Three Game Road Swing For The Irish Starts Saturday At Virginia Tech

Notre Dame MBB Game Notes_a VT

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (10-5, 4-1) carries a six-game win streak into a three-game road trip this weekend, starting at Virginia Tech (8-7, 0-4) in Blacksburg on Saturday night (6 p.m. ET, ACC Network). The Irish face a quick turnaround for the MLK Classic game at Howard on Monday, January 17, before a few days of rest leading into the next away game at Louisville on Saturday, January 22nd.

GAME TRENDS 

In 2021-22 the Notre Dame is:

• 8-0 when they shoot better than their opponent.

• 7-0 when they make 10-or-more three-point field goals.

• 7-0 at Purcell Pavilion.

• 6-1 when a Notre Dame player scores 20-or-more points.

• 4-1 in games decided by five points or less.

A NOTRE DAME WIN WOULD… 

… improve the Irish to 5-1 in the ACC for the first time since 2016-17.

… create the first seven-game win streak since 12/19/16 through 1/14/2017 – in which the seventh game was a 76-71 win at VT.

… extend to a five-game ACC win streak, the longest since ND won program-best six straight from 2/7/17 through 3/1/17.

PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP

• Has established himself as one of the most efficient and skilled scorers in the ACC – the only league player shooting 49/45/90 with 15 ppg.

• ACC statistical ranks: 1st in 3FG (.457), 9th in FG (.497), t-11th scoring (15.4)

• Dominated the first half against Clemson on Wednesday with 15 points, finishing with a game-high 21 points on 8-for-10 shooting.

• ACC Co-Player of the Week (12/27/21) who has hit double digit scoring in all 15 games this season (a career-best streak).

• One of the most dynamic playmaking freshmen in the country, owns four 20-point scoring games, including last two games in a row.

• National Freshman of the Week on January 10 (CBSSports/BWAA) and two-time ACC Freshman of the Week.

• In his first career start in Purcell Pavilion, hit the game-winning jump shot with :12 left to defeat No. 10/12 Kentucky.

• First Mike Brey freshman to score 20 points in a career debut (vs. CSUN) since Chris Thomas in 2001.

• First South Bend, IN, public school MBB prospect to attend Notre Dame since 1985.

• See page 4 for more breakdowns of Wesley’s noteworthy rookie season.

• Provides a low post scoring option, hitting double digit scoring in six of last eight games, went 8-9 with 16 pts in OT victory at GT.

• 2019-20 Ivy League Player of the Year at Yale, did not participate in 2020-21 as the Ivy League canceled all intercollegiate athletics.

• Ranked by ESPN+ as the fourth-best transfer prospect in 2020-21.

• Connected on the game-winning jumper with five seconds remaining at Pittsburgh (12/28/21).

• The big shot at Pitt capped a 13-point second half in which he finished 3-3 from three-point range.

• Needs one more assist to become the ninth Notre Dame player to reach 500 assists in a career.

• Preseason All-ACC Second Team.

• Posted break out game of the season in victory over North Carolina (1/5/22) with 20 points, shooting 6-for-7 from three-point range.

• Notre Dame’s best rebounder, pulled down nine in the OT win at GT and eight in the victory on Wednesday over Clemson.

• Scored over 20 points four times last season and has six 20-point games in his career.

OFF THE BENCH

• The team’s best on-ball defender who routinely assumes the assignment of the opponents best perimeter scoring threat.

• Filled up the stat line against No. 10/12 Kentucky with seven points, five rebounds, four assists and a steal.

• Scored 21 points in the first half in the victory at Duke last year, eventually scoring career-best 28 points.

• Provides ball handling and a scoring punch off the bench.

• Planned to sit out 2020-21 after transferring from Santa Clara until all underclassmen transfers were given immediate eligibility in Dec. ‘20.

• Hit the game-winning three pointer at the buzzer in the first round ACC tournament victory over Wake Forest last season.

IRISH ITEMS – BY THE NUMBERS

BLAKE WESLEY AMONG THE NATION’S TOP FRESHMAN

Freshman Blake Wesley, the reigning ACC Freshman of the Week (his second such award of the season) is among college basketball’s top scoring true freshmen.

ACC TRUE FRESHMAN SCORING

MAJOR CONFERENCE TRUE FRESHMAN SCORING

Expand to all true freshmen in the country and Wesley is 12th in points per game.

WESLEY’S SOLID START AMONG THE BEST ROOKIES OF BREY ERA

Freshman Blake Wesley has started the last seven games and has reached double figures in scoring after 11 of his first 13 career games. He is now tied for firth among Brey era true freshman in double-digit scoring games and joined Chris Thomas and Luke Harangody as the only rookies to reach that plateau in eight of their first 10 games.

Thomas eventually finished 2001-02 by scoring in double digits 24 of 33 games (and in 12 of his first 14 career games). His longest streak of double-digit scoring games that season was nine.

Harangody compiled 2006-07 by scoring double digits in 22 of 32 games (and in 14 of his first 18 games). His longest streak of double-digit scoring games was six. Torin Francis finished 2002-03 with 19 double digit scoring games in 34 total appearances – his longest double-digit scoring game streak was five games.

BREY ERA FRESHMAN DEBUTS

GOODWIN POSTING UNIQUE 50-40-90 SHOOTING PERCENTAGES

Senior Dane Goodwin has become one of the most consistent and reliable scorers in the country this weekend and it all points to his offensive efficiency. Basketball fans and pundits will point to the 50 field goal percentage, 40 three-point percentage and 90 free throw percentage as the ultimate threshold to reach.

Goodwin is the only player in the country posting those shooting percentages while averaging over 15 points per game.

50-40-90 PLAYERS, MIN 150 PTS SCORED THIS SEASON

IRISH WIN STREAK COMES WITH IMPROVED SHOOTING

Notre Dame’s six-game win streak has pushed the team to third place in the ACC with a 4-1 league record. A quick look at the team numbers during the streak tells the story of the success – improved shooting, increased defensive intensity.

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTED BY 1,000 POINT SCORERS

Notre Dame has produced 66 1,000 point scorers throughout the history of the program with 25 of those players having been recruited by Mike Brey and exhausted their eligibility (or turned professional early).

Dane Goodwin is the most recent Irish player with 1,000 career points, reaching the mark against Western Michigan on December 20, 2021.

Trey Wertz will be the next Irish player to reach 1,000 points, as he is at 986 entering the Texas A&M Corpus Christi game. Of those 981 points, 747 were scored at Santa Clara in from 2018-20.

Nate Laszewski will be the next Irish player to reach 1,000 points at Notre Dame and is currently at 933.   

IRISH INK NATIONALLY-RANKED RECRUITING CLASS

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball program and Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey have announced that three prospective student-athletes have signed National Letters of Intent to attend Notre Dame and compete for the Fighting Irish in 2022-23.

The three-member class is composed of forwards Dom Campbell and Ven-Allen Lubin, along with guard J.J. Starling. All three are consensus top-100 players and four-star prospects which provide the Irish the 15th-ranked recruiting class by 24/7 Sports (fifth-best in the ACC) and the 18th-rated (fourth-best in the ACC) group from Rivals.

“Our new staff started with a plan in June and I really like how we stayed focused and committed while being on the road in June and July, then followed through when the visits on campus took place,” Brey said.

“It was a fabulous team effort by our coaching staff to get a three man class that will be part of a bright future for Notre Dame basketball. Our fans will love to watch these guys play and grow as part of our program.”

Dom Campbell | Forward | 6-9, 265 | Phillips Exeter Academy (NH) | Scarborough, ME

“Dom is a gifted low post guy with great hands and footwork. He has the ability to carve out space and step out as well. He can make really good decisions with the ball in his hands.”

– Mike Brey

Rivals 4 Star – 96th overall, 11th power forward

24/7 4 star – 120th overall, 17th power forward, 2nd state

Ven-Allen Lubin | Forward | 6-8, 220 | Orlando Christian Prep | Orlando, FL

“Ven-Allen is a position less basketball player. He has the ability to post up, face up, run and change ends. He also brings great length on the defensive end.”

– Mike Brey

Rivals 4 Star – 63rd overall, 8th power forward

24/7 4 Star – 114th overall, 22nd power forward, 18th state

ESPN 4 star – 75th overall, 12th power forward, 14th state

J.J. Starling | Guard | 6-4, 195  | La Lumiere School (IN) | Baldwinsville, NY

“J.J. is an explosive guard. You can’t pigeonhole him as a point guard or a two man, he does a little bit of everything. The most infectious thing is his energy and charisma that he plays with. He really engages his teammates and leads on the floor.”

– Mike Brey

Rivals 4 Star – 40th overall, 8th point guard

24/7 – 33rd overall, 7th point guard, 1st state

ESPN – 27th overall, 6th point guard, 3rd state

NOTRE DAME WILL MAKE TRIP TO HOWARD ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY

The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team will travel to Washington, D.C., on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Monday, January 17, 2022, to face Howard University. The trip will mark the first road game for Notre Dame men’s basketball against one of the countries Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

The game was previously scheduled for January 18, 2021, but was postponed due to the health and safety regulations put in place for the coronavirus pandemic. The game will be played at Howard’s Burr Gymnasium and nationally broadcast on Fox at 2:30 p.m. ET.

“I am as excited about this trip than any game we have scheduled for next season,” Glenn and Stacey Murphy Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Brey said.

“We were so disappointed that we had to cancel last season’s game due to the pandemic, but the delay gives us an opportunity to really do it right. This game deserves the kind of atmosphere that only a full house at Burr Gymnasium can deliver. Our program’s first trip to an HBCU on Martin Luther King Jr. Day is another step in our commitment to remaining active participants in the push for social change in this country. This event will provide an amazing educational experience for our student-athletes, coaches, support staff and University.”

Since 2019, Howard ​has honored Dr. King’s Celebration of Excellence by hosting non conference contests with iconic, historical institutions. In the past two seasons, HU has greeted Ivy League perennials Harvard (2019) and Yale (2020) to The Burr.

“Dr. King’s impact on our world is remarkable, and his influence continues to be both felt and needed,” Howard head coach Kenny Blakeney said.

“It gives me chills to think that only a few miles from where Dr. King shifted the country with his infamous speeches, marches and meetings, our basketball programs will have a historic first by hosting Notre Dame at Howard University. We are pressing forward toward the beloved community Dr. King sought to achieve and I am honored to lead this program and work with my lifelong friend, Coach Mike Brey, to deepen the call for social justice with our players.”

The connections between Notre Dame men’s basketball, the Howard coaching staff and the Washington, DC, area run deep. Mike Brey graduated from DeMatha High School. Kenny Blakeney also is a DeMatha graduate, played at Duke (1992-95) while Mike Brey was an assistant with the Blue Devils and was the head assistant coach under Brey at Delaware (2002-05).

The game also marks the return to the D.C. area for  Irish senior Prentiss Hubb (Upper Marlboro), who graduated from Gonzaga High School. Hubb is the latest Notre Dame standout to call the Washington, D.C., area home, as the ‘D.C. Pipeline’ has included Austin Carr, Adrian Dantley, Jerian Grant, Bob Whitmore, Don Williams, Monty Williams, Collis Jones, Tracy Jackson, Tom Sluby, Sid Catlett and Notre Dame President Emeritus Rev. Edward A. Malloy, C.S.C.

Notre Dame has welcomed 10 different HBCUs to campus for 12 men’s basketball games throughout the program’s history. The trip to Howard will be the first road trip for the Irish to an HBCU and the first for an Atlantic Coast Conference team since Miami (Florida) played at Savannah State on December 19, 2013.

The contest marks the first against a Power Five Conference team for Howard at home since Oregon State visited Burr Gymnasium on November 27, 2010.