Jan. 24, 2012
Notre Dame (12-8, 4-3) vs. Seton Hall (15-4, 4-3)
Jan. 25, 2012 – 8:00 p.m. (ET)
Prudential Center (10,862)
Newark, N.J.
TV:
BIG EAST Network (Regional)
WMYS (South Bend area)
Mike Gleason (play-by-play)
Bob Valvano (analyst)
Radio:
Broadcast on UND.com
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Jordan Cornette (analyst)
Live Stats:
IRISH HEAD TO SETON HALL FOR WEDNESDAY NIGHT SHOWDOWN
– Notre Dame (12-8, 4-3) will begin a two-game road swing on Wednesday at Seton Hall (15-4, 4-3). Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. (ET) inside the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. Notre Dame will play at Connecticut on Sunday.
– The Fighting Irish topped No. 1 Syracuse, 67-58, on Saturday evening inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
– Wednesday’s game will be broadcast regionally on the BIG EAST Network with Mike Gleason (play-by-play) and Bob Valvano (analyst) calling the action. The contest can be seen on WMYS in the South Bend area.
– The Fighting Irish Digital Media radio crew of Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Jordan Cornette (analyst) will call the action on radio (affiliate listings on Pg. 5) and their broadcast can also be heard on UND.com.
– Wednesday will be the 26th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Seton Hall. The Fighting Irish lead the series 17-8, including wins in eight of the last nine encounters. Notre Dame captured a 60-48 home win over the Pirates last season (Feb. 26, 2011).
– Notre Dame is 6-6 all-time at Seton Hall. The Irish dropped their last game in Newark, 90-87, on Feb. 11, 2010. The last Fighting Irish win at Seton Hall was a 95-69 triumph on Feb. 6, 2008.
– The Irish are 16-7 against the Pirates since joining the BIG EAST in 1995.
– Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey is 11-4 all-time against Seton Hall.
– The Fighting Irish are 11-1 at home, 1-3 in true road games and 0-4 in neutral site games this season.
NOTRE DAME KNOCKS OFF #1 AGAIN
– Saturday’s victory over Syracuse was Notre Dame’s 10th all-time against a top-ranked team. Notre Dame is 10-23 all-time against No. 1 ranked teams. Eight of the victories have come against the top-ranked team in the Associated Press poll, which is the ranking the NCAA uses to recognize wins over No. 1 teams. The eight wins are tied for fourth nationally.
– It was Notre Dame’s first win over a No. 1 since topping North Carolina, 60-58, on Feb. 1, 1987 inside Purcell Pavilion.
– Notre Dame has won an NCAA record six straight home games against No. 1 teams. The Irish are 7-3 at home against top-ranked teams.
– The nine-point margin of victory was Notre Dame’s second largest ever against a top-ranked team. The Fighting Irish defeated No. 1 San Francisco by 11 points (93-82) on March 5, 1977.
– It was the third time an un-ranked Notre Dame squad defeated a No. 1 team in 18 tries.
STREAK BUSTERS
– Notre Dame’s victory over undefeated Syracuse (20-0) on Saturday is the latest in a long line of streak-busting wins for Fighting Irish athletics. Notre Dame has had a penchant for ending impressive winning streaks in a number of different sports, contributing to the University’s storied 125-year athletics tradition. Here is a rundown of the various notable “streak-busting” victories Notre Dame teams have posted through the years:
– Nov. 16, 1957
Football ends Oklahoma’s NCAA-record 47-game winning streak with a 7-0 victory at Owen Field in Norman, Okla.
– Jan. 19, 1974
Men’s basketball stops UCLA’s NCAA-record 88-game winning streak with a 71-70 win at the Joyce Center. Led by Digger Phelps, the Fighting Irish score the final 12 points of the game, capped by Dwight Clay’s jumper from the corner with 29 seconds to play.
– Oct. 2, 1994
Women’s soccer ends North Carolina’s NCAA-record 92-game winning streak. The two teams played to a 0-0 draw at the Americas Challenge Cup in St. Louis.
– June 7, 2002
Baseball snaps Florida State’s 25-game winning streak with a 10-4 victory in the first game of a best-of-three NCAA Super Regional in Tallahassee. The Fighting Irish would defeat FSU in the deciding third game two days later to secure their first College World Series berth in 45 years.
– Jan. 30, 2005
Women’s basketball ends Connecticut’s 112-game BIG EAST home winning streak/55-game Gampel Pavilion streak with a 65-59 triumph.
– Feb. 8, 2005
Men’s basketball halts Boston College’s 20-game winning streak. The Eagles entered Purcell Pavilion with a 20-0 record and the Irish handed them a 68-65 loss.
– Jan. 7, 2011
Women’s basketball ends Connecticut’s 57-game BIG EAST regular-season winning streak by capturing a 74-67 overtime win inside Purcell Pavilion.
SQUEEZING THE ORANGE
– Notre Dame never trailed in Saturday’s 67-58 win over Syracuse. The largest Irish lead was 18 points (35-17 with 1:28 left in the first half).
– Notre Dame shot 50.0% (8-16) from three-point land, a high for the Irish in BIG EAST play this season. The Irish held a 38-25 rebound advantage over the Orange.
– Syracuse’s 58 points were a season-low mark. The Irish held Syracuse to a season-low 34.0% (18-53) shooting from the field.
PLAYING WELL IN PURCELL
– The Fighting Irish are 95-7 in their last 102 games played at home. That 93.1% home winning percentage over the course of the last six seasons ranks fourth nationally.
IRISH ENJOY HOME COOKING IN CONFERENCE PLAY
– Notre Dame has gone 42-6 (.875) at home in BIG EAST play over the last six seasons. That is the best home winning percentage for any BIG EAST school in league play over that time period.
BIG EAST TRENDS
– Notre Dame is 22-7 (.759) over its last 29 BIG EAST regular-season contests. The Irish stood 6-8 through 14 regular-season games during the 2009-10 campaign and then won four straight to finish 10-8. Last season, Notre Dame posted a 14-4 regular-season mark in the league.
– The Irish are 15-4 over their last 19 BIG EAST regular-season games.
BREY MOVING UP BIG EAST WINS LIST
– Saturday’s win tied Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey with former Villanova head coach Rollie Massimino for fifth all-time on the BIG EAST wins list (both BIG EAST regular season and tournament). Brey is 123-86 (.589) in league regular-season and tournament play during his 12 seasons with the Irish. It also was Brey’s 250th win at Notre Dame. He has steered the Fighting Irish to a 250-128 (.661) record.
MARTIN MAKING THINGS HAPPEN
– Scott Martin has scored in double-figures in each of the last five games. That is a season-best streak for the senior. He is averaging 12.4 ppg. and 9.2 rpg. in the last five games.
– He recorded a double-double in two of those five games. Martin posted double-doubles in back-to-back contests against Louisville (Jan. 7) and USF (Jan. 10). Martin tallied 15 points and a career-high 13 rebounds in the win over USF. His previous rebound high was 12, which occurred the previous game versus Louisville. He also netted 11 points against the Cardinals.
PROTECTING THE ROCK
– Notre Dame ranks 10th nationally – and second among all BIG EAST teams – with a 1.4 assist-to-turnover ratio this season.
– The Fighting Irish rank fourth nationally – and first in the BIG EAST – in fewest turnovers per game (10.3).
– The Irish have had fewer than 10 turnovers in a game eight times this season. Notre Dame had a season-low four turnovers in the victory over Sacred Heart (Dec. 19). The Irish also had a season-high 25 assists (on 35 made baskets) versus the Pioneers.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Seven different Notre Dame players have posted a team-high point total in a game this season.
– Sophomore point guard Eric Atkins has led Notre Dame in scoring a team-best seven times this season, while junior forward Jack Cooley has led the Irish in points five times.
TOPPING 20
– Seven Notre Dame players – Tim Abromaitis, Eric Atkins, Pat Connaughton, Jack Cooley, Alex Dragicevich, Jerian Grant and Scott Martin – have scored 20 or more points in a game this season.
– Atkins has scored 20-plus points a team-best three times this season.
SHUFFLING THE LINEUP
– Notre Dame has used nine different starting lineups this season (out of 20 games played). No Notre Dame player has started every game this season (game-by-game starting lineups listed on page 7). Jerian Grant and Scott Martin both have a team-high 19 starts this season.
– The Irish used their ninth different lineup of the season on Saturday versus Syracuse when Eric Atkins, Pat Connaughton, Jack Cooley, Jerian Grant and Scott Martin comprised the starting five.
– Six different Irish players – Joey Brooks (Jr./G), Jack Cooley (Jr./F), Tom Knight (Jr./F), Jerian Grant (So./G), Alex Dragicevich (So./G) and Pat Connaughton (Fr./G-F) – have made their first career start this season.
COOLEY COMING TO PLAY
– Junior forward Jack Cooley notched his team-high fifth double-double of the season with 17 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday versus Syracuse. That was his team-high seventh double-digit rebounding effort of the season and the ninth time he has scored in double-figures.
– He was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll on Monday for his performance against the Orange. Cooley has been selected to the league’s weekly honor roll a team-high four times this season.
– Cooley is averaging team-best totals in points (12.9) and rebounds (9.6) in BIG EAST play this season.
– Against Delaware State (Nov. 18), Cooley hauled down a career-high 17 rebounds, which included 10 offensive boards. He became the first Irish player to register that many rebounds in a game since Luke Harangody had 17 against Louisville on Feb. 12, 2009.
– Cooley leads the Irish with an 8.4 rpg. average this season, which includes 3.8 offensive boards per game. He also has a team-high 26 blocked shots, which is a career-high total for the junior.
ATKINS ON THE ATTACK
– Sophomore point guard Eric Atkins leads the Irish with a 12.8 ppg. average this season. He averaged 5.8 ppg. last season as a freshman.
– He has scored 20 or more points in a game a team-best three times this season.
– Atkins has played 40-plus minutes eight times this season. He has played 40 or more minutes in five of seven BIG EAST games this season.
– Atkins has led Notre Dame in scoring a team-high seven times this season.
– He is shooting 43.1% (28-65) from three-point range this season.
– Atkins dished out a career-high nine assists twice this season (Sacred Heart, Dec. 19 & Bryant, Nov. 27).
– Atkins deposited a career-high 27 points versus Mississippi Valley State in the season opener.
GRANT HAS ALL-AROUND GAME
– Sophomore guard Jerian Grant, who is in his first season playing with the Irish after sitting out all of last season, has team-high totals in points (254), assists (95), steals (26) and minutes played (690). His 32 made three-pointers also are a team-high total. Grant is shooting a team-best 78.2% (68-87) from the free throw line this season.
– Grant ranks 13th nationally – and second in the BIG EAST – with a 2.88 assist-to-turnover ratio.
– Grant has scored in double-figures a team-best 15 times this season.
– He scored a career-high 20 points against both Georgia (Nov. 22) and Maryland (Dec. 4).
– Grant dished out a career-high nine assists versus Pittsburgh (Dec. 27).
– Grant posted his first career double-double by notching 12 points and a career-high 11 rebounds against Bryant (Nov. 27).
GET TO 60
– Notre Dame is 11-1 this season when scoring 60 or more points, while the Irish are 1-7 when scoring less than 60 points. The Fighting Irish are averaging 76.2 ppg. in their 12 wins, while they are averaging 57.9 ppg. in the eight losses.
– Notre Dame is allowing 59.2 ppg. in its wins and 71.4 ppg. in its setbacks.
CRASHING THE BOARDS
– The Fighting Irish have a +4.9 rebound margin in their 12 wins, while they have been out-rebounded by an 8.7 margin in their eight setbacks.
– Notre Dame is 7-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponent.
428 AND COUNTING
– Notre Dame has made at least one three-pointer in 428 straight contests dating back to the 1998-99 campaign. The Fighting Irish have made at least one three pointer during every game of the Mike Brey era. The last time an Irish team failed to hit a three-pointer in a game was in a 101-70 loss to Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center on Jan. 12, 1999. Notre Dame finished 0-7 from beyond the arc in that contest. In 2008-09, the Irish set a single-season three-point record with 319.
DOUBLE-DUTY
– Freshman guard/forward Pat Connaughton also is a pitcher on the Fighting Irish baseball team. Connaughton is the 66th Notre Dame student-athlete to compete in both basketball and baseball and the first to do so since Tom Hansen during the 1973-74 academic year.