Jan. 6, 2016

Notre Dame Notes

Notre Dame (9-4, 0-1) vs. Boston College (7-7, 0-1)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 7, 2016
Site: Conte Forum – Chestnut Hill, Mass.
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV/Internet: RSN
Talent: Wes Durham (play-by-play); Alexander Cory (analyst)
Radio: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network; WatchND; Sirius 145 XM 193
Talent: Jack Nolan (Play-By-Play); Torrian Jones (Analyst)

NOTRE DAME TRAVELS TO BOSTON COLLEGE FOR ACC MATCHUP

• The Notre Dame men’s basketball team travels to Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts for its second Atlantic Coast Conference road test of the season as the Irish face conference rival Boston College at Conte Forum. Tipoff for the contest is 7 p.m. (ET) on RSN.
• Notre Dame began its third season as a member of the ACC in Charlottesville on Saturday afternoon and dropped a 77-66 decision to then fifth-ranked Virginia. The loss snapped a five-game ACC win streak for the Irish dating back to last season when the Irish won their final two regular-season games and three games in the ACC Tournament to claim the school’s first-ever conference crown.
• Notre Dame’s loss to Virginia snapped a nine-game win streak in conference openers. Heading into the contest, the last time Notre Dame dropped a league opener was on the road versus Pittsburgh on Jan. 4, 2006 (100-97 in double overtime) when both programs were members of the BIG EAST Conference.
• Boston College and Georgia Tech are Notre Dame’s repeat opponents each season in ACC regular-season play.
• The Irish own a 15-10 advantage in the series and have won five straight over the Eagles. The last time Notre Dame lost to Boston College was on Feb. 4, 2003 as the Eagles prevailed 101-96 in overtime.
• Notre Dame is 4-0 versus the Eagles in ACC play and 4-6 all-time in Chestnut Hill.
• The contest will be broadcast on RSN with Wes Durham (play-by-play) and Alexander Cory (analyst) calling the action.
• A free audio broadcast will be available courtesy of WatchND. Jack Nolan will handle play-by-play duties, while Torrian Jones will serve as the analyst. The matchup is also available on Sirius 145 and XM 193.
• After two consecutive ACC road tests, Notre Dame next returns home to the Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center hardwood for consecutive home games. The Irish will face Pittsburgh for its ACC home opener on Saturday, Jan. 9 at 4 p.m. (ET) and then Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 9 p.m. (ET).

THE MATCHUP

• Notre Dame (9-4, 0-1) is coming off a 77-66 setback against then fifth-ranked Virginia in its ACC opener, while the Eagles (7-7, 0-1) also lost their conference opener last Saturday when they dropped an 81-64 decision to Duke.
• Notre Dame’s matchup against Virginia marked the first ranked opponent the Irish had faced this season.
• The contest Thursday evening will be the 26th meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame owns a 15-10 advantage against the Eagles.
• Mike Brey is 7-1 all-time versus Boston College.
• The Irish and Eagles have met four times as ACC foes and Notre Dame has won all four of those matchups.
• Notre Dame’s starting five of Demetrius Jackson (16.4 ppg.), Zach Auguste (13.2 ppg.), V.J. Beachem (12.4 ppg.), Steve Vasturia (12.2 ppg.) and Bonzie Colson (10.8 ppg.) are all averaging double figures. It marks the second consecutive season that Notre Dame’s starters are averaging better than 10 points per game.
• Notre Dame’s 66 points against Virginia marked the lowest scoring output for the Irish this season. Coach Mike Brey’s squad is averaging 78.1 ppg. and yielding 68.4 ppg. to its opponents. Notre Dame has topped the 80-point mark on eight occasions and scored fewer than 70 points in three contests.
• The Irish are hitting 49.5 percent (373-753) of its shots from the field and 38.5 percent (107-278) from three-point range. Notre Dame has outrebounded its opponents in all but four games this season and owns a 36.8 to 31.5 advantage on the boards.
• Junior guard Demetrius Jackson leads the Irish in scoring with 16.4 ppg. Jackson has netted double figures in 11 of 13 games this season. He was held to a season-low nine points in the loss to Indiana on Dec. 19 and against Liberty on Tuesday on Dec. 29. He also leads the Irish in both the assists (64/4.9 aspg.) and steals (15/1.2 stlpg.) categories.
• Zach Auguste is next in the scoring column at 13.2 ppg. He also leads the Irish with 9.8 rpg. He has scored in double figures in 10 outings and registered a team-leading eight double-doubles. Auguste was held to one point and two rebounds (both season lows) in the loss to Virginia.
• V.J. Beachem is averaging 12.6 ppg. and 4.7 rpg., (both career bests), ranking third on the squad in both those categories. Beachem has netted double figures in eight games this season. He had his career-high double-figure scoring streak snapped against Liberty as he was held to nine points.
• Steve Vasturia is averaging a career-best 12.2 ppg. and ranks second in assists (37/2.8 aspg.). He had a career-high eight assists in Notre Dame’s win over Youngstown State. Vasturia saw his personal-best 12-game double-figure scoring streak (dating back to last season) snapped against Indiana on Dec. 19 as he finished with just seven points in the loss to the Hoosiers. Vasturia also netted just four points (1-7 from the field) in the win over Youngstown State two days later. In each of the last two games against Liberty (17 points) and Virginia (14 points), Vasturia has reached double figures.
• Bonzie Colson is the fifth Irish starter in double figures as he is netting 10.8 ppg. and stands second on the squad with a 7.4 rebounding average.
• Boston College dropped an 81-64 decision to Duke in its ACC opener. The Eagles are led by two players in double figures, Eli Carter (17.3 ppg.) and Jerome Robinson (12.4 ppg.).

IRISH IN THE ACC

• Notre Dame is 20-17 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.

VIRGINIA REWIND

• Notre Dame lost for the ninth straight time to Virginia in the 77-66 loss in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers connected on 28-49 from the field for a 57.1 shooting percentage – the highest against Irish this season. It also marked the third time this season that an Irish opponent has shot better than 50.0 percent from the field.
• The Irish trailed by double digits for most of the contest as Virginia owned a 36-24 advantage at the break.
• Virginia outrebounded Notre Dame 30-25 and attempted 17 more free throws. The Cavaliers converted 17-24 from the charity stripe, while the Irish were just 5-7 from the line.
• Notre Dame had four players in double figures, led by Demetrius Jackson’s 18 points. Steve Vasturia and Bonzie Colson each added 14 points, while V.J. Beachem netted 10 points.
• Zach Auguste was held to season-lows of one point and two rebounds.
• The Cavaliers were led by Malcolm Brogdon’s and Anthony Gill’s 24 and 21 points, respectively.

LOST LEADS

• Notre Dame’s four losses are by a combined 21 points (5.25).
• Prior to the 11-point loss to Virginia, Notre Dame’s three previous setbacks in 2015-16 had been by a combined 10 points (3.3 ppg.)
• In two of the three losses prior to the Virginia game, the Irish led at halftime.
• Notre Dame held a 37-29 advantage at the break versus Monmouth in its opening game of the Advocare Invitational and held a 41-31 halftime lead against Indiana on Dec. 19.
• In its one-point loss to Alabama, the Crimson Tide led 43-39 at the break.

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 1805-975 (.649) all-time in 111-plus seasons.
• Notre Dame is one of just nine Division I institutions with 1800 wins. The other eight are Kentucky, Kansas, North Carolina, Duke, Temple, Syracuse, UCLA and St. John’s.

DOUBLE THE PLEASURE

• Senior forward Zach Auguste has registered a double-double in eight of 13 games for the Irish. He is averaging career-bests of 13.2 points and 9.8 rebounds this season.
• His most recent double-double outing was against Liberty on Dec. 29, as he finished the contest with 13 points and 14 rebounds (matching a career high).
• Auguste has scored in double figures in 10 of 13 games this season and grabbed 10-plus rebounds on nine occasions.
• Auguste had 16 points and matched his career high of 14 rebounds in Notre Dame’s outing against Illinois. He also had 14 rebounds in the season opener versus St. Francis (Pa.).
• Auguste has reached double figures in scoring 49 times during his career and finished with 20-plus points in six career contests. He also has 13 career double-doubles to his credit and finished with 10 or more rebounds on 15 occasions.
• Prior to the Loyola Chicago game on Dec. 13 in which he finished with eight points and five rebounds, Auguste had registered a double-double in three consecutive games (Alabama, Illinois and Stony Brook), the longest streak of his career.

JACKSON DOUBLING IT UP

• Junior guard Demetrius Jackson scored a team-high 18 points against Virginia for his 11th double-figure scoring effort of the season.
• Jackson was held to just nine points against Indiana on Dec. 19 (4-7 from the field), but rebounding in Notre Dame’s next outing as he finished with 17 points in the win over Youngstown State. He also had just nine points versus Liberty as he made just three of his nine field goal attempts. The game against the Hoosiers marked the first time this season that Jackson did not reach double figures in scoring. Jackson has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 outings.
• Jackson posted his first career double-double in Notre Dame’s win over Stony Brook on Dec. 8 as he tallied 19 points and dished off a career-high 10 assists. He leads the Irish in scoring at 16.4 points per game and tops the team with 64 assists (4.9 aspg.) and 15 steals.
• Jackson has topped the 20-plus point mark on four occasions this season.
• Jackson has scored in double figures on 48 occasions and netted 20-plus points mark eight times.
• He began the season by scoring 20-plus points in each of Notre Dame’s first two contests. Jackson scored a career-high 27 points in the season opener against St. Francis (Pa.) as he connected on 10-14 from the field and 3-5 from three-point range. He followed that up with a 20-point effort versus Milwaukee that marked the first time in his career that he netted 20-plus points in back-to-back contests.
• Jackson also finished 20 points in the loss to Monmouth for the seventh 20-plus point effort of his career.

BEACHEM CONTINUES TO SHINE FOR IRISH

• Junior forward V.J. Beachem is averaging career bests of 12.4 points and 4.5 rebounds while starting all 13 games for the Irish. He has scored in double figures in eight contests this season.
• He has scored in double figures in five of Notre Dame’s last six games. A four-game double-figure scoring streak versus Stony Brook (14), Loyola Chicago (10), Indiana (18) and Youngstown State (16) was the longest of his career.
• Beachem has netted double figures 20 times during his career.

CALL HIM MR. CONSISTENT

• Junior guard Steve Vasturia has been one Notre Dame’s most consistent players all season long. He is averaging career-bests of 12.2 ppg. and 2.9 rpg., and has scored in double figures in 11 of 13 outings.
• Entering the Indiana contest on Dec. 19, Vasturia was riding a team-best 12-game double-figure scoring streak dating back to the 2014-15 campaign. In the loss to the Hoosiers, he finished just 3-9 shots from the field and scored just seven points. In Notre Dame’s outing against Youngstown State on Dec. 21, Vasturia was held to a season-low four points as he converted just 1-7 from the field.
• Vasturia has netted double figures in 36 career outings and topped the 20-plus point mark twice during his career.
• Vasturia has started 63 of the 78 games he has played in during his Notre Dame career and has made a 58 consecutive starts (a team best).

BONZIE IS ROLLING

• Sophomore forward Bonzie Colson had his best career outing in the loss to Indiana on Dec. 19 as he finished with 24 points and grabbed eight rebounds, equaled his career-best with three assists and made two steals. The 24 points marked the first time in the 42 career games that he had played that he topped the 20-plus point mark.
• Colson has scored in double figures in 14 of 45 career outings. Heading into Notre Dame’s matchup against Liberty on Dec. 29, Colson was riding a career-best four-game double-figure scoring streak – Stony Brook (10), Loyola Chicago (14), Indiana (24) and Youngstown State (14). In the win over the Flames, he saw that streak come to an end as he finished with seven points.
• Colson has started all 13 games for the Irish this season and is averaging career bests of 10.8 points and 7.4 rebounds.
• Colson has registered double figures in scoring in nine contests this season.
• He registered his first career double-double with 10 points and personal-best 12 rebounds versus Monmouth.

YOUNG GUN

• Freshman Matt Ryan had the best outing of his career in Notre Dame’s win over Loyola Chicago on Dec. 13 as he posted career highs of 14 points and five rebounds.
• Ryan connected on 5-8 shots from the field and was 4-6 from three-point range.
• Ryan also scored 11 points in Notre Dame’s win against Iowa.
• He had a career-high three blocked shots against Indiana.
• Ryan had seven points in the loss to Virginia in his first ACC outing.
• He is the top scorer for the Irish off the bench as he is averaging 5.8 ppg.

AUGUSTE NEARING 1,000-POINT MARK

• Senior forward Zach Auguste is approaching the 1,000-point mark. Heading into the Boston College game, he has 942 career points in 105 career contests.
• He would become the 57th player in Notre Fame history to reach that point total.
• Auguste has started 62 games for the Irish during his career and is averaging 9.0 ppg.

BOMBS AWAY

• V.J. Beachem has hit a three-point field goal in 12 of Notre Dame’s 13 contests. Prior to the Virginia game, he had netted a three-pointer in the first 12 games. He leads Notre Dame with 37 three-pointers and has connected on 45.7 percent (37-81) of those attempts from beyond the arc.
• Heading into this season, Beachem had made 53 three-pointers in his first two campaigns in an Irish uniform.
• His 37 three-pointers made are nearly twice more than any other Irish player this season. Steve Vasturia has 20 three-point field goals and Matt Ryan is second with 19.

OUR FOUR CAPTAINS

• Junior guard Steve Vasturia recently was named a captain, joining seniors Zach Auguste and Austin Burgett, and junior Demetrius Jackson.
• All four are first-time captains.

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