March 15, 2018
WHO: No. 1 Notre Dame (21-14) vs. No. 4 Penn State (22-13)
WHAT: Second round of the 2018 National Invitation Tournament
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center (9,149)
WHEN: Saturday, March 17, 2018, 12 p.m. ET
TICKETS: General admission tickets ($10 each) are available now
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
ESPN national broadcast with Roy Philpott (play-by-play) and Brooke Weisbrod (analyst). Also avaialble anywhere the WatchESPN app is accessible.
Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Zach Hillesland (analyst). Available locally at WSBT AM 960/FM 96.1, worldwide on WatchND.tv and via network affiliates (listed on page 8 of the notes package).
Here are Five Things (or more) To Know about the Notre Dame – Penn State game…
IRISH AND PENN STATE MEET AGAIN IN THE NIT
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (21-14) returns to the court in the second round of the 2018 National Invitation Tournament against Penn State (22-13) at noon ET in Purcell Pavilion. The game will mark the third consecutive NIT meeting between the two programs, as the Irish and Nittany Lions met in the semifinals of the post season tournament in 2000 and 2009.
QUICK FACTS
- Senior Martinas Geben led all ACC players in offensive rebounds per game during the ACC tournament, pulling down 13 in three games (4.33 pg).
- Senior Bonzie Colson was named to the 2018 ACC All-Tournament Second Team after averaging 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per game. It is the second career ACC all-tournament selection for Colson, who was a first-team honoree in 2017.
- Martinas Geben and Bonzie Colson combined to average 14.3 rebounds per game in the ACC tournament, the top two-player combination of any team in the tournament. Geben and Colson both pulled down 44 rebounds in three games.
NOTRE DAME – PENN STATE SERIES HISTORY
Notre Dame and Penn State will be meeting for the fifth time on Saturday afternoon – and the fourth time in post season play. The Nittany Lions lead the series 3-1, including victories in the 1954 NCAA Tournament and the 2009 NIT semifinals.
The series began in 1925 with a PSU win at home in The Armory 33-22 on Feb. 21, 1925. The Nittany Lions also ended an NCAA run for the Irish in 1954, taking out No. 6/5 Notre Dame 71-63 in the regional finals at Iowa City, Iowa – earning Penn State’s only trip to the Final Four.
The two teams also have met twice in the semifinals of the NIT at Madison Square Garden. In 2000, the Irish defeated Penn State 73-52 behind 18 points and eight rebounds from All-American Troy Murphy. A semifinal rematch in 2009 saw Penn State hold off a furious Notre Dame rally (cutting a PSU 19-point lead to four points with just four minutes to go) to escape 67-59.
WINNINGEST CLASS AT NOTRE DAME
The 2017-18 senior class of Bonzie Colson, Matt Farrell, Martinas Geben, Matt Gregory and graduate student Austin Torres has set the mark as the all-time winningest senior class at Notre Dame.
The 2016-17 senior class of Steve Vasturia, V.J. Beachem and graduate student Patrick Mazza and the the 2012-13 group of Joey Brooks, Mike Broghammer, Jack Cooley and Scott Martin previously held the school record with 97 wins.
MOST WINS AT NOTRE DAME – FOUR YEAR SPAN:
|
Year 1 |
Wins |
Year 2 |
Wins |
Year 3 |
Wins |
Year 4 |
Wins |
Total |
|
2014-15 |
32 |
2015-16 |
24 |
2016-17 |
26 |
2017-18 |
21 |
103 |
|
2013-14 |
15 |
2014-15 |
32 |
2015-16 |
24 |
2016-17 |
26 |
97 |
|
2009-10 |
23 |
2010-11 |
27 |
2011-12 |
22 |
2012-13 |
25 |
97 |
|
2007-08 |
25 |
2008-09 |
21 |
2009-10 |
23 |
2010-11 |
27 |
96 |
|
2012-13 |
25 |
2013-14 |
15 |
2014-15 |
32 |
2015-16 |
24 |
96 |
|
2011-12 |
22 |
2012-13 |
25 |
2013-14 |
15 |
2014-15 |
32 |
94 |
Matt Farrell EARNS ALL-ACC HONORS
Senior guard Matt Farrell was named to the All-ACC Third Team on Sunday, March 4, 2018. He was an honorable mention selection as a junior.
Despite missing five conference games this season with a severly sprained ankle, Farrell averaged 16.7 points per game, 5.5 apg and shot .408 from three-point range. He connected on an ACC-best 10 three-point field goals in a victory at Boston College on Feb. 17, 2018, and leads the conference in three-point field goals per game in conference play (3.92).
A SEASON OF MILESTONES FOR Mike Brey
Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey has reached three key milestones in his coaching career this season.
Brey became the all-time men’s basketball coaching wins leader at Notre Dame (402 current – 394 was the record-breaking total) with an 88-58 victory over NC State on January 3, 2018.
Brey won his 400th game at Notre Dame against Pittsburgh on February 28, 2018, making him the 11th active coach to have 400 wins at his current school.
Brey then won his 500th career game in the first of two wins for the Irish at the ACC tournament, downing Pittsburgh 67-64.
Brey joins Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams, Greg Kampe, Tony Shaver, Tom Izzo, Fran Dunphy, Bob McKillop, Jay Wright and Mark Few as the only current coaches to win 500 or more games while coaching at just one or two schools.
See pages 13 and 14 of this notes package for more historical and background information on Mike Brey.
20-WINS TRADITION CONTINUES FOR NOTRE DAME
For the 14th time in 18 seasons and 11th time in the past 12 seasons, Notre Dame reached 20-win mark in 2017-18.
The 14th season of 20-win victories for Mike Brey in 18 seasons at Notre Dame breaks the previous record of 13 held by Digger Phelps in his 20 years on the Irish bench.
|
Head Coach |
20-Win Seasons |
Total Seasons at Notre Dame |
|
Mike Brey |
14 |
18 |
|
Digger Phelps |
13 |
20 |
|
George E. Keogan |
4 |
19 |
|
John Dee |
4 |
7 |
|
John Jordan |
3 |
13 |
|
Moose Krause |
1 |
7 |
|
Matt Doherty |
1 |
1 |
BY THE NUMBERS – IRISH IN THE NIT
|
1 |
Notre Dame leads the country in personal fouls committed per game (12.5) and is third in fewest fouls committed (450). |
|
2 |
Only two players in Notre Dame history posted 1,600 points, 850 rebounds and 150 blocked shots in their collegiate careers – senior forward Bonzie Colson and current Irish assistant coach Ryan Humphrey. |
|
4 |
Entering post season play, sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs has logged 1,280 minutes in 2017-18, the fourth-most in the country. |
|
5 |
Notre Dame and Penn State will be meeting for the fifth time on Tuesday evening and for the third consecutive time in the NIT. Saturday will mark PSU’s first visit to Notre Dame for a men’s basketball game. |
|
6 |
With 26 assists in the last four games, senior Matt Farrell has moved up to 413 assists with 190 three-point field goals. He is the sixth Notre Dame player to reach 150 3FGM with 400 assists. Should he reach 200 3FGM in the postseason, only two other Notre Dame players have achieved 200 3FGM with 400 assists. |
|
11 |
Dishing out a career-best 12 assists against Duke on March 8, Matt Farrell became the 11th Irish player to post 12 assists in a single game (tied for the fourth-best in Notre Dame history). Farrell also scored 11 points in the game, earning his second career double-double. |
|
12 |
Notre Dame is making its 12th appearance in the NIT. The Irish advanced to the NIT championship game in 1973, 1984, 1992 and 2000 – while also making the semifinals in 2009. |
|
21 |
Trailing by 21 points in the ACC tournament second round against Virginia Tech, Notre Dame rallied for a 71-65 victory and posted the program’s greatest come-from-behind victory. It surpassed the 20-point rally at Villanova on Feb. 18, 2012. |
|
27 |
Notre Dame is 27-11 all-time in the NIT and 15-3 at Purcell Pavilion. |
|
35 |
Combined games missed due to injury this season by Bonzie Colson (15), Matt Farrell (5) freshman forward D.J. Harvey (14) and junior Rex Pflueger (1). |
|
86 |
Senior Martinas Geben is shooting 86 percent (.856) at the free throw line this season (83-97), a mark that would rank 13th on the Notre Dame single-season list. He is 43-for-his-last 45 from the charity stripe (.911) in his last 15 games played. |
|
103 |
The 2017-18 senior class has set the mark as the all-time winningest four-year class in Notre Dame basketball history and became the first group to win 100 games in four seasons against Pittsburgh on Feb. 28. |
|
502 |
With 502 career wins, Mike Brey is the 11th active coach to reach that career milestone coaching at just one or two institutions. See page 3 of the notes package for more details. |
|
891 |
Career rebounds by Bonzie Colson, the 11th Notre Dame player to collect 850 rebounds in a career. He also is just the fifth Irish player to reach the 1,600-point / 850-rebound statistical plateaus. |