Jan. 27, 2016
No. 25 Notre Dame (14-5, 5-2) vs. Syracuse (13-8, 3-5)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 27
Site: Carrier Dome – Syracuse, NY
Game Time: 7 p.m.
TV: ESPN2
Talent: Bob Wischusen (play-by-play); LaPhonso Ellis (analyst)
Radio: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network; WatchND; Sirius/XM 81
Talent: Jack Nolan (Play-By-Play); Torrian Jones (Analyst)
NOTRE DAME – SYRACUSE BY THE NUMBERS
1 – Notre Dame leads the nation in turnovers per game, averaging 9.2
5 – The Irish are after their fifth-consecutive ACC victory on Thursday night, which would match the program’s best streak of five-straight ACC wins from Jan. 14, 2015 – Jan. 28, 2015. The best conference streak in ND history is a nine-game BIG EAST stretch during the 2011-12 season.
10.1 – Average rebounds per game for senior forward Zach Auguste – good for fourth in the ACC and 23rd in the country. Auguste also is fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.541).
11 – Double-Doubles compiled by Zach Auguste this season, tied for the ACC lead (GT’s Charles Mitchell and UNC’s Brice Johnson) and ninth in the nation.
16 – Points scored by sophomore forward Bonzie Colson in three of his four career matchups with Boston College. Colson, from New Bedford, MA, scored 16 points with seven rebounds vs. BC on Jan. 23.
17 – Points scored by Jack Cooley in a 67-58 victory for Notre Dame over #1 Syracuse on Jan. 21, 2012. The win marked the 10th by an Irish men’s basketball team over the #1 team in the nation.
25 – AP ranking for the Irish on Monday, Jan. 25. The first national ranking for the Irish since Nov. 23, 2015.
32 – Career- high minutes played by freshman guard Rex Pflueger against Boston College. Pflueger also scored a career-high 11 points vs. the Eagles.
47 – Thursday marks the 47th meeting between Notre Dame and Syracuse. Of the 12 programs the Irish have faced more than 45 times, Notre Dame only has a losing record to Indiana, Kentucky, UCLA and Syracuse (Orange lead the all-time series 27-19).
62 – For the first time in 62 games, the Irish will take the court without the services of junior guard Demetrius Jackson. Projected to be sidelined with a hamstring pull, Jackson leads the team in scoring (16.6 pg), assists (5.0 pg) and minutes played (34.5 pg).
92 – Free throw percentage (.920), in ACC conference games, for Bonzie Colson, first in the ACC. Colson has only missed two free throws in conference action.
123.1 – Adjusted Offensive Efficiency for the Irish this season in the Pomeroy Index, good for #1 on the list (as of Feb. 26).
547 – The Irish are 547-1096 from the field this season, good for a .499 shooting mark, which ranks first in the ACC and seventh in the nation.
NOTRE DAME – SYRACUSE SERIES HISTORY:
- All-time series: Notre Dame trails 19-27
- Notre Dame at Syracuse: 9-13
- First meeting: Feb. 12, 1914 in Syracuse, NY, a 50-14 Orange victory.
- Most recent meeting: Feb. 24, 2015 in Purcell Pavilion, a 65-60 Orange victory
- Mike Brey vs. Syracuse at Notre Dame: 6-15
THE LAST TIMEââ’¬¦ VS. SYRACUSE:
Syracuse dealt Notre Dame just its second loss of the season in Purcell Pavilion, edging out a 65-60 victory. B.J. Johnson led the Orange with 19 points, while the Irish were paced by a double-double from Pat Connaughton (13 points, 15 rebounds). Current sophomore Bonzie Colson came off the bench to score 16 points for the Irish, while current senior Zach Auguste had 10 points with six rebounds.
SUCCESS IN THE TAR HEEL STATE:
Notre Dame joined the ACC at the start of the 2013-14 basketball season. The Irish ended up 0-3 in the state of North Carolina that year (65-58 loss at Wake Forest, 63-61 loss at North Carolina, 81-69 loss to Wake Forest in the ACC Tournament in Greensboro).
Since breaking through for the program’s first win in Chapel Hill, 71-70, at North Carolina on Jan. 5, 2015, the Irish have won six of the last seven games they have played in the Tar Heel State.
BOSTON COLLEGE REWIND:
Notre Dame lost starting point guard Demetrius Jackson just two minutes into the game with a pulled hamstring, but the Irish offense picked up the slack with five players hitting double figure scoring. Notre Dame held BC to 28.6% shooting in the game (a school record for ACC play). Steve Vasturia and Bonzie Colson led the way for the Irish with 16 points, while Vasturia stepped into the point guard role for the Irish with four assists, two steals and four rebounds.
AUGUSTE REACHES 1,000-POINT MARK:
Zach Auguste became the 57th player in Notre Dame men’s basketball history to surpass the 1,000 point milestone with his seventh point at Duke on Jan. 16. Auguste now has 1,024 points in 110 career contests.
IRISH IN THE ACC:
Notre Dame is 25-18 in ACC regular-season play after two-plus seasons in the conference. After going 6-12 in its first season in 2014-15, the Irish finished 14-4 in 2014-15.
Notre Dame’s 14 wins a year ago (+8.0) marked the second-best improvement from the previous season in ACC history.
NOTRE DAME REACHES 1800-WIN MILESTONE:
Notre Dame’s 84-79 victory at Illinois on Dec. 2 marked the 1800th win in program history.
The Fighting Irish are 1809-976 (.649) all-time in 111-plus seasons.
Notre Dame ranks eighth in Division I in all-time program wins behind Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Temple, Syracuse and UCLA. The Irish have improved four spots in the all-time wins list since Mike Brey took over the program for the 2000-01 season, surpassing Indiana, Oregon State, Pennsylvania and St. John’s.
As of Jan. 26, Notre Dame is the only NCAA program to rank in the top 10 for men’s basketball victories (1808) and football victories (892, 2nd).
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