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Dec. 20, 2000

VERMONT Catamounts (4-4) at
21/24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2)

Date: Thursday, December 21, 2000

Place: Joyce Center (11,418), Notre Dame, Ind.

Time: 7:30 p.m. EST

Radio: Host Communications Inc. (Jack Lorri, Jack Nolan) originates the Notre Dame Radio Network (includes WNDV-1490 AM and WNDV-92.9 FM in South Bend, WNTS-1590 AM in Indianapolis, WGL-1250 AM WGL 1570 AM in Ft. Wayne, WEFM-95.9 FM in Michigan City, WGOM-860AM in Marion, WVHI-1330 AM in Evansville, WLUV-1520 AM in Rockford, Ill., KATD-990AM in San Francisco, Calif., WDEL-1550 AM in Wilmington, Del., and KIND-1010AM in Independence, Kan.). All radio broadcasts can also be heard through the World Wide Web at www.und.com.

IRISH ITEMS FOR THE VERMONT GAME:
Notre Dame (6-2) looks to extend its win streak to three straight this evening as the Irish play host to Vermont (4-4). Coach Mike Brey’s squad is playing its third contest in five days and fifth of six straight home games. Following tonight’s game, the Irish are off for eight days until Fri., Dec. 29 when they play host to Long Island at 7:30 p.m.

Notre Dame defeated Canisius 99-71 for its sixth win of the season on Tuesday night. It was the most points by the Irish since they scored 107 in a 107-68 victory over Loyola (Chicago) in the second game of the season.

Vermont is 4-4 heading into tonight’s game after dropping an 89-71 loss at Harvard, its second straight setback.

Notre Dame is 21st in the Associated Press Poll for the second consecutive week and , but fell from 20th to 24th in the ESPN/USA Today ranking after being ranked 10th in both polls two weeks ago 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 CANISIUS:
Troy Murphy, David Graves and Ryan Humphrey combined for 72 points and 29 rebounds in leading the Irish to a 99-71 victory over the Golden Griffins. The Irish shot 58.3 percent from the field and outrebounded Canisius 54-32 to register its largest rebounding differential of the season.

Notre Dame fell one assist short of the school record of 33 (set against Manhattan on Feb. 19, 1986) as the Irish had a season-high 32 assists on 42 baskets.

Murphy recorded his third double double and 35th of his career as he scored 29 points and grabbed a season-high 15 rebounds. David Graves scored 20-plus points for the second consecutive game as he scored 23 points grabbed three rebounds, dished off six assists and made three steals. Graves had 20 points against Tennessee Tech which marked the first time in his career that he scored 20-plus points in consecutive outings. Humphrey posted his second double double in as many games, and third of the season, as he scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.

Matt Carroll registed double figures for the fourth time this season as he scored 11 points, grabbed seven rebounds and dished off nine assists, which tied a career-high.

Martin Ingelsby played 38 minutes in the game and tied his season-high with 11 assists. He scored five points and committed just turnovers.

Notre Dame registered its largest rebounding differential of the season (+22) as the Irish outrebounded Canisius 54-32.

POLL POSITION:
Notre Dame stands 21st in the Associated Press Poll and 24th in the ESPN/USA Today. The Irish were ranked in both polls last week, 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 105-54 for a .660 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 .660 winning percentage among Division I coaches with five years as a head coach stands second only to Tom Izzo of Michigan State (.728). 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

NOTRE DAME vs. VERMONT:
Tonight’s game is the third meeting between the Irish and Catamounts. Notre Dane has won both previous meetings between the two teams, 89-48 in 1976-77 and 63-49 in 1983-84. This will be Vermont’s third visit to the Joyce Center.

NOTRE DAME vs. AMERICA EAST:
Notre Dame is 14-0 all-time against teams from the America East Conference.

GOOD FELLAS:
Irish head coach Mike Brey and Catamount mentor Tom Brennan know each other very well having faced each other for the the past five years when Brey was the head coach at Delaware. This will be the first time Brey will go up against another coach from the America East Conference since coming to Notre Dame. Brey’s Delaware teams faced Vermont on 10 occasions with the Blue Hens winning six times.

PRODUCTIVE IRISH:
Notre Dame had three players contribute 20-plus points in Notre Dame’s win over Canisius on Tuesday night ? Troy Murphy (29), David Graves (23) and Ryan Humphrey (20). It marked the first time since the 1991-92 season that three players scored 20 or more points in a game. The last time it happened was in Notre Dame’s 101-98 victory over Syracuse at the Carrier Dome on February 15, 1992 when LaPhonso Ellis, Daimon Sweet and Elmer Bennett had 28, 24 and 22 points, respectively.

SPREADING THE WEALTH:
Against Canisius all five starters scored in double figures. That’s the second time that has occurred this season. In the loss to Indiana on Dec. 5, all five starters reached double figures for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign when all five starters scored 10-plus points three different times during the season against Stetson, St. Francis (N.Y.) and Boston College.

LOGGING THE MINUTES:
Four of Notre Dame’s five starters ? Troy Murphy, David Graves, Matt Carroll and Martin Ingelsby ? are averaging 31-plus minutes per game. Ingelsby is averaging 36.2 minutes per game and Murphy 33.8, with Graves and Carroll averaging 33.1 and 31.1, respectively. Only Harold Swanagan (11.3) is averaging more than 10 minutes per game. In the loss to Indiana, no reserve played more than nine minutes as the starters averaged 36.4 in the contest, and against Miami, Jones, Swanagan and Ivan Kartelo combined for just 19 minutes. Ingelsby has played 234 of 240 minutes in Notre Dame’s last six games. He played 39 minutes in both the Cincinnati and Indiana contests, while playing all 40 minutes against Vanderbilt and Miami (Ohio). In both the Tennessee Tech and Canisius games, he played 38 minutes in those contests.

Overall, Notre Dame’s starters (which includes Murphy despite the fact that he did not start against Miami) have played 1,037 of the 1,200 minutes in the last six games against the Bearcats, Commodores, Hoosiers, RedHawks and Golden Eagles for an average of 34.57 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.

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 387-115 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 NEEDS 10 POINTS FOR 1,000:
Junior David Graves needs 10 points to become the 41st player in Notre Dame history to reach the 1,000-pont mark. He has 990 points in 75 career games for a 13.2 career scoring average heading into tonight’s game.

A 1,000-POINT CLASS ACT:
Once David Graves reaches the 1,000-point mark, he will join Troy Murphy (1,544 career points) as the second member of Notre Dame’s class of 2002 to reach that plateau. It will mark 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 2,534 points in two-plus seasons.

FOLLOWING TROY ON THE WEB:
Follow All-American Troy Murphy on the world wide web at www.und.com/troymurphy. The site includes biographical information, statistics, pictures, a weekly diary, a listing of awards and honors and links to articles on the web which have been written on this Irish junior. For more information on the site, contact the Notre Dame Sports Information Office at (219) 631-7516.

MURPHY AND THE WOODEN WATCH:
Troy Murphy is one of the Preseason Top 50 candidates for the 2000-2001 John R. Wooden All-America team. Murphy, a member of the 10-member squad last season, has been designated as one of the top 25 vote-getters. He and Duke senior Shane Battier are the only two previous candidates among the list of 50. The Award Committee will release a Midseason Top 30 list with the 10-member Wooden Award All-America team announced on March 27, 2001. From that squad, one member will receive the Wooden Award Trophy as the nation’s ?Most Outstanding Collegiate Basketball Player.? The announcement will be made on April 6, 2001, and will be shown on a one-hour telecast on Fox Sports Net.

NAISMITH WATCH:
Troy Murphy is listed as the second-leading vote-getter among 30 preseason candidates announced for the 2000-01 Naismith College Basketball Player of the Year Award presented by the Atlanta Tipoff Club. The preseason candidates including Murphy are: Shane Battier (Duke), Lonny Baxter (Maryland), Charlie Bell (Michigan State), Carlos Boozer (Duke), Cory Bradford (Illinois), Eric Chenowith (Kansas), Jarron Collins (Stanford), Juan Dixon (Maryland), Joe Forte (North Carolina), Jason Gardner (Arizona), Tony Harris (Tennessee), Udonis Haslem (Florida), Brendan Haywood (North Carolina), Casey Jacobson (Stanford), Richard Jefferson (Arizona), Joe Johnson (Arkansas), Ken Johnson (Ohio State), Kaspars Kambala (UNLV), Jason Kapono (UCLA), Mike Kelley (Wisconsin), Terence Morris (Maryland), Tayshaun Prince (Kentucky), Kenny Satterfield (Cincinnati), Brian Scalabrine (Southern California), Jamaal Tinsley (Iowa State), Jason Williams (Duke), Loren Woods (Arizona), Michael Wright (Arizona) and Vincent Yarbrough (Tennessee).

MURPHY GOES HAWAIIAN:
Troy Murphy’s travels took him twice to Hawaii within a two-week span in August and early September. The Irish junior participated in the Pete Newell Big Man Camp just before returning to campus for the start of the school year and met up with former Notre Dame standout and 1997 BIG EAST Player of the Year Pat Garrity. Murphy made a second trip across the mainland when he played for the USA Men’s Select Team on Sept. 2 in Honolulu against the USA Basketball Men’s Senior National Team. The game was televised by NBC and Murphy finished with four points and three rebounds.

HUMPHREY RECORDS SECOND STRAIGHT DOUBLE DOUBLE:
Just eight games into his Notre Dame career, Ryan Humphrey has already posted three double doubles in an Irish uniform. He recorded his second double double in as many games Tuesday night when he scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, which followed the 10 points and 12 rebounds he had against Tennessee Tech on Sunday. Humphrey, who has 13 career double doubles (10 in two seasons at Oklahoma), had 10 points and 12 rebounds against Cincinnati. He also has had 10 or more rebounds in 19 games during his career and scored 10-plus points on 44 occasions.

GRAVES PRODUCES BACK-TO-BACK 20-POINT OUTINGS:
David Graves scored a season-high 23 points against Canisius after registering his former season-best of 20 points against Tennessee Tech in the previous outing. It marked the first time in his career that he scored 20-plus points in back-to-back outings and was the sixth 20-plus point effort of his career. Graves led the Irish in scoring for the first time this season against Tennessee Tech with a six-for-14 performance from the field, that including four three-point field goals and was 10-for-15 from the field against Tennessee Tech.

MURPHY GETS THIRD DOUBLE DOUBLE OF SEASON:
Troy Murphy registered his third double double of the season, and 35th of his career (in 72 career games) against Canisius as he scored 29 points and grabbed a season-best 15 rebounds. His 15 rebounds marked the 36th time he has grabbed 10-plus rebounds in a game.

CARROLL LIGHTS IT UP FROM THREE:
Sophomore Matt Carroll’s 54.8 three-point field goal percentage leads the Irish. Carroll, who has made 17 of his 31 three-point field goal attempts, was four-of-five from three-point range in Notre Dame’s victory on Sunday against Tennessee Tech in scoring 16 points.

DOMINANCE ON THE GLASS:
Notre Dame has grabbed 50-plus rebounds in each of its last two outings and has outrebounded its opponents 109-75. Even more remarkable is that in the last 60 minutes the Irish have played (second half against Tennessee Tech and the both halves of the Canisius game), Notre Dame has outrebounded its opponents 84-45.

GETTING TO THE BOARDS:
Heading into Tuesday night’s contest versus Canisius, Notre Dame was being outrebounded 40.3 to 39.6 by its opponents and had been outrebounded in four of seven games. Against the Golden Griffins, the Irish had their most dominating performance on the boards this season as they owned a 54-32 (+22) advantage. The other four games in which Notre Dame has been on the plus side of the rebounding column were in contests against Sacred Heart (+15), Cincinnati (+13) and Tennessee Tech (+12). 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 second straight game, the Irish struggled from the free-throw line, converting just 43.8 perent (7-16) from the charity stripe. That followed a 30.4 perforance against Tennessee Tech in which Notre Dame made just seven of its 23 chances for a 30.4 percentage. Heading into the Tennessee Tech game, Notre Dame had converted 75.3 percent of its free-throw chances, but the last two games (14-39 for 35.9 percent) has dropped the percentage to 67.0.

IRISH HAVE PRODUCTIVE SECOND HALF AGAINST TENNESSEE TECH:
Notre Dame had one of its most productive second halves of the season in the 82-68 win over Tennessee Tech. The Irish shot 61.3 percent (19-31) from the field, 50.0 percent (7-14) from three-point range and outrebounded the Golden Eagles 31-13. In the first half against Tennessee Tech, the shot 37.1 percent from the field and 44.4 percent from beyond the arc.

STREAKING ALONG:
Troy Murphy’s 29 points against Tennessee Tech extended his streak of double figure scoring games to 59. The junior forward has netted double figures in 71 of 72 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 eight 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 41 times in 72 career games.

IRISH THREE-POINTERS EXTEND TO 58 STRAIGHT GAMES:
Notre Dame has had at least one three-pointer in 58 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 this week’s edition 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 6.125 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 eight games this season, he leads the team in minutes played (36.2) and is averaging 7.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 7.5 assists. In Ingelsby’s first game back as a stater 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 60 assists. Most impressive is the fact that he has committed just 10 turnovers in eight games. In all but two games (Miami-Ohio and Canisius), Ingelsby has had just one turnover. His 11 assists (one shy of his career-high) against Loyola (Chicago) on Nov. 22 and Canisius give him six 10-plus assist outings in his career. The previous four outings in which he had 10 or more assists occurred in his freshman season (1986-87). For the season, Ingelsby is averaging 7.5 assists per game and has turned the ball over just 10 times in the eight games. He has played a total of 290 minutes and is averaging a turnover every 29.0 minutes and just 1.25 turnovers per game. Ingelsby’s assist-to-turnover ratio is 6.00 leads the BIG EAST Conference.

CONSISTENT CARROLL:
No Irish player has been as consistent throughout the preseason and in the first seven games as sophomore Matt Carroll. He registered double figures for the 24th time in his career (and sixth time this season) against Canisius as he scored 20 points. In addition, he grabbed seven rebounds and tied his career-high with nine assists. He is shooting 56.1 (37-667) percent from the field, 59.3 (16-27) from three-point range and 83.3 (10-12) from the charity stripe. Even more impressive is that he is second in the assist column with 33 (4.7 per game).

UNSELFISH IRISH:
The most telling statistic from the first eight games ? the 178 assists (22.3 per game). Notre Dame has made a total of 242 field goals which translates into an assist for every 1.40 baskets. As a team, the Irish have committed just 111 turnovers, resulting in a 1.60 assist-to-turnover ratio and a turnover every 2.88 minutes. Last season, Notre Dame had more turnovers (656) than assists (643).

STEADY IN THE BACKCOURT:
Notre Dame’s backcourt duo of Martin Ingelsby and Matt Carroll has posted impressive numbers this season with their consistency. When combining the statistics of the two players, the tandem is shooting 53.2 percent from the field and 53.1 percent from three-point range, while averaging 10.25 points per game. They also have 102 of Notre Dame’s 178 assists and have committed just 29 turnovers overall for a 3.51 assist-to-turnover ratio.

IRISH SHOW TRIPLE THREAT AGAIN:
Notre Dame’s three-point shooting appears to be alive and healthy again this season as the Irish have canned an average of 9.00 three-pointers (72-168) in its first eight games. David Graves leads the way with 23, while Martin Ingelsby and Matt Carroll each have made 12. In the season opener against Sacred Heart, the Irish began the game by hitting eight of their first nine three-pointers. They also had a school-record 16 against Loyola on Nov. 22. Last season, the Irish averaged 7.8 three-pointers per game en route to establishing the single-season mark with 287.

BIG EAST DIVIDE:
With the addition of Virginia Tech, the 14-team BIG EAST Conference has been split into two divisions. BIG EAST teams will once again play a 16-game conference schedule. Annually, teams will meet each divisional opponent on a home-and-home basis and will play four games against teams from the other division. Notre Dame has been designated to the West division, which also includes: Georgetown, Pittsburgh, Rutgers, Seton Hall, Syracuse and West Virginia. The East division members are: Boston College, Connecticut, Miami, Providence, St. John’s, Villanova and Virginia Tech. The Irish play Boston College, Connecticut, St. John’s and Virginia Tech in the single games this season.

BIG EAST CHAMPIONSHIP FORMAT TO CHANGE:
For the first time in the history of the BIG EAST Conference, every team will not advance to the league’s postseason tournament. The top six teams in each division will qualify for the 2001 AT&T BIG EAST Championship in Madison Square Garden on March 7-10. First-round tournament games will feature cross-divisional matchups (the No. 3 seeds will play No. 6 seeds and the No. 4 seeds will play the No. 5 seeds). The top two teams in each division will be awarded first-round byes.

MURPHY MOVES INTO TOP 10 ON IRISH SCORING CHARTS:
Troy Murphy became the 40th player in Notre Dame history to score 1,000 points on Jan. 29, 2000 when the Irish defeated St. John’s. He started the season 16th on the all-time scoring list, but the 186 points he has scored in in his first seven games have elevated him to ninth on the scoring list with 1,544 career points. Against Tennessee Tech, Murphy passed LaPhonso Ellis who scored 1,505 points during his four-year career. He now needs 66 points to move into eighth on the all-time scoring list occupied by Bob Whitmore (1966-69) who finished his career with 1,580 points.

Murphy became the second-youngest player in Irish history to score 1,000 points at 19 years and 272 days old. Former Irish All-American Adrian Dantley (1973-76) was 18 years and 355 days old when he scored his 1,000th point. Murphy also joins 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 35 career double doubles. He has scored in double figures in 71 of 72 career games he has played and has registered double figures in 59 straight contests heading into this evening’s matchup with Vermont. The only time Murphy has failed to score in double figures was against Syracuse on Dec. 29, 1998.

HOME COOKIN’:
Eight of Notre Dame’s first 10 games of the season are at home and only one of those games is on the opponents’ home floor. Tonight’s contest is the fifth of six consecutive home games for the Irish who will not be on the road again until they begin BIG EAST play at Syracuse on Tues., Jan. 2. That will be exactly one month from Notre Dame’s last away game when the Irish played at Vanderbilt on Dec. 2.

LIGHTS, CAMERA ACTION:
Notre Dame will make nine national television appearances during the 2000-01 season as the Irish will be featured three times on CBS and six times on ESPN. It is the most regular-season telecasts since the 1988-89 campaign when that Notre Dame squad also had nine of its games nationally televised. The national lineup is as follows: Indiana (Tues., Dec. 5 on ESPN), at Syracuse (Tues., Jan. 2 on ESPN), at Seton Hall (Mon., Jan. 8 on ESPN), at Kentucky (Sat., Jan. 13 on CBS), St. John’s (Mon., Feb. 5 on ESPN), at Rutgers (Wed., Feb. 14 on ESPN), Seton Hall (Sun., Feb. 18 on CBS), at Connecticut (Mon., Feb. 26 on ESPN) and Georgetown (Sun., Mar. 4 on CBS).

BASKETBALL LUNCHEONS SET:
The second of three basketball luncheons will take place take place on Mon., Jan. 22, 2001 (the day before the Notre Dame-Syracuse) with the third and final one being held on Tues., Feb. 20, 2001 (the day before the Notre Dame-Boston College game). The luncheons, which begin at noon, will feature Brey, members of his squad, video presentations and other special guests. Tickets are $16 each. Tickets are available by mail by writing Athletics Business Office, 112 Joyce Center, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556. Checks should be made payable to University of Notre Dame. No telephone reservations will be accepted. For more information, call 219-631-7246.

TICKET DEMAND:
Season-tickets for the 2000-01 Notre Dame men’s basketball season were sold-out prior to the start of the season. A limited number of single-game tickets remain for contests Canisius (Dec. 19), Vermont (Dec. 21), Long Island (Dec. 29) and Rutgers (Jan. 6). All 3,200 student season-tickets allotted for the upcoming campaign also have been sold, a figure that has doubled from the 1,600 sold for the 1999-2000 season.

WNTS TO BROADCAST 12 IRISH BASKETBALL GAMES:
WNTS Radio 1590 AM in Indianapolis, Ind., will broadcast 12 Notre Dame men’s basketball games during the 2000-01 season in the Indianapolis market as part of the Notre Dame Basketball Network originated by Host Communications. WNTS 1590 AM, which is owned by S&M Broadcasting Company, Inc., has been broadcasting its signal in the Indianapolis area since 1974.

The men’s basketball games on WNTS this season include: Nov. 22 vs. Loyola (Chicago) at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 5 vs. Indiana at 9:00 p.m., Dec.19 vs. Canisius at 7:30 p.m., Dec. 21 vs. Vermont at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 2 at Syracuse at 7:00 p.m., Jan. 8 at Seton Hall at 7:00 p.m., Jan. 16 vs. Pittsburgh at 7:30 p.m., Jan. 23 vs. Syracuse at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 5 vs. St. John’s at 7:00 p.m., Feb. 14 at Rutgers at 9:00 p.m., Feb. 21 vs. Boston College at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 26 at Connecticut at 7:00 p.m.

UPDATE ON FORMER IRISH PLAYERS PHIL HICKEY AND JIMMY DILLON:
Former Irish players Phil Hickey (’99) and Jimmy Dillon (’00) are playing in Helsinki, Finland in the Finnish Championship League for Pussihukat. The team currently is third in the league with 10 wins. Hickey, who has played in all 16 games, is averaging 18.2 points and 14.4 rebounds, while Dillon, who recently joined the squad and has played in just three contests, is avergaing 18.3 points.