athletics Business Office, 112 Joyce Center, Notre Dame, IN 46556.