Feb. 5, 2016
Notre Dame (15-7, 6-4) vs. No. 2/1 Miami (19-3, 8-1)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 6
Site: Notre Dame, Ind. ââ’¬” Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Game Time: 7 p.m. (ET)
TV: ESPN
Talent: Dan Shulman (play-by-play); Jay Bilas (analyst)
Radio: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network; WatchND; Sirius/XM 84
Talent: Jack Nolan (Play-By-Play); Torrian Jones (Analyst)
NOTRE DAME ââ’¬” NORTH CAROLINA BY THE NUMBERS
1 – The Irish boast the most efficient offense in the nation, according to the Pomeroy Adjusted Offensive Efficiency Index (122.9).
4 – Notre Dame is fourth in the nation in turnovers per game, averaging 9.5 per contest.
5 – Overtimes played by the Irish the last time ESPN’s College Game Day visited Purcell Pavilion. Notre Dame defeated Louisville 104-101 on Feb. 9, 2013, in the longest game in Irish basketball history.
10.1 – Average rebounds per game for senior forward Zach Auguste – good for third in the ACC and 22nd in the country. Auguste also is fifth in the ACC in field goal percentage (.537).
10 – Wins over the #1 ranked team in the nation in Notre Dame basketball history. North Carolina enters Saturday evening’s game ranked #1 in the USA Today/Coaches Poll, #2 in the Associated Press.
11 – Consecutive ‘bounce-back’ games in which the Irish have earned a victory, including the 85-62 victory over Wake Forest on Jan. 31. Notre Dame has not lost consecutive games since the end of the 2013-14 season.
16.3 – Points per game scored by junior forward V.J. Beachem in the last four Notre Dame games (14 vs. Boston College, career-high 22 at Syracuse, 15 vs. Wake Forest, 14 at Miami).
25 – Saturday night marks the 25th meeting between Notre Dame and North Carolina. The Irish broke a five-game losing streak to the Tar Heels with two victories in 2014-15, a 71-70 win in Chapel Hill (Notre Dame’s first program win at North Carolina) and a 90-82 victory in the 2015 ACC Championship game in Greensboro, NC.
60 – Points scored by the Irish in their victory over #1 North Carolina on Jan. 1, 1987, the last victory for Notre Dame at home over the Tar Heels.
987 – Career points scored by junior guard Demetrius Jackson, who is poised to become the 58th Notre Dame player to reach 1,000 points scoring in a career. Zach Auguste joined the exclusive club Jan. 16 at Duke.
1810 – Wins in Notre Dame men’s basketball history, ranked eighth all-time. Since Mike Brey took over the Irish program in 2000-01, the Irish have moved from 12th to 8th on the all-time wins list.
NOTRE DAME AGAINST #1
The Irish will be facing the #1 ranked team in the country for the 35th time in program history. The Irish own 10 victories over top-ranked teams based on the Associated Press, United Press International and ESPN/USA Today rankings.
Notre Dame’s last win over a top-ranked team was on Jan. 21, 2012 when the Irish defeated Syracuse 67-58 at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
NOTRE DAME ââ’¬” NORTH CAROLINA SERIES HISTORY:
- All-time series: Notre Dame trails 6-18.
- Notre Dame vs. North Carolina at Purcell Pavilion: 1-4
- First meeting: Feb. 15, 1958, a 89-70 Notre Dame victory in Chicago Stadium.
- Most recent meeting: March 14, 2015, a 90-82 Notre Dame victory in the 2015 ACC Championship game.
- Mike Brey vs. North Carolina at Notre Dame: 2-3
THE LAST TIMEââ’¬¦ VS. NORTH CAROLINA:
Notre Dame earned its first ACC Championship and first conference tournament title with an 90-82 victory over North Carolina on March 14, 2015 in Greensboro, NC. Jerian Grant paced the Irish with 24 points and 10 assists, while Pat Connaughton added 20 points. Current Irish senior Zach Auguste posted a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Marcus Paige scored 24 points for the Tar Heels.
BOUNCE-BACK AGAIN:
The Irish will be looking to return to the win column against the Tar Heels on Saturday night after a 79-70 loss at Miami on Feb. 3. Notre Dame has ‘bounced-back’ after a loss 11 consecutive times over the past two seasons, avoiding back-to-back losses since losing three in a row to end the 2013-14 season.
The current 62-game run of avoiding back-to-back losses is the best such streak in the Mike Brey era at Notre Dame.
IRISH BENCH READY FOR ACTION:
Three Irish players have made an impression on the box score in their first significant minutes of the 2015-16 season.
On November 27, freshman forward Matt Ryan saw a season-high 26 minutes against Iowa, scoring a then-career best 11 points. Ryan moved into the starting line up against Georgia Tech on Jan. 13 and played a career-high 35 minutes with 10 points and seven rebounds.
On January 16, freshman guard Rex Pflueger came off the bench to play 23 key minutes in Notre Dame’s victory at Duke. Pflueger contributed seven points, two blocks and plenty of defense in the program’s first win in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Prior to the Duke game, Pflueger’s highest minutes played in a game was 12 against Youngstown State.
On Jan. 31, A.J. Burgett joined the starting lineup and played a season-high 25 minutes, scoring a career-high 14 points.
20 and 10:
Zach Auguste is putting together a stellar senior campaign. Averaging a career-best 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds, Auguste has 12 ‘double-doubles’ to his credit this season and has reached the 20 and 10 plateau (20+ points, 10+ rebounds) three times this season.
Auguste had 23 points and 11 rebounds vs. Stony Brook, 22 points and a career-high 15 rebounds vs. Georgia Tech and 21 points and 12 rebounds vs. Wake Forest.
Auguste just missed reaching that 20-10 mark vs. Georgia Tech (24-9) and UMass-Lowell (19-10).
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