Dec. 1, 2017
WHO: No. 5/5 Notre Dame (6-1) vs. St. Francis Brooklyn (2-5)
WHAT: First Notre Dame home game in 16 days, first of a two-game homestand
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
WHEN: Sunday, December 3, 2017, 2:00 p.m. ET
TICKETS: Available at und.com/buytickets
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Video: ACC Network Extra, available anywhere the WatchESPN app is accessible, with Nik Valdiserri (play-by-play) and Luke Zeller (analyst).
Radio: Notre Dame Basketball Radio network with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and LaPhonso Ellis (analyst). Available locally at WSBT-AM 960/FM 96.1, via network affiliates (listed on page 8 of the game notes package). Also available on Sirius 205, XM 201 and Siriux/Xm Internet at 961.
Here are Five Things To Know about the Notre Dame – St. Francis Brooklyn matchup –
NOTRE DAME – ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN SERIES HISTORY
Notre Dame and St. Francis Brooklyn will be meeting for the third time on Sunday and the first time in the Mike Brey era at Notre Dame. A member of the Northeast Conference, Notre Dame is 27-0 all-time against opponents from the NEC.
Founded in 1896, St. Francis is the oldest collegiate program in New York City. Located on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights, the Pope PE Center and Peter Aquilone Court is the fourth smallest facility in Division I. The Terriers are one of four original Division I schools to never play in the NCAA tournament (Army, William & Mary and the Citadel) since it began in 1948. St. Francis has an enrollment of 2,700 students.
Notre Dame vs. St. Francis Series History (2-0, Home 2-0)
|
Date |
ND Rank |
Opp Rank |
Opponent |
W/L |
ND |
Opp |
City |
Site |
|
12/5/1983 |
St. Francis Brooklyn |
W |
71 |
49 |
Notre Dame, IN |
Purcell Pavilion |
||
|
12/27/1998 |
St. Francis Brooklyn |
W |
99 |
88 |
Notre Dame, IN |
Purcell Pavilion |
IRISH ASCEND TO NO. 5 IN NATIONAL POLLS
A 6-0 start to the season and the 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational Championship, including a 67-66 victory over No. 6/6 Wichita State, has propelled Notre Dame to the fifth spot in both the Associated Press and USA Today/Coaches polls this week.
The No. 5 spot marks the highest the Irish have been in the AP poll since the final release during the 2014-15 sesason when they entered the 2015 NCAA tournament eighth. In the final USA Today/Coaches poll, released after the 2015 NCAA tournament, the Irish finished fifth.
The last time the Irish were No. 5 in the AP before this week was the end of the 2010-11 season, when the team entered the NCAA tournament No. 5/4.
The last time the Irish were ranked higher than No. 5 was the week prior, when Notre Dame entered the 2011 BIG EAST Championship ranked No. 4/4.
VETERAN IRISH TEAM ACCEPTS ROAD CHALLENGES
Notre Dame will play seven of its first 13 games this season, all of those games occurring before Atlantic Coast Conference play begins, away from Purcell Pavilion. The seven away games before conference play this year marks the most since 2001-02, when Mike Brey’s second Notre Dame team played in the Hawaii-Pacific Thanksgiving tournament (three games), against DePaul in the United Center, at Indiana, at Miami (Ohio) and at Canisius (along with a neutral site game with Alabama in the New Orleans Arena).
Notre Dame finished 22-11 and 10-6 in the BIG EAST and advanced to the second round of the NCAA tournament in 2001-02.
The Irish join North Carolina and Miami at the only ACC teams this season to play seven games away from their respective home courts before conference play begins.
COLSON PACING THE ACC IN FIVE STATISTICAL CATEGORIES
Bonzie Colson, the Preseason Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, has been backing up that accolade with his play on the court early in the 2017-18 season. Colson is currently the only ACC player to rank among the top five in five different individual statistical categories:
|
Category |
Rank |
Statistic |
|
Scoring |
t-4th |
19.6 |
|
Rebounding |
2nd |
9.9 |
|
Steals |
3rd |
2.29 |
|
Blocked Shots |
5 |
2.57 |
|
Defensive Rebounds |
1 |
8.00 |
NOTRE DAME vs. ST. FRANCIS BROOKLYN – BY THE NUMBERS
|
1 |
Sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs leads the Atlantic Coast Conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.67. Gibbs has committed just six turnovers in 2017-18. |
|
2 |
Notre Dame has claimed back-to-back in-season tournament titles over the past two seasons – the 2016 Legend Classic in Barclays Center and the 2017 Maui Jim Maui Invitational last week. Senior guard Matt Farrell was named Most Valuable Player of both tournaments, averaging 19.4 points in five games. See page 3 for more on Farrell’s career in-season tournament statistics. |
|
3 |
Number of 20-point games so far this season for T.J. Gibbs. The first three 20-point games of his career, Gibbs has also increased his career-high for points in a game in each performance (21 vs. DePaul, 23 vs. Chicago State, 26 vs. LSU). |
|
4 |
Senior forward Bonzie Colson is fourth in the ACC in scoring (19.6 ppg) and is the only ACC player to rank among the league leaders in five different statistical categories. See page 3 for more details. |
|
5 |
Notre Dame moved up to No. 5 in both the Associated Press and USA Today Coaches Poll this week. It is the highest poll ranking for the program since the Irish finished No. 8 in the final 2015 AP poll (the team finished 5th in the final 2015 coaches poll released after the NCAA tournament). See page 2 for more poll history. |
|
24 |
Bonzie Colson has scored in double figures in 24 consecutive games and leads all current ACC players in career double-doubles (27) and rebounds (757). |
|
31 |
Matt Farrell has connected on at least one three-point field goal in 31 consecutive games, the longest streak of any ACC current player. |
|
79 |
Field goal percentage on the season (23-29) for senior forward Martinas Geben, who provided the game-winning points at the free throw line with two seconds remaining in the Maui Invitational championship game against No. 6/6 Wichita State. |
|
118.6 |
Adjusted offensive efficiency rating for Notre Dame this season, according to kenpom.com – the third-best in the nation. |
|
126 |
Career blocked shots for Bonzie Colson, which is tied for fifth in Notre Dame men’s basketball history with Troy Murphy. |
|
757 |
Career rebounds for Bonzie Colson, the 10th Irish player to reach the 1,300-point, 700-rebound career plateau. |