Nov. 18, 2007
Notre Dame (2-0, 0-0 BIG EAST)
vs.
Baylor (2-0, 0-0 Big 12)
Sunday, November 18, 2007 • 8:30 p.m. (EST)
University of the Virgin Islands Sports & Fitness Center • St. Thomas, USVI
MEDIA INFORMATION
Television: Fox College Sports: Mark Brown (play-by-play analyst), Larry Conley (color analyst), Monyka Johnigan (sideline reporter)
Radio: Jack Nolan (play-by-play analyst), LaPhonso Ellis (color analyst), Notre Dame Sports Properties originates the Notre Dame Radio Network which includes:
WLS 890 AM in Chicago, Ill (Chicagoland area and Midwest);
WZOW 97.7 FM and 102.3 FM in South Bend, Ind.;
ESPN 950 AM in Indianapolis, Ind.;
WLYV 1450 AM in Fort Wayne, Ind. and Northeast, Ind.;
WLUV 96.7 AM in Rockford and DeKalb, Ill., and Beloit and Janesville, Wis.;
WLUV 1520 AM in Rockford and DeKalb, Ill., and Beloit and Janesville, Wis.;
WEFM 95.9 FM in Michigan City and Gary, Ind.;
ESPN (WRSW) 1480 AM in Warsaw, Ind.;
WAMW 107.9 FM and 1580 AM in Washington, Ind., and www.und.com.
Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available for all home games, via the Notre Dame athletic website (www.und.com).
Notre Dame vs. Baylor
- Notre Dame faces Baylor in the second round of the Paradise Jam. The Irish are coming off of a convincing 76-33 victory over Monmouth in Friday night’s first round game.
- Tonight’s matchup will be just the meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame was victorious in the lone contest when it defeated the Bears 98-57 on November 30, 1977.
Opening In Style
- Notre Dame opened up the season in resounding fashion at the Joyce Center last Monday evening (Nov. 12) as the Irish defeated Long Island 82-50. Notre Dame was led by Rob Kurz’ 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Luke Harangody finished with 15 points and six boards. Zach Hillesland was the other Irish player in double figures as he finished with 12 points. Tory Jackson (eight assists) and Kyle McAlarney (seven assists) combined to dish out 15 of Notre Dame’s 28 assists on 35 baskets (0.8 assist-to-basket ratio).
- Notre Dame beat its second Northeast Conference for the second time in as many games with its victory over Monmouth on Friday night. Rob Kurz was again the leading scorer for the Irish as he finished with 15 points as one of three Irish players in double figures. Ryan Ayers finished with career-high 13 points as he connected on 5-6 shots from the field and matched a personal best seven rebounds. Kyle McAlarney also finished with 13 points and and a career-high five boards. Notre Dame owned a 46-18 advantage on the boards and shot 50.9 percent from the field and 43.5 percent from three-point range. The Irish held Monmouth to just 26.5 percent shooting from the field (15.3 from three-point range).
“D” The Key
- En route to its 76-33 victory on Friday night, Notre Dame held Monmouth without a point in the final 10:31 of the contest and outscored the Hawks 23-0 down the stretch. In fact, the Irish held Monmouth to just eight first half points and just 11 points overall in the final 24:52 of the contest. Notre Dame also limited Monmouth to just nine field goal attempts (all misses) in the final 8:17 of the game.
Monmouth Notables
- The 33 points allowed by Notre Dame were the fewest ever under Brey and the eight points in the second half were the fewest ever by an Irish team in a half since the inception of the three-point shot.
- The 33 points allowed were also the fewest given up by a Notre Dame team since January 4, 1950 in a 54-33 win at home against Butler. It also marked the fewest points scored by an Irish opponent in a road or neutral site game since Kentucky’s 34-28 win over the Irish on December 29, 1981 in Louisville, Ky.
- The 43-point margin of victory was the matched the seveth-highest for an Irish team under Mike Brey.
Defense Shine In First Two Games
- While offense has always been a staple under head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame’s defense has keyed Notre Dame’s first two wins. The Irish are allowing just 41.5 points per game and held opponents to 27.2 percent shooting from the field and 20.5 percent from three-point range. Notre Dame also owns a +19.5 advantage on the boards and has outscored its first two opponents a combined 82-35 in the second half.
Busy Times
- After opening up against Long Island on Monday and with the three games scheduled at the Paradise Jam, Notre Dame will begin its season with four games in one week. It’s a busy start for the Irish who will have an uncharacteristic two-week layoff from Dec. 8-22. In fact, Notre Dame will play six games during the month of November and only five in the month of December.
Bringing Out The Best In The Irish
- Notre Dame is playing in its fifth in-season tournament under head coach Mike Brey. The Irish have won two of the four tournaments that they have participated in. They were victorious in the 2002 Hawaii Pacific Tournament and won the tournament by posting wins over Hawaii-Pacific (98-58), Tennessee-Chattanooga (92-84) and Monmouth (85-48). Notre Dame’s other tournament victory came a year later at the prestigious BB&T Classic Washington, D.C. in December of 2002 as it picked up wins over Maryland (76-67) and Texas (98-92) in the championship game. That same year, Notre Dame also finished second at the Guardians Classic as the Irish posted wins over Belmont (76-48), IUPUI (89-45) and Furman (75-50) before losing to Creighton 80-75 in the championship game.
AYERS Ball
- Junior Ryan Ayers is off to the best start in his career shooting 57.1 percent from the field (8-14) and 62.5 percent (5-8) from three-point range. His 10.5 points per game also marks a career best. Last year, he began the season 0-12 from the field before hitting his first field goal in the sixth game of the year. Heading into this season, he owned a 38.5 career field goal percentage and 37.5 percent mark from three-point range.
272 And Counting
- Heading into the Baylor game, Notre Dame has hit at least one three-pointer in 272 straight games, a mark that dates back to the 1998-99 campaign. The last time an Irish team failed to hit a three-pointer was a 101-70 loss to Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center on Jan. 12, 1999 as Notre Dame finished 0-7 from beyond the arc in the game. The 2005-06 Irish squad set the single-season record with 288 three-pointers and fell just one field goal short of that mark (287) in 2006-07.
Notre Dame vs. The Big 12
- Notre Dame is 20-16 overall versus teams from the Big 12 Conference and have not palyed a Big 12 team since defeating Texas 98-92 in the championship game of the BB&T Classic on December 8, 2002.