Dec. 31, 2000
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Date: Tuesday, January 2, 2001
Place: Carrier Dome (33,000)
Time: 7:00 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.
Radio: ESPN – Dan Schulman (play-by-play) and Bill Raftery (color)
IRISH ITEMS FOR THE SYRACUSE GAME: Notre Dame (8-2) heads into its BIG EAST opener tonight at Syracuse (11-1) having won four straight following Friday night’s 97-49 victory over Long Island which concluded a six-game homestand. The Irish are playing their first road game since Dec. 2 when they defeated Vanderbilt 77-74 in Nashville, Tenn.
This is the second ranked opponent the Irish are facing this season. Notre Dame defeated Cincinnati 69-51 in the third game of the season at the Wooden Tradition in Indianapolis, Ind. At the time of the contest, the Bearcats were ranked 16th and 13th in the Associated Press ESPN/USA Today ranking polls, respectively.
First-year head coach Mike Brey’s squad will play three of its next four games on the road. Following this evening’s matchup, the Irish play host to Rutgers on Sat., Jan. 6 before travelling to Seton Hall on Mon., Jan. 8 and Kentucky on Sat., Jan. 13.
Notre Dame leads the series 13-12, but the Orangemen have won the last four meetings. Syracuse defeated the Irish 80-57 at the Carrier Dome last season and earned a 73-71 victory at the Joyce Center in the second meeting during the regular season. The Irish are 4-3 all-time at the Carrier Dome. Their last win at Syracuse came during the 1996-97 campaign when they defeated the Orangemen 73-58. The last win for Notre Dame against Syracuse was an 83-63 victory on Jan. 21, 1998. The current four-game losing streak is the longest by the Irish in the series.
Notre Dame fell from 21st to 22nd in the Associated Press Poll released on Dec. 25. The Irish this week and is moved up one spot from 24th to 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today ranking. Four 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 LONG ISLAND: Notre Dame scored 90-plus points for the third consecutive game and fifth time this season as the Irish cruised to a 97-49 victory over Long Island, its largest margin of victory (48 points) this season. Earlier this season, Brey’s squad defeated Sacred Heart by 46 points (104-58) in the season opener. That was the largest margin of victory by a Notre Dame team since the Irish beat Rice 105-61 (44 points) on Dec. 6, 1978. All 12 Irish players who got into the game recorded points for Notre Dame against the Blackbirds. Troy Murphy and Ryan Humphrey produced double-doubles for the fifth and fourth times, respectively this season. Murphy posted a double-double for the third consecutive contest and 37th time overall in his career as he netted 24 poitns and grabbed 10 rebounds. Humphrey finished with 20 points (his third straight 20-point outing) and a game-high 11 rebounds. David Graves and Matt Carroll also reached double figure scoring with 14 points each.
Notre Dame shot 57.1 percent from the field and held Long Island to just 30.5 percent accuracy from the field. It marked the fourth straight game the Irish held their opponent to under 40 percent shooting from the field. The Irish, finished with 27 assists on 36 field goals made and 27 assists. It was the fourth time Notre Dame has 25-plus assists in a game this season. Martin Ingelsby led the Irish with 10 assists, the fourth time this season he has dished off 10-plus assists in a game. He also committed just two turnovers.
For the fourth straight game, Notre Dame outrebounded is opponent as the Irish held a commanding 46-27 advantage on the boards.
POLL POSITION: Notre Dame stood 22nd in the Associated Press Poll and 23rd in the ESPN/USA Today ranking releaed on December 25. The Irish were ranked in the top 10 of both polls four 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 107-54 for a .665 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 .665 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 is the first Notre Dame head coach since Moose Krause in 1943-44 to lead his team to eight victories in his first 10 games. Two other Irish coaches achieved similar success in their first seasons. Jesse Harper, who coached Notre Dame from 1913-18, was 8-2 through the first 10 games of his first season, while William Nelson, whose only season as a head coach was in 1912-13, was 11-2 in his first 13 games.
NOTRE DAME vs. SYRACUSE: Notre Dame leads the series 13-12, but the Orangemen have won the last four meetings. Syracuse defeated the Irish 80-57 at the Carrier Dome last season and earned a 73-71 victory at the Joyce Center in the second meeting during the regular season. The Irish are 4-3 all-time at the Carrier Dome. Their last win at Syracuse came during the 1996-97 campaign when they defeated the Orangemen 73-58. The last win for Notre Dame against Syracuse was an 83-63 victory on Jan. 21, 1998. The current four-game losing streak is the longest by the Irish in the series.
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 announced on March 27, 2001. From that squad, one member will receive the Wooden Award Trophy as the nation’s “Most Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player.” The announcement will be made on April 6, 2001, and will be shown on a one-hour telecast on Fox Sports Net. The three other BIG EAST on the list of 30 include Albert Mouring of Connecticut, Eddie Griffin of Seton Hall and Preston Shumpert of Syracuse.
MURPHY COPS BIG EAST WEEKLY HONORS…AGAIN: For the second time this season, Troy Murphy was named the BIG EAST Conference Player of the Week on Dec. 26. Murphy earned 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.
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).
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, the highest combined average since 1992 (when records were first kept). It was the first semester above a 3.00 for any Notre Dame men’s basketball team in 17 semesters. Seven of the 13 players earned a grade-point average of 3.178 and higher with four players earning Dean’s List recognition. The four players named to the Dean’s List were: seniors marketing majors Martin Ingelsby (3.405) and Hans Rasmussen (3.467), junior Charles Thomas (3.256), a science business major, and freshman Chris Markwood (3.400), enrolled in the First Year of Studies.
PRODUCTIVE FRONTLINE GETTING THE JOB DONE: 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 23.1. Humphrey and Graves are second and third in scoring with 17.5 and 16.7 points per game, respectively. The trio is responsible for 65.3 percent of the team’s offensive scoring (573 of 873 points). The three scored 20-plus points each in back-to-back games against Canisius and Vermont. In the victory over the Catamounts, Murphy and Graves each had 21 points in the win, while Humphrey added 20. In the previous outing against Canisius, just 48 hours prior to the win over the Catamounts on Dec. 21, Murphy had 29 points, Graves 23 and Humphrey 20. That game marked the first time since the 1991-92 season that three players contributed 20 or more points in a game. The last time it happened was in Notre Dame’s 101-98 victory over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on February 15, 1992 when LaPhonso Ellis, Daimon Sweet and Elmer Bennett had 28, 24 and 22 points, respectively.
SPREADING THE WEALTH: 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.
IT’S A FAMILY AFFAIR: All 12 players who played in the game against Long Island on Friday evening contributed points in the final 97-point outing — Troy Murphy (24), Ryan Humphrey (20), David Graves (14), Matt Carroll (14), Jere Macura (7), Harold Swanagan (3), Ivan Kartelo (4), Charles Thomas (3), Martin Ingelsby (2), Torrian Jones (2), Hans Rasmussen (2), Tom Timmermans (2).
LOGGING THE MINUTES: Four of Notre Dame’s five starters — Troy Murphy, David Graves, Matt Carroll and Martin Ingelsby — are averaging 30-plus minutes per game. Ingelsby is averaging 35.2 minutes per game and Murphy 33.0, with Graves and Carroll averaging 32.1 and 30.7, respectively. Only Harold Swanagan (11.3) and Torrian Jones (10.6) are averaging more than 10 minutes per game. In the loss to Indiana, no reserve played more than nine minutes as the starters averaged 36.4 in the contest, and against Miami (Ohio), Jones, Swanagan and Ivan Kartelo combined for just 19 minutes. Ingelsby has played 296 of 320 minutes in Notre Dame’s last eight 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. Inglesby played just 26 minutes against Long Island, which equalled his shortest stint of the season (he also played just 26 minutes in win over Loyola back on Nov. 22. Overall, Notre Dame’s starters (which includes Murphy despite the fact that he did not start against Miami) have played 1,326 of the 1,600 minutes in the last eight games for an average of 33.2 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 87.3 points per game and outscoring its opponents by 18.9 points per game. The Irish have scored 90-plus points in each of its last three outings against Canisius (99-91), Vermont (96-86) and Long Island (97-49). Brey’s squad has topped the 90-point mark five times overall this season.
WORTH NOTING FROM THE LOYOLA GAME: Notre Dame’s strong outing against the Ramblers on Nov. 22 produced some noteworthy numbers in the contest:
- Set school record for three-point field goals made (16) and three-point field goal percentage (.727 – 16 of 22).
- Tied the school record for blocked shots (12).
- Matt Carroll had a career-high nine assists and tied his personal best with 22 points.
- Second time since 1985-86 that the Irish recorded back-to-back outings 100-point outings (vs. Manhattan – 102-47 and vs. Miami (Fla.) – 126-73).
- Martin Ingelsby had 10-plus assists for the fifth time in his career when he dished off 11 assists in the game. It was the first time since his freshman season in 1997-98 that had had 10 or more assists. During that season, he posted 10-plus assists in four games. (Since then, he tied his season-high with 11 against Canisius.
500TH GAME AT JOYCE CENTER: Notre Dame played its 500th game at the Joyce Center on Nov. 18 against Sacred Heart. The Irish are 391-116 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 1,025 points in 77 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 (1,589 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 2,614 points in two-plus seasons.
MURPHY GETS 100TH BLOCK: Troy Murphy blocked his 100th career shot against Long Island on Friday and currently second on the Notre Dame all-time career shot-blocking list with 101. LaPhonso Ellis (1988-92) is the Irish all-time leader in this category with 200.
INGLESBY MOVES TO SIXTH ON CAREER ASSIST LIST WITH 400TH ASSIST: Senior Martin Ingelsby dished off his 400th career assist against Vermont on Dec. 21. He currently has 410 career assists, good for sixth on the all-time career assist list. Heading into tonight’s game, he needs just two 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 3.98 assist average in 103 career games.
FOLLOWING TROY ON THE WEB: Follow All-American Troy Murphy on the world wide web at www.und.com/troymurphy. The site includes biographical information, statistics, pictures, a weekly diary, a listing of awards and honors and links to articles on the web which have been written on this Irish junior. For more information on the site, contact the Notre Dame Sports Information Office at (219) 631-7516.
MURPHY GOES HAWAIIAN: Troy Murphy’s travels took him twice to Hawaii within a two-week span in August and early September. The Irish junior participated in the Pete Newell Big Man Camp just before returning to campus for the start of the school year and met up with former Notre Dame standout and 1997 BIG EAST Player of the Year Pat Garrity. Murphy made a second trip across the mainland when he played for the USA Men’s Select Team on Sept. 2 in Honolulu against the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team. The game was televised by NBC and Murphy finished with four points and three rebounds.
DOUBLE-TAKE FOR HUMPHREY: Just 10 games into his Notre Dame career, Ryan Humphrey has already posted four double-doubles in an Irish uniform. He has registered double-doubles in three of the last four games and in back-to-back contests against Tennessee Tech (10 points, 12 rebounds) on Dec. 17 and Canisius (20 points, 11 rebounds) on Dec. 21. Humphrey, who has 14 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 20 games during his career and scored 10-plus points on 47 occasions. Humphrey also has scored 20-plus points in seven games overall in two-plus seasons.
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 three of the last four games. He had three consecutive outings (a first in his career) in which he scored 20-plus points against Tennessee Tech (20 points), Canisius (season-high 23 points) and Vermont (21 points). Graves averaged 21.3 points in those wins. He has scored 20-plus points eight times during his career, which includes a 33-point effort against Vanderbilt during the 1999-2000 campaign.
MURPHY GETS FIFTH DOUBLE DOUBLE OF SEASON: Troy Murphy registered his fifth double-double of the season, and 37th of his career (in 74 career games), against Long Island. It was his third double-double in as many games as he scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. He registered his fourth double-double against Vermont with 21 points and 13 rebounds, which came just two days after he scored 29 points and grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds in the win over Canisius. His 10 against Long Island marked the 38th time he has grabbed 10-plus rebounds in a game.
CARROLL LIGHTS IT UP FROM THREE: Sophomore Matt Carroll’s 56.1 three-point field goal percentage leads the Irish. Carroll, who has made 23 of his 41 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 45-plus rebounds in each of its last four outings and has outrebounded its opponents 206-146. Even more remarkable is that in the last 140 minutes the Irish have played, Notre Dame has outrebounded its opponents 181-116.
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 its first 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 six of 10 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), Vermont (+7) and Long Island (+19). 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 first time in four games against Long Island, Notre Dame shot better than 72.0 percent (18-25) from the charity stripe. In the three games prior to LIU, the Irish had been struggling from the free-throw line, converting just 44.6 percent (33-74) from the charity stripe. Notre Dame converted just 30.4 percent (7-23) against Tennessee Tech, 43.8 percent (7-16) against Canisius and 54.3 pecent (19-35) in the win over Vermont. Heading into the Tennessee Tech game on Dec. 17, Notre Dame had converted 75.3 percent of its free-throw chances, but the last four games (52-99 for 52.5 percent) has dropped the percentage to 65.7.
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 61. The junior forward has netted double figures in 73 of 74 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 10 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 432 times in 74 career games.
IRISH THREE-POINTERS EXTEND TO 60 STRAIGHT GAMES: Notre Dame has had at least one three-pointer in 60 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 (35.2) and is averaging 6.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 7.7 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 77 assists. Most impressive is the fact that he has committed just 13 turnovers in 10 games. In all but three games (Miami-Ohio, Canisius and Long Island), Ingelsby has had just one turnover. His 11 assists (one shy of his career-high) against Loyola (Chicago) on Nov. 22 and Canisius and 10 assists in Notre Dame’s last outing versus Long Island, give him seven 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 7.7 assists per game. He has played a total of 352 of a possible 400 minutes and is averaging a turnover every 27.1 minutes and just 1.30 turnovers per game. Ingelsby’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 5.92 leads the BIG EAST Conference.
CONSISTENT CARROLL: No Irish player has been as consistent throughout the preseason and in the first 10 games as sophomore Matt Carroll. He registered double figures for the 26th time in his career (and eighth time this season) against Long Island as he scored 14 points. He is shooting 55.3 (47-85) percent from the field, 56.1 (23-41) from three-point range and 81.3 (13-16) from the charity stripe. Even more impressive is that he is second in the assist column with 46 (4.6 per game).
UNSELFISH IRISH: The most telling statistic from the first 10 games — the 229 assists (22.9 per game). Notre Dame has made a total of 312 field goals which translates into an assist for every 1.36 baskets. As a team, the Irish have committed just 137 turnovers, resulting in a 1.67 assist-to-turnover ratio and a turnover every 2.92 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 52.2 percent from the field and 51.3 percent from three-point range, while averaging 9.95 points per game. They also have 123 of Notre Dame’s 229 assists and have committed just 35 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 8.80 three-pointers (88-200) in 10 games. David Graves leads the way with 27, while Matt Carroll has made 23 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.
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 231 points he has scored in in his first 10 games have elevated him to eighth on the scoring list with 1,589 career points. Against Long Island, Murphy passed Bob Whitmore (1966-69) who scored 1,580 points during his career. He now needs 77 points to move into seventh on the all-time scoring list occupied by Bob Arnzen (1966-69) who finished his career with 1,665 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 37 career double doubles. He has scored in double figures in 73 of 74 career games he has played and has registered double figures in 61 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.
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.