February Begins On The Road At Boston College

Game 22: Notre Dame (11-10, 1-7) at Boston College (11-8, 2-5)
Date	Saturday, February 2, 2019 | 2:00 p.m. ET
Location	Conte Forum | Chestnut Hill, MA
Tickets	Still available at BCEagles.com
Series History	33rd meeting, Notre Dame leads the all-time series 22-10
TV	Raycom Regional Sports Networks with Jeff Fischel and Mike Gminski Also available via the Fox Sports App
Radio	Notre Dame Basketball Network with Jack Nolan and Zach Hillesland (Notre Dame ’09) Also available on the Notre Dame app
Live Stats	Notre Dame Athletics StatBroadcast Home Page
Where to Watch/Listen	More Information On Where To Watch/Listen To The Irish
2018-19 Stats	Notre Dame | Boston College
Shop	Online Store
Social Media	@NDMBB  | @FightingIrish  | @ndmbb  | NDmbb on Facebook

IRISH RETURN TO THE ROAD AT BOSTON COLLEGE 

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (11-10, 1-7 ACC) hits on the road to face Boston College (11-8, 2-5) on Saturday afternoon in Conte Forum. The Irish are looking to put the month of January behind them, starting the league slate 1-7 with six of the eight games against the top seven teams in the current conference standings. 

The Irish and Eagles are meeting for the second time this season after Notre Dame’s 69-66 victory on January 12, 2019. 

NOTRE DAME vs. BOSTON COLLEGE SERIES HISTORY

• Notre Dame and Boston College will be meeting for the 33rd time on Saturday afternoon, with the Irish leading the all-time series 22-10. 
• The 12-game win streak against the Eagles is the second-best all-time for Notre Dame over a current Division 1 opponent (see page page 5 for more). 
•  The Irish have won all 11 matchups against the Eagles as ACC opponents and the last 12 meetings overall (the final victory as BIG EAST opponents a 68-65 victory over No. 4/4 Boston College in Purcell Pavilion on Feb. 8, 2005). 
• Boston College joins Georgia Tech as Notre Dame’s designated home-and-home games each season of ACC play. 
• While the Irish and Eagles have been conference opponents since 1995, the two teams have only met once in the postseason – and as non-conference opponents. Notre Dame defeated Boston College in the 1984 postseason NIT in Springfield, Massachusetts, 66-52. 

MR. MOONEY ONE OF SIX MAJOR CONFERENCE PLAYERS AVERAGING A DOUBLE-DOUBLE

Junior forward John Mooney (dubbed Mr. Mooney by Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network Analyst Zach Hillesland) is on a run of seven consecutive double-doubles that has pushed his season averages to 14.4 (ppg) and 10.8 (rpg) – the only ACC player averaging a double-double. 

Mooney joins Minnesota’s Jordan Murphy (15.1 pts, 11.9 reb), Kansas’ Dedric Lawson (19.2 pts, 10.9 reb), Wisconsin’s Ethan Happ (18.5 pts, 10.3 reb), Maryland’s Bruno Fernando (14.9 pts, 10.3 reb)  and Arizona State’s Zylan Cheatham (11.8 pts, 10.4 rpg) as the only major conference players averaging a double-double in 2018-19. 

Add in Mooney’s .447 three-point field goal percentage – and he becomes the only major conference player to average over 10 points, 10 rebounds, .400 3FG% (minimum of 40 attempts). 

MOONEY LEADS ACC IN DOUBLE-DOUBLES

Junior forward John Mooney has raised his level of play to an all-conference level in 2018-19 and currently leads the ACC in rebounding (10.8 per game) and double-doubles (13 in 21 games played). 

One of six major conference players averaging a double-double this season (14.4 ppg, 10.8 rpg), Mooney entered the season with 4.5 ppg and 3.3 rpg averages. 

MOONEY DOUBLE-DOUBLES IN 2018-19

MOONEY LONE MAJOR CONFERENCE PLAYER WITH THREE OR MORE CONSECUTIVE DOUBLE-DOUBLES

John Mooney leads the ACC in double-doubles with 13, including seven in a row. He is the only major conference player in the nation with five or more consecutive double-doubles and is second overall for consecutive double-doubles in Divsion I. 

WIN STREAK RESEARCH

Notre Dame’s 12-game run against the Eagles is tied for the seventh-longest against current Division I opponents in school history. 

The 12-game streak is the second-longest current streak against Division I foes, behind the 13 games vs. St. Francis (Pennsylvania) and ahead of the 11-game streak against DePaul that was extended earlier this season (95-70, Nov. 24, 2018). 

The 12- game win streak is the longest for the Irish against a conference opponent, besting the 11-game run against BIG EAST Conference foe West Virginia from February 21, 1999 through January 19, 2005. 

NOTRE DAME WIN STREAKS (11 games or longer) VS. CURRENT DIVISION I TEAMS

IRISH POST REMARKABLE SIX-PLAYER VICTORY IN FIRST MEETING VS. BOSTON COLLEGE

The Irish knew the bench would be limited in the game with Boston College (1/12/19) – junior Juwan Durham would be resting his injured ankle, Rex Pflueger and Robby Carmody are out for the year with injuries and freshman Chris Doherty hoped to retain a year of eligibility this season. 

But 20 minutes before the game tipped off, the Irish found out that junior T.J. Gibbs would not be available due to a sudden illness – and instantly the Irish would enter the game with six scholarship players available. 

Not only did the Irish hold strong to earn their first ACC victory of the year – they became the first Division I team to win a game this season playing only six players. It marks the second time a Mike Brey team has won a game playing six – as the Irish defeated American 78-74 on December 21, 2003. 

FRESHMAN STARTING TRIO IS A BREY-ERA FIRST

Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski became the first trio of true freshman to start at game for a Notre Dame Mike Brey-coached team against Boston College (1/12/19) – and became the first such trio to post a victory in such a contest since LaPhonso Ellis, Elmer Bennett and Keith Tower claimed an defeated Portland 80-58 on January 9, 1989. 

The most recent occurrence of three true freshmen in the starting lineup came in the 1999-2000 season under then-head coach Matt Doherty, when Matt Carroll, Ivan Kartelo and Jere Macura took the court against Miami (FL), suffering a 63-49 setback. 

A three-freshman starting lineup is a rarity at Notre Dame, as prior to the aforementioned 1989 contest, the previous games with three freshman in the starting lineup occurred in the 1982-83 season, when Tim Kempton, Ken Barlow, Joe Price and Jim Dolan combined through various different iterations to start 14 games (though the Irish never reached a point where all four started the same contest). 

FIVE SCHOLARSHIP FRESHMAN IN ACTION A BREY-ERA FIRST

When freshman Chris Doherty was activated against NC State (1/19/19), he became the fifth scholarship freshman to play for the Irish this season – a first in the Mike Brey era. 

The last time Notre Dame saw five true scholarship freshmen see playing time in one season was in 1991-92, when Nathion Gilmore, Lamarr Justice, Malik Russell, Billy Taylor and Jason Williams all played for John MacLeod’s first time at Notre Dame. 

SIX NEWCOMERS MATCH HIGH OF BREY ERA

Notre Dame welcomes six new players who are eligible for competition this season – junior Juwan Durham (sat out the 2017-18 season after transferring from Connecticut) and freshmen Robby Carmody, Dane Goodwin, Prentiss Hubb, Nate Laszewski and Chris Doherty. 

Only the 2009-10 season, when transfers Ben Hansbrough and Scott Martin joined freshmen Mike Broghammer, Joey Brooks, Jack Cooley and Tom Knight, experienced as many newcomers to a Mike Brey-coached Notre Dame roster. 

NOTRE DAME vs. BOSTON COLLEGE – BY THE NUMBERS