The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team has released its non-conference schedule for the 2018-19 season. The Irish will play 10 home games — the most since the 2014-15 season — before Atlantic Coast Conference play begins after the first of the year.
The 2018-19 season also features the first time Notre Dame will host a multiple-game, in-season tournament in Purcell Pavilion. Illinois-Chicago, Radford, Duquesne and William & Mary make up the field for the 2018 Gotham Classic.
Historic rivals DePaul (105 meetings) and Illinois (40 meetings) visit Purcell Pavilion in non-conference play while the Irish face a challenging three-game road swing in December against Oklahoma in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden (December 4), at UCLA (December 8) and against Purdue as part of the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis (December 15).
While DePaul, Illinois, UCLA and Purdue are familiar opponents for Notre Dame basketball fans, the Irish will also face four first-time opponents — UIC, Radford, Oklahoma and Jacksonville — and take on William & Mary, Binghamton and Coppin State for just the second time in program history.
2018-19 University of Notre Dame Men’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
Central State University | Thursday, November 1, 2018, 7 p.m. ET | Purcell Pavilion, Exhibition
- The Marauders are coached by former Irish player Joseph Price (1982-86). Price scored over 600 points and grabbed 200 rebounds under former Irish head coach Digger Phelps.
- Located in Wilberforce, Ohio, Central State is an NCAA Division II school and competes in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC).
- The Marauders finished 14-14 in 2018-19, 11-8 in conference play and claimed the program’s first SIAC West Division title.
Illinois-Chicago | Tuesday, November 6, 2018, 7 p.m. ET | Purcell Pavilion, Gotham Classic
- UIC finished 20-16 in 2017-18 and advanced to the championship game of the CollegeInsider.com post-season tournament.
- The 2017-18 season was UIC’s first 20-win season since 2004 and the Flames posted a school-record nine road victories during the season.
- November 6 will mark Notre Dame’s first meeting with UIC.
Chicago State | Thursday, November 8, 2018, 7 p.m. ET | Purcell Pavilion
- The Cougars return to the schedule for the third consecutive season, following the 105-66 Notre Dame victory on November 16, 2017 and 91-60 win on November 26, 2016.
- Notre Dame is 5-0 all-time against Chicago State.
- Chicago State finished 3-29 in 2017-18 and 1-13 in the Western Athletic Conference.
- Former Notre Dame football All-American and 1988 National Champion Chris Zorich was named the athletics director at Chicago State in May of 2018.
Radford | Wednesday, November 14, 2018, 7 p.m. ET | Purcell Pavilion, Gotham Classic
- Radford finished 23-13 in 2017-18 and defeated LIU Brooklyn in the NCAA First Four after claiming the Big South Championship.
- November 14 will mark the first meeting between Notre Dame and Radford.
William & Mary | Saturday, November 17, 2018, 12 p.m. ET | Purcell Pavilion, Gotham Classic
- William & Mary finished 19-12 in the Colonial Athletic Conference last season.
- November 17 will mark the second meeting between the Irish and Tribe, as Notre Dame won the first meeting 90-45 on December 30, 1982.
- The Notre Dame-William & Mary game will be played at noon ET to avoid any conflict with the Notre Dame-Syracuse football game set for Yankee Stadium at 2:30 p.m. ET.
Duquesne | Tuesday, November 20, 2018, 7 p.m. ET | Purcell Pavilion, Gotham Classic
- Duquesne finished 16-16 during the 2017-18 season, highlighted by three victories in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic.
- Notre Dame is 2-5 all-time against the Dukes, the most recent meeting a 77-62 Irish victory in Purcell Pavilion on February 8, 1995.
- Duquesne posted five straight wins over Notre Dame from 1971 through 1995, including an upset of No. 9/10 Notre Dame on January 18, 1971.
DePaul | Saturday, November 24, TBA | Purcell Pavilion
- The second game of a home-and-home series that began last year in the 2017-18 season opener for both teams, Notre Dame and DePaul will be meeting for the 106th time.
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 61-44 and 37-13 at home.
- The Irish have won a program-best 10 straight games against the Blue Demons dating back to 2007.
- The Notre Dame-DePaul series (105) trails only the Notre Dame-Marquette series (118) as the most prolific in school history.
Illinois | Tuesday, November 27, TBA | Purcell Pavilion, ACC/Big Ten Challenge
- Notre Dame and Illinois will be meeting for the 41st time and second time in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.
- The most recent meeting (and the first ACC/Big Ten Challenge meeting) ended in an 84-79 victory for the Irish at the dedication game of Illinois’ State Farm Center on December 2, 2015.
- Notre Dame is 3-2 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since joining the conference for the 2013-14 season. The Illinois matchup will mark the sixth for the Irish in the yearly event against just three different opponents (Notre Dame will have repeated with Iowa, Michigan State and Illinois).
Oklahoma | Tuesday, December 4, 2018, 7 p.m. ET | Madison Square Garden, Jimmy V Classic
- Notre Dame returns to Madison Square Garden for the first time since 2013 and will be making its second appearance in the Jimmy V Classic.
- The Irish defeated Kansas State 68-59 in the Jimmy V Classic on December 4, 2007.
- Notre Dame and Oklahoma will be meeting for the first time in men’s basketball.
- Current Irish assistant coach Ryan Humphrey (Tulsa, Oklahoma) played his first two seasons of college basketball at Oklahoma before transferring to Notre Dame and playing under current head coach Mike Brey in 2000-01 and 2001-02.
- Notre Dame has appeared in Madison Square Garden for 110 games in its 111 full seasons of college basketball compiling a 59-52 record at MSG. The Irish have played 84 games at the current site of Madison Square Garden (opened in February of 1968) and are 42-42 in those contests.
UCLA | Saturday, December 8, 2018, TBA | Pauley Pavilion
- Notre Dame and UCLA will be meeting for the 49th time with the Bruins holding a 28-20 advantage in the series.
- The Irish and Bruins met every season from 1966 through 1984 and made up the top college basketball rivalry of the 1970s. Only twice in that 30-game run was neither team ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll.
- Notre Dame upset top-ranked UCLA in legendary fashion on January 19, 1974, to snap the Bruins’ NCAA record 88-game win streak. The Irish also upset top-ranked UCLA in 1971 to book end the 88-game run. From 1974 through 1980, the two teams met 15 times with Notre Dame claiming a victory in nine of those matchups.
- The Irish and Bruins have met on and off since 1985, with the last matchup an 84-73 Notre Dame victory in Purcell Pavilion on December 19, 2009. The trip to Los Angeles this year will mark Notre Dame’s first to UCLA since February 2009.
- Notre Dame and UCLA met in the dedication game of the Athletic and Convocation Center (now Purcell Pavilion) on December 7, 1968, putting the 2018 matchup one day off of 50 years to the day of the first contest in Notre Dame’s home arena.
- Much of the motivation to renew the rivalry with UCLA was allowing senior Rex Pflueger (Dana Point, California) an opportunity to play in his home state before his graduation. The announcement of the UCLA series renewal coincided with Pflueger’s birthday (August 4, 2017).
Purdue | Saturday, December 15, 2018, TBA | Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Crossroads Classic
- The Irish and Boilermakers will be meeting for the 44th time and fourth time in the Crossroads Classic (Notre Dame is 2-1 against Purdue in the event).
- The Crossroad Classic, which features Notre Dame, Butler, Indiana and Purdue is set to continue through the 2019-20 season.
Binghamton | Tuesday, December 18, 2018, 7 p.m. ET | Purcell Pavilion
- The Irish and Bearcats will be meeting for the second time, with Notre Dame claiming an 82-39 victory on November 14, 2014.
- Binghamton finished the 2017-18 season 11-20 and 2-14 in the America East conference.
Jacksonville | Thursday, December 20, 7 p.m. ET | Purcell Pavilion
- The Irish and Dolphins will be meeting for the first time in men’s basketball in Notre Dame’s final game before the 2018 Christmas holiday break.
- Jacksonville finished 15-18 in 2017-18 and 8-6 in the Atlantic Sun conference.
- Naismith Hall of Famer Artis Gilmore led Jacksonville to the 1970 NCAA Championship game, where the Dolphins fell to UCLA.
Coppin State | Saturday, December 29, noon ET | Purcell Pavilion
- The Irish and Eagles will be meeting for the second time and first since 2014, when Notre Dame posted a 104-67 victory in Purcell Pavilion.
- Coppin State, located in Baltimore, Maryland, is a member of the MEAC and named after education pioneer Fanny Jackson Coppin.
- The matchup with Coppin State marks Notre Dame’s final non-conference game of the year before ACC competition begins after the first of the year.
The full 2018-19 schedule will be released later in the fall of 2018 as the ACC compiles its conference schedule. The Irish will face Georgia Tech, Boston College, Virginia and Virginia Tech in home-and-home series, play host to Clemson, Duke, NC State, Syracuse and Wake Forest, and make trips to Florida State, Louisville, Miami (FL), North Carolina and Pittsburgh.
The 2019 ACC Championship tournament will be held at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina, beginning on March 12, 2019. Charlotte last hosted the ACC tournament in 2008.
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