Feb. 12, 2001

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IRISH ITEMS FOR THE RUTGERS GAME:
Notre Dame looks to sweep its third series from a BIG EAST opponent this season as the Irish (16-5, 8-2) play their second straight road game, and fourth in the last five outings, as they travel to Rutgers (10-11, 2-8). Head Coach Mike Brey’s Irish are in first-place in the West Division of the BIG EAST standings and are coming off their third consecutive road victory following Sunday’s three-point win (69-66) at West Virginia. Notre Dame had not won three straight road games on the homecourt of its opponent since the 1990-91 campaign.

Heading into tonight’s contest with a school-record seven consecutive BIG EAST victories, a win would mark the first time since 1986-87 campaign that a Notre Dame team has won eight straight games. Notre Dame has not lost since dropping an 82-71 non-conference decision at Kentucky on Jan. 13.

This evening’s game is the second regular-season meeting between the two teams. Earlier this season on Jan. 6, Notre Dame defeated Rutgers 87-80 at the Joyce Center. The win was Notre Dame’s first in the league.

The Irish have not lost a league game since dropping a 78-76 decision at Seton Hall on Jan. 8. Notre Dame’s two losses in the conference have been by a total of 11 points.

In Notre Dame’s victory at West Virginia, the Irish jumped out to an early nine-point advantage only to have the Moutaineers come back and lead by eight at halftime. After four ties and two lead changes in the final four minutes, the Irish took the lead for good with 1:02 to play in the contest.

Notre Dame’s defense has been a key in the current seven-game streak as the Irish allowing just 65.1 ppg. Brey’s squad has only allowed 70-plus points in two games and have held opponents to 67 points and under in five of the last seven contests.

The Irish are six games above the .500 mark in BIG EAST play for the first time in school history, while its 8-2 mark ranks as its best start in its six seasons as a league member.

Rutgers enters the game having won two straight. The Scarlet Knights are coming off of an 84-64 win over Pittsburgh at home on Sunday afternoon.

This evening’s game marks the 15th meeting between the two teams with the series tied at 7-7. Notre Dame has been victorious in each of the last two meetings, but since joining the BIG EAST in 1995-96, the Scarlet Knights own a 5-4 advantage the nine times the two teams have met as league foes.

Notre Dame is ranked 14th in the Associated Press ranking and is 21st in the ESPN/USA Today Poll. The Irish returned to the top 25 ranking of the AP Poll two weeks ago after a two-week hiatus and is in the ESPN/USA Today for the second straight week following a three-week absence. Notre Dame was 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 WEST VIRGINIA:
For the third time in four games, Notre Dame rallied from a second-half deficit as the Irish picked up their seventh straight BIG EAST win with a 69-66 victory at West Virginia. Martin Ingelsby led the Irish in scoring for the first time this season in scoring as he netted 17 points, connecting on five three-pointers (tying his career-high). Troy Murphy recorded his 10th double-double of the season as he added 15 points and 10 rebounds. In addition to Ingelsby and Murphy, Matt Carroll and Ryan Humphrey also were in double figures as they finished with 15 points and 11 points, respectively.

Notre Dame jumped out to an early nine-point advantage, but trailed 39-31 at halftime as the Mountaineers shot 51.6 percent from the field and were led by Brooks Berry’s 18 points.

The Irish defense tightened up in the second half ad limited West Virginia to just eight field goals and 25.8 percent shooting as the Mountaineers connected on just eight of 31 shot attempts.

Notre Dame, which did not attempt a free-throw in the first half, was 16-of-20 from the charity stripe in the final 20 minutes.

The Irish committed just nine turnovers in the contest, one shy of their season low of eight, but were outrebounded 41-32 in the game.

POLL POSITION:
Notre Dame is ranked 14th in the Associated Press Poll, up six spots from a week ago and jumped two places to 21st in this week’s ESPN/USA Today ranking. The Irish were ranked in the first 10 polls to start the season and climbed 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.

IRISH ON VALENTINE’S DAY:
Notre Dame has a 22-11 record when playing on Valentine’s Day, although the Irish have lost their last two Feb. 14 matchups — West Virginia (85-80) in 1999 and Miami (66-57) in 1998.

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 115-57 for a .669 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 .667 winning percentage among Division I coaches with five years as a head coach stands second only to Tom Izzo of Michigan State (.731). 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 reached the 16-win mark (in 21 games) quicker than any other first-year coach in the program’s history. The last Notre Dame squad to pick up 16 wins in its first 21 games was the 1988-89 Irish team coached by Digger Phelps. That Notre Dame squad also produced a 15-5 mark through its first 20 games en route to finishing with a 21-9 overall mark.

BREY vs. RANKED OPPONENTS:
As a head coach at both Notre Dame and Delaware, Mike Brey has coached in 11 games against ranked opponents. Notre Dame’s game against Georgetown last Saturday marked the fifth ranked opponent the Irish had faced this season. Brey earned his first win as a head coach over a ranked opponent when Notre Dame beat then 16th-ranked Cincinnati 69-51 at the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis, Ind., on Nov. 25, 2000. The 74-60 win over Syracuse was his first against a top 10 opponent. The Orangemen entered the contest eighth in the ESPN/USA Today ranking.

NOTRE DAME vs. RUTGERS:
The series between the two teams is tied at 7-7 with the Irish having won the last two meetings between the two schools. Prior to Notre Dame’s victory (74-62) last season in the first round of the AT&T BIG EAST Championship, the Irish had lost three straight to the Scarlet Knights. In the only meeting between the two teams during the regular season a year ago, Rutgers defeated Notre Dame 76-51 at the Louis Brown Athletic Center.

RECAP OF RUTGERS – Part I:
Notre Dame shot better than 60.0 percent from the field as the Irish rebounded from their loss at Syracuse in posting an 87-80 victory over Rutgers in their BIG EAST home opener.

Troy Murphy scored a career-high 37 points in the contest as he connected on 13-of-18 shots from the field and was eight-for-eight from the free-throw line. It marked the third 30-point performance of the season for the Irish forward and the 14th of his career. Murphy, who established his previous personal best of 35 against both St. Francis (Pa.) and Seton Hall last season, was one of three Irish players in double figures. In addition to his 37 points, he grabbed seven rebounds in the game. He also scored 10 of the team’s final 13 points in the last six minutes of the game.

Ryan Humphrey added 17 points and finished with six rebounds and five blocked shots, while David Graves added 16 points.

For the second straight game, Martin Ingelsby played the entire 40 minutes. He finished with four points, a career-high 13 assists and just one turnover.

Notre Dame was outrebounded for the first time in six games and fifth time this season as the Scarlet Knights owned a 33-25 rebounding advantage.

The Irish, who had struggled from the free-throw line in their last six outings, converted 85.0 (17-20) from the charity stripe.

IRISH POST BACK-TO-BACK WINS OVER TOP 10 OPPONENTS:
Notre Dame’s victories against Syracuse and Georgetown in consecutive games marked the first time in school history that an Irish team beat two top 10 opponents in back-to-back contests. When the Irish defeated the Orangemen 74-60 on Jan. 23, Syracuse was ranked eighth in the ESPN/USA Today ranking, while Georgetown was 10th in the Associated Press Poll before suffering a 78-71 setback to Notre Dame.

A BIG EAST MOMENT FOR THE IRISH:
Notre Dame’s seven consecutive BIG EAST wins against Pittsburgh, West Virginia, Syracuse, Georgetown, Pittsburgh and St. John’s marks the first time since the Irish joined the league in 1995-96 that they have posted seven straight wins over league foes. Notre Dame also is six games above the .500 mark for the first time since becoming a league member.

BIG EAST MOMENT II FOR IRISH:
Notre Dame’s three straight victories on the road over Georgetown (78-71 on Jan. 27), Pittsburgh (75-67 on Feb. 3) and West Virgina (69-66 on Feb. 11) marks the first time since the Irish joined the BIG EAST that they have won three consecutive road games in the league. Heading into Sunday’s matchup with the Mountaineers, the Irish had only once won consecutive BIG EAST road outings — in 1998-99 when they defeated Providence 83-80 on Dec. 8, which was followed by a 71-68 victory versus Miami (Fla.) on Jan. 9.

NOTE THE CHANGE IN MURPHY TELECONFERENCE SCHEDULE:
Troy Murphy once again will hold a weekly teleconference. 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 players 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 two months. 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 among the Top 15 finalistis for the 2000-01 Nasmith College Basketball Player of the Year as was announced on Feb. 12. Murphy is one of four BIG EAST players among the final 15 in consideration for the Award. The 14 finalists along with Murphy include: Shane Battier (Duke), Charlie Bell (Michigan State), Troy Bell (Boston College), Michael Bradley (Villanova), Jarron Collins (Stanford), Joe Forte (North Carolina), Eddie Griffin (Seton Hall), Brendan Haywood (North Carolina), Casey Jacobson (Stanford), Terence Morris (Maryland), Jason Richardson (Michigan State), Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State), Jason Williams (Duke) and Michael Wright (Arizona).

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.

MURPHY COPS BIG EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS FOR FOURTH TIME
Troy Murphy was named the BIG EAST Player of the Week for the fourth time this season after averaging 24.3 points and 10.5 rebounds and leading the Irish to wins over St. John’s and West Virginia which extended the team’s win streak to seven games. He had 34 points and 11 rebounds against the Red Storm and scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds versus the Mountaineers. Murphy shares the honor with Todd Billet of Rutgers. He earns the player-of-the-week honor for the 10th time in his career.

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 three players named to the Dean’s List were: senior marketing majors Martin Ingelsby (3.405) and Hans Rasmussen (3.467) 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 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. 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.

ORANGEMEN FIRST TOP 10 VICTIM AT JOYCE CENTER SINCE 1994:
Notre Dame had two wins against top 10 opponents during the 1994, but both of those victories occurred on the road. Prior to Tuesday night’s win against Syracuse, the Irish had not beaten a top 10 opponent at home since Feb. 5, 1994 when Notre Dame handed UCLA a 79-63 setback. At the time, the Bruins were ranked fourth in the Associated Press Poll and were tied for second in the ESPN/USA Today ranking.