Dennis Latimore has given the Irish a lift off the bench in the team's last two hard-fought games against Connecticut and Syracuse.

Unbeaten Boston College Pays A Visit To The Joyce Center Tuesday Night

Feb. 7, 2005

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Date: Tuesday, February 8, 2005

Place: Joyce Center (11,418)

Time: 7:00 p.m. (EST)

TV: ESPN2 — Dan Shulman (play-by-play analyst) and Bill Raftery (color analyst)

Radio: Notre Dame Sports Properties (Jack Lorri, Jack Nolan) originates the Notre Dame Radio Network which includes: WZOW 97.7 FM and 102.3 FM (South Bend, Ind./Michiana Region); ESPN 1000 AM (Chicagoland area); ESPN 950 AM (Indianapolis, Ind.); WGL 1250 (Fort Wayne, Ind. and Northeast Indiana); WEFM 95.9 (Michigan City and Gary, Ind.), WLUV 96.7 FM and 1520 AM (Rockford and DeKalb, Ill. and Beloit and Janesville, Wis.); ESPN 1480 AM-WRSW (Warsaw, Ind.) and WAMW 107.9 FM and 1580 AM in Washington, Ind.). Radio broadcasts also can be heard through the World Wide Web at www.und.com. and SIRIUS Satellite Radio.

Real-Time Stats: Live in-game statistics are available for all home games, via the Notre Dame athletic website (www.und.com).

Tuesday’s Game:

For the third time in as many outings, Notre Dame will face a ranked opponents when Notre Dame (13-6, 5-4) faces Boston College (20-0, 9-0) in Tuesday’s BIG EAST matchup that will mark the only regular-season meeting between the two schools … The contest also marks the second straight top-10 foe for the Irish … On Saturday night, the Irish dropped a 60-57 decision at #8/#8 Syracuse … The last time Notre Dame played two top-10 opponents in consecutive outings was during the 2003 NCAA Tournament when it faced No. 10 Illinois in the second round of the tournament (a 68-60 victory) on March 22 and then met No. 2 Arizona in the West Regional semifinals (an 88-71 setback) … The last Notre Dame team to play back-to-back games against top-10 foes during the regular season was the ’02-’03 squad that faced No. 10 Marquette, No. 8 Maryland and No. 2 Texas in consecutive outings … The Irish swept all three wins marking the only time in school history that a Notre Dame team beat three straight top-10 foes … Notre Dame’s last win over a top-10 team was on February 9, 2004 when the Irish defeated No. 5 Connecticut 80-74 as the Joyce Center … Boston College is the fourth ranked opponent the Irish have faced this season … Notre Dame is playing at home for just the second time since January 15 and has been on the road for four of its last five games … Notre Dame is 1-2 versus ranked opponents in 2004-05 … Notre Dame’s six losses this season have been by a combined total of 30 points and its four BIG EAST losses have totalled 18 points … Four games have been decided by a single point and the Irish are 2-2 in those contests …The Irish began BIG EAST play with a 4-1 record — the second-best start in school history … The Irish began 6-1 in 2002-03 before finishing the conference regular season with a 10-6 mark … Mike Brey is coaching in his 300th career game this evening (151 at Delaware and 148 at Notre Dame).

Celebrating 100 Seasons:

The 2004-05 season marks the 100th season for the Notre Dame men’s basketball program … A special logo has been designed and there will be events throughout the season commemorating the occasion … Notre Dame is one of 13 Division I schools celebrating its 100th season of basketball this year … The others include: Dayton, Delaware, Duke, Georgia, Howard, Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Northwestern, Oregon, Virginia, William and Mary and Wyoming.

Notre Dame played its first varsity game on January 29, 1898 (a 64-8 loss to First Regiment) … The Irish played two other games that season and finished with a 1-2 record … The following year, they played two games in 1899 and then did not field a team again until the 1907-08 campaign.

Playing Host To An Undefeated Team:

The last time Notre Dame played host to an undefeated team with 20-plus victories was on February 27, 1980 when No. 1 DePaul brought an unblemished 25-0 record into the Joyce Center … The Irish earned a 76-74 double-overtime victory behind Kelly Tripucka’s 28 points and OrlandoWoolridge’s two free throws with 19 seconds remaining … That game came three years after No. 1 ranked San Francisco came into the Joyce Center on March 1, 1977 with a 29-0 record and left with its first loss of the season (a 93-82 Irish victory).

Ranked Foes Continue

Notre Dame is in the midst of a four-game stretch in which it plays four consecutive outings against ranked opponents … Tonight’s games against Boston College, marks the third straight ranked foe the Irish have faced … Notre Dame will face Pittsburgh (16/15) on Saturday, February 12 on the road … The last time a Notre Dame team faced four consecutive ranked opponents was during the 1977-78 campaign when that Irish team played five ranked foes during the `78 NCAA Tournament … That squad was 3-2 in those contests and advanced to the Final Four.

Starting The Season Ranked:

For the second consecutive year and 24th time in the program’s history, Notre Dame began the season ranked — 20th in the Associated Press and 21st in the ESPN/USA Today preseason rankings … This marks the third time a Notre Dame team under head coach Mike Brey has been ranked … His first Irish team, the 2000-01 squad, started the year tied for 15th in the AP Poll and were 17th in the ESPN/USA Today ranking … Last season’s 2003-04 squad was 21st and tied for 19th, respectively in the two polls at the start of the year … Notre Dame has been out of the polls for 10 weeks after climbing to 20th in the AP and 19th in the ESPN/USA Today rankings.

Thomas Reaches 2,000-Point Milestone:

With his 16-point performance against West Virginia on January 19, Chris Thomas became the sixth player in Notre Dame history to score 2,000 points … Thomas has 2,043 career points in 118 career outings and is fifth (with Troy Murphy) on the all-time scoring list … He ranks behind Austin Carr (2,560), Adrian Dantley (2,223), Pat Garrity (2,085) and David Rivers (2,058) and ahead of Troy Murphy (2,011).

BIG EAST 1,000:

Chris Thomas needs just five points to become the second player in Notre Dame history to score 1,000 points in BIG EAST play (regular-season games only) … Thomas would be the 25th player overall in the BIG EAST to reach the 1,000-point plateau … Pat Garrity scored 1,107 points in 54 league contests from 1995-98 for a 20.5 scoring average.

Thomas In The Record Books

Chris Thomas has made a record 118 consecutive starts and has not missed a game during his Irish career … When he sat out the first eight minutes of the second half against St. John’s on January 15 with a concussion sustained in the first half, it marked the first time in his career that he missed any part of a game due to injury … The consecutive games started mark was formerly held by Pat Garrity (1994-98) who started all 111 contests of his career … Thomas also holds career record for assists (759) and steals (227).

The Captains:

For the second time in school history and for the second consecutive year, Notre Dame has four captains … Seniors Chris Thomas and Jordan Cornette are captains again along with juniors Torin Francis and Chris Quinn.

Road Warriors:

In Mike Brey’s four-plus seasons, his Irish teams have compiled a road record of 42-30 (.583) … That includes a 27-22 (.551) in true road games and a 15-8 (.652) in neutral site contests.

On This Date:

Notre Dame owns an 18-10 record (.643) when playing on February 8.

Scouting the Irish:

Notre Dame’s six losses have been by a combined 27 points and its four BIG EAST losses have totalled 18 points … Four of the 18 games have been decided by a single point (three BIG EAST games) … Notre Dame is 2-2 in those contests and 2-1 in conference games decided by one point … Eight of the BIG EAST contests the Irish have played have been decided by less than 10 points … The only double-digit decision was a 70-57 win at West Virginia … Notre Dame is 10-2 at the Joyce Center this season … Defensively, the Irish are allowing 60.3 points per game and have held eight of their opponents to 57 points and under … It’s the fewest points ever allowed by the Irish during the Mike Brey era … Only five opponents — DePaul (84), Marist (73), Villanova (72), Syracuse (70) and Connecticut (74) — have scored more than 70 points this season … Notre Dame is averaging 66.6 points, the lowest total during Brey’s tenure … Three players are averaging double figures — Chris Thomas (13.7), Chris Quinn (12.4), Colin Falls (11.5), while Torin Francis is averaging 9.2 ppg. and Dennis Latimore 8.5 ppg. … Francis leads the team in rebounding with 7.8 rebounds …Thomas also leads the team in both assists (6.4) and steals (2.3), while Jordan Cornette is the team leader in blocks (33) and second in steals (28) … Francis has registered double-doubles in two of the last three games and has scored in double figures in each of the last three games … Chris Quinn owns the current longest double-figures scoring streak for the Irish with eight, the second-longest streak of his streak.

Irish In The National Statistics:

Chris Thomas stands 23rd in assists (6.4 aspg.), while the Irish 24th in both three-point field goals made per game (8.3) and 19th in scoring defense (60.3 ppg.).

Series Record Vs. Boston College:

Tonight’s contest is the 21st meeting between the two schools and the series is tied at 10-10 … Notre Dame has won four of the last five meetings … After winning four straight, the Irish dropped a 76-69 decision in Chestnut Hill last year … Notre Dame owns a 6-4 advantage playing at the Joyce Center … Irish teams have handed Boston College four straight losses at the Joyce Center … The last victory for an Eagle team at the Joyce Center was on 76-74 decision on March 1, 1997 … Since Notre Dame joined the BIG EAST in 1995-96, there have been 10 meetings with the series tied at 5-5.

The Irish All-Time:

In 99-plus seasons, Irish teams have posted a 1561-857 mark (.646).

Thomas Nominated For Senior Class Award:

Chris Thomas is one of 30 candidates for the Bayer Advantage Senior CLASS (Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School) Award … The award is presented annually to the nation’s senior player-of-the-year for NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball … Irish women’s basketball player Jacqueline Batteast is also one of 30 finalists on the women’s side.

Home Sweet Home:

Since the inaugural season (1968-69) at the Joyce Center, Notre Dame owns a 441 -133 record all-time for a .768 winning percentage … The Irish are 56-18 (.756) at the Joyce Center during Mike Brey’s four-plus seasons, and since the 1996-97 campaign, they own a 104-35 mark for a .748 winning percentage … Notre Dame was 14-2 at home in 2002-03, winning 10-plus games for the sixth time in seven years.

Toughest Ticket in Town:

Notre Dame’s success on the hardwood has paid dividends at the box office … For the fourth consecutive year, the number of season ticket holders increased, and already this season, three games have sold out (DePaul, Syracuse and St. John’s) … In addition, the Connecticut, UCLA and Pittsburgh are already advance sell outs … Notre Dame students also showed their support for the Irish as the student allotment of 3,000 was a complete sellout in less than three hours.

Irish Medical Update:

Since March of 2004, five Irish players have had some type of surgical procedure … Forward Torin Francis had back surgery on March 8 to repair a herniated disc … He returned to the basketball court in June and was able to play with the team during its summer off-season conditioning program … Point guard Chris Thomas underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 9 for a tear on his left kneecap … He was cleared to return to the court in August … Rick Cornett had surgery for a stress fracture (broken left foot) on July 23 … Rob Kurz had surgery on September 14 for a fractured jaw and walk-on Greg Bosl had surgery to remove a screw in his foot after suffering a break in August.

BIG EAST Distinction:

Although Notre Dame fell one game short of recording its fourth straight 10-win season in league, the Irish own the distinction, along with Syracuse, as being the only two schools to post winning conference records each of the last four seasons … Notre Dame has gone 11-5 (2000-01), 10-6 (2001-02), 10-6 (2002-03) and 9-7 (2003-04), while Syracuse has posted marks of 10-6 (2001-01), 9-7(2001-02), 13-3 (2002-03) and 11-5 (2003-04).

BIG EAST Season No. 10 for Irish:

The 2004-05 campaign marks Notre Dame’s 10th year as a member of the BIG EAST Conference … In nine-plus seasons as a conference member, Notre Dame owns a 80-81 record all-time in conference regular-season play for a .497 winning percentage … In their first five years, Irish teams were 35-53 (.398), but since Mike Brey took over the program, Notre Dame has compiled a 45-28 (.616) mark in regular-season play.

BIG EAST Formula For Success Under Brey:

Since his arrival at Notre Dame, Mike Brey has led Notre Dame to a 45-28 (.616) record in BIG EAST regular-season games and a 2-4 mark in tournament play for an overall of 47-32 (.595) against league foes … In Brey’s first season, the Irish posted their first-ever winning record in BIG EAST play and won the BIG EAST West Division title with an 11-5 mark … Prior to Brey’s arrival at Notre Dame, Irish teams had a 35-53 (.398) regular-season record since joining the league in 1995-96.

BIG EAST Honor Roll:

At BIG EAST Media Day on October 27 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Notre Dame was tabbed to finish fourth behind Syracuse, Connecticut and Pittsburgh in the regular-season race on a vote by the league’s head coaches … Chris Thomas was a preseason first-team all-BIG EAST selection, the only Irish player named to one of the preseason teams.

Shuffling The Lineup:

Irish coach Mike Brey has used three different starting lineups this season … In 2003-04, injuries forced Brey into seven different starting rotations … Below is list of the three different starting lineups that have been used and Notre Dame’s record when starting those five players…

• Torin Francis, Jordan Cornette, Dennis Latimore, Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn

(used this starting lineup through first seven games) — 5-2

• Jordan Cornette, Torin Francis, Chris Thomas, Chris Quinn and Colin Falls

(Marist, St. John’s, WVU, Georgetown, Villanova, UConn and Syracuse games) — 4-3

• Torin Francis, Dennis Latimore, Chris Thomas, Chris Quinn and Colin Falls

(Western Illinois, Samford, Seton Hall, Villanova and Syracuse games) — 4-1

Over The Century Mark:

Notre Dame has scored 100-plus points five times during the Mike Brey era … The last 100-point effort by an Irish team was in a 101-96 overtime decision at Boston College on January 25, 2003.

In Sharp Contrast:

Notre Dame’s victory over Connecticut on January 30 gave the Irish their 13th victory of the season … Last season, Notre Dame did not record its 13th win of the ’03-’04 campaign until February 16 with an 84-72 win at Syracuse.

Heart and Soul

Chris Thomas has long been regarded as the heart and soul of the Irish team by his teammates … Thomas’ performance in the win against St. John’s on January 15 proved that … Thomas suffered a concussion after colliding with a Red Storm player at the end of the first half and missed the first eight minutes of the second half … It marked the first time that he had ever missed any portion of a game for injury … Returning to the lineup, he played the final 12 minutes … Thomas hit 3-4 from the free-throw line and then hit the game-winning shot — a three-pointer with six seconds remaining — that marked his only field goal attempt of the second half.

Finally…Victory In Bloomington:

Notre Dame’s win against Indiana was about as good as it gets for the Irish, who had not beaten the Hoosiers in 31 years in Bloomington … The last time a Notre Dame team defeated Indiana at Assembly Hall was on December 11, 1973 … The win snapped a 13-game skid in Bloomington and also ended an eight-game losing streak (the longest in the series history) … Notre Dame had not beaten Indiana since November 29, 1994, and heading into the contest, had lost 13 of the previous 14 matchups … The 45 points allowed by Notre Dame were the fewest in the series since December 12, 1931 (a 23-12 Indiana victory) spanning 58 games … Irish head coach Mike Brey remarked after the game that the last time Notre Dame defeated Indiana in Bloomington, he was 14 years old and listening to the Bee Gees.

In Sharp Contrast:

Notre Dame’s victory over Connecticut on January 30 gave the Irish their 13th victory of the season … Last season, Notre Dame did not record its 13th win of the ’03-’04 campaign until February 16 with an 84-72 win at Syracuse.

Down To The Wire:

Four of Notre Dame’s 19 games have been decided by a single point … Notre Dame is 2-2 in those contests … Irish teams are 8-4 overall during Mike Brey’s tenure in one point games … Eight of Notre Dame’s last nine games (all BIG EAST contests), have been decided by less than 10 points.

Late-Game Heroics:

Notre Dame has used late-game heroics to pull out three of its BIG EAST wins … Six of the last seven games have been decided by less than 10 points …

vs. Seton Hall – Colin Falls hits game-winning three-pointer with four seconds remaining after Pirates had taken a 65-63 lead with 20 seconds remaining for the 66-65 victory.

vs. Villanova – With the game tied at 70-70 with 1:45 remaining, Dennis Latimore gives the Irish a 72-70 advantage on two free throws … Following a missed Villanova shot, Chris Thomas gives the Irish a four-point lead (74-70) with a jumper along the baseline as the shot clock is about to expire … Villanova pulled to within two with 41 seconds and then Colin Falls and Thomas sealed the win with two free throws each in the final 38 seconds of the game.

vs. St. John’s – Chris Thomas’ three-pointer with six seconds remaining — his only shot attempt of the second half — gives the Irish a 67-66 victory over St. John’s … Jordan Cornette blocks Daryll Hill’s drive to the basket as time expires … It marked the first game-winning shot of Thomas’ career.

On The Short End:

While Notre Dame has pulled out two one-point victories, they have also suffered two losses by one point …

vs. Michigan – Michigan converts a three-point play with 20 seconds remaining to take a 61-60 lead … After the Wolverines miss the front end of a one-and-one with four seconds remaining, Notre Dame’s three-point attempt is blocked.

vs. Georgetown – Notre Dame takes a 54-53 lead on Colin Falls three-pointer with six seconds remaining, but the Hoyas defeat the Irish 55-54 on Roy Hibbert’s dunk at the buzzer.

Nothing But Net:

Notre Dame’s 19-19 performance from the free-throw line against Villanova was the best ever for an Irish team at the Joyce Center … Prior to that game, the record for highest free-throw percentage for an Irish team in a game at the Joyce Center was .944 on two occasions – vs. Butler (17-18) on February 14, 1977 and vs. Loyola (17-18) on February 27, 1992.

All About The Threes:

In its victory over West Virginia, Notre Dame recorded a season-high 13 three-pointers for the second straight game as the Irish finished 13-25 for a season-best 52.0 percent … Over the last nine games, the Irish are 92-236 as they have connected on 38.9 percent of their three-point attempts and have made 37.6 percent overall (157-417) … As a team, Notre Dame is averaging 8.3 three-point field goals made per game … Of the 157 three-point field made, Chris Thomas (33), Chris Quinn (44) and Colin Falls (55) have combined for 84.1 percent of those three-pointers.

Stingy Defense:

Irish opponents are averaging 60.3 points per game … Notre Dame held its first five opponents to 61 points and under with three of those opponents scoring 45 points or less … Overall, the Irish have limited their opponents to 45 points and under on four occasions … In the two wins prior to the loss at Michigan (60-61), the Irish held IPFW (73-45) and Charleston Southern (54-38) to under 50 points … The last time time that occurred was during the 2002-03 season when the Irish held their first three opponents — Belmont (76-48), IUPUI (89-45) and Bucknell (73-42) — to under 50 points … The 38 points scored by Charleston Southern in Notre Dame’s win on November 26 were the fewest allowed by an Irish team under head coach Mike Brey and the second fewest ever scored by an Irish opponent since the opening of the Joyce Center for the 1968-69 season … The 44 points scored by Samford were the third-fewest allowed under Brey.

Where Was The “D” Against DePaul:

The 84 points that the Irish yielded against DePaul were the most since Arizona scored 88 in the Wildcats 88-71 victory on March 27, 2003 in the West Regional semifinals … Prior to the DePaul game, Notre Dame had not allowed that many points in 37 previous outings … DePaul shot 59.5 percent from the field, the third-best shooting performance by an opponent during Mike Brey’s four-plus seasons … In 148 games during Brey’s tenure, only 13 teams have shot better than 50 percent or better from the field (and only two better than 60 percent).

Thomas In Elite Scoring Company:

Chris Thomas has a career scoring average of 17.3 points per game and is fifth on the all-time Notre Dame career scoring list with 2,043 career points in 118 career outings … Heading into this season, Thomas had scored 1,783 points in 99 career outings … Only four other players scored more points in the first three seasons of their careers — Austin Carr (2,560 points in 75 games), Adrian Dantley (2,223 points in 86 games), Troy Murphy (2,011 points in 94 games) and Tom Hawkins (1,820 points in 79 games) .

Ironman:

Chris Thomas has started in a Notre Dame record 118 consecutive games and has never missed a game during his career … His 112th consecutive start on January 10 against Syracuse set the record for consecutive games started … The record of 111 was formerly held by Pat Garrity (1994-98) … John Paxson (1979-83) stands third all-time with 85 consecutive starts (86 total during his career) … Paxson started every game in his final three seasons … Thomas has never missed a game during his Irish career and has averaged 37.6 minutes per game in those contests and been on the court 93.2 percent of the time in those 117 games having played 4,395 of a possible 4,715 minutes.

No Doubting Thomas:

In games against Marist (Dec. 22) and Western Illinois (Dec. 30), Chris Thomas flirted with recording his second and third career triple-doubles … Against Marist, he finished with 18 points, nine assists and eights rebounds before following that up with 21 points, nine assists (all in the first half) and nine rebounds in the win over the Leathernecks … He has played 40 minutes in six of the last nine games … Thomas has converted 54 of his last 59 free-throw attempts that included a recent string of 33 straight before missing a free throw against St. John’s … It marked his first miss in a game since December 19 versus Army … He did, however, miss all three of his free-throw attempts against Syracuse on Saturday night.

Scoring Streak Snapped:

Chris Thomas’ two-point performance against Michigan snapped a 19-game double-figure scoring streak for the Irish guard and also marked his lowest scoring output in the 103 games he had played at the time … Thomas has netted double figures in 101 of 118 career contests.

He Keeps Going And Going And Going….:

Chris Thomas has been on the court an amazing 93.2 percent of the time during his career and has played all but 322 minutes … Thomas has played 30-plus minutes in 114 career contests and 40-plus minutes on 42 occasions in three-plus seasons.

Lending The Assist:

Chris Thomas has led the Irish in assists in each of his three seasons (a single-season school record 252 in 2001-02, 236 in 2002-03 and 150 in 2003-04) … Currently the school’s career assist leader with 759, he will look to become just the third player in Notre Dame history to lead the Irish in assists during all four of his seasons … Rich Branning was the first player to do so as he led Notre Dame from 1976-80 and finished his career with 466 (currently sixth on the all-time list) … David Rivers (1984-88) also led the Irish during all four of his seasons … Rivers finished as the school’s all-time career assist leader with 586 and held that record until last season, when it was eclipsed by Thomas in February of 2004.

Thomas Registers 13th Career Double-Double:

Chris Thomas’ 10 points and 11 assists in the win over IPFW marked the 16th double-double of his career, but the first time he registered double figures in both points and assists since his sophomore season when he scored 21 points and dished off 13 assists against Virginia Tech on February 22, 2003 … Thomas’ lone double-double last season was a 23-point and 11-rebound effort in a loss to Providence on February 24, 2004 … He has dished 10-plus assists in 17 games during his career.

Francis Posts 21st Double-Double:

Torin Francis posted his fourth double-double of the season and 21st of his career in the loss at Syracuse as he scored 15 points and grabbed 11 boards … Francis’ three other double doubles were in wins at Indiana (11 points/13 rebounds) and Seton Hall (15 points/10 rebounds) and in a loss at Villanova (19 points/13 rebounds).

Cornette Eyes Block Record:

In three-plus seasons spanning 116 career games, Jordan Cornette has 188 career blocked shots to rank second all-time in that category … He needs 13 blocks to break LaPhonso Ellis’ (1988-2002) career mark of 200 … Cornette’s four blocks against Western Illinois moved him past Ryan Humphrey (2000-02) in Notre Dame history … Humphrey stands third on the all-time list with 166 blocked shots … Cornette stands tied for third all-time with a 1.6 blocked shots average.

Transfer Of Influence:

Dennis Latimore is the third transfer to play under head coach Mike Brey … He transferred to Notre Dame in the summer of 2003 after two seasons at the University of Arizona … Ryan Humphrey was the first transfer to play for the Irish … He played his first two seasons at the University of Oklahoma … During his two-year career from 2000-02, he played in 60 games and averaged 16.6 points (997), 9.95 rebounds (597) and 2.8 blocked shots (166) … Humphrey was a first-team all-BIG EAST selection in his senior season and earned second-team All-America honors from Basketball Times … Dan Miller played one year (2002-03) after transferring from the University of Maryland and averaged 13.9 points and 5.7 rebounds.

Latimore Nets Double Figures In Three Straight Games:

Dennis Latimore’s three consecutive double-figure outings against Army (15), Marist (10) and Western Illinois (18), marked the first time in his career that he has scored in double figures in three straight contests … Outings at Michigan and Indiana earlier this season produced back-to-back double-figure scoring efforts for the first time in his career … Against the Wolverines, Latimore scored a career-high 18 points in 35 minutes (then a personal high) … He followed that performance with a 12-point outing against the Hoosiers … Heading into the season, Latimore, had only scored in double figures twice in 57 games at Arizona … Already this season, he has registered 10-plus points in 10 games and played 30-plus minutes in five contests … Latimore is averaging 24.5 mpg. … At Arizona, he averaged 10.9 and 12.0 minutes during his freshman and sophomore seasons, respectively.

Latimore Posts Second Career Double-Double:

Dennis Latimore registered his second career double-double and first in a BIG EAST game in the win over Villanova as he scored 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds … He posted his first career double-double, scoring 12 points (tying a career-high) and grabbing a personal best 11 rebounds … In two seasons at Arizona, where he played 57 games, he only twice scored in double figures (22 versus California and 10 against Arizona State) and never had 10-plus rebounds in a game.

In The Spirit Of Giving:

Chris Thomas’ unselfish play is one of the reasons why the Irish have been successful while he has been in the Notre Dame backcourt … In the 118 games he has directed Mike Brey’s teams, Thomas has helped the Irish compile a 78-40 record for a .661 winning percentage … As a freshman, he averaged 7.64 assists to rank fifth nationally … Thomas then dished off 6.9 assists (eighth in the nation) as a sophomore … He is the only player in Notre Dame history to record 200-plus assists in consecutive seasons … Thomas has distributed 10-plus assists in 17 games during his career … This season, he is averaging a 6.4 assists, after dishing off just 4.7 during the 2003-04 campaign.

Francis Returns:

Torin Francis was back in the lineup for the first time since the Connecticut game (February 9, 2004) last year in the season opener against Harvard … Francis missed the final 12 games of the ’03-’04 campaign with a herniated disc … In his first regular-season game back, he scored seven points and grabbed nine rebounds in 32 minutes of action … In the IPFW game, Francis played 28 minutes and finished with 11 points and seven rebounds … It marked his first double-digit scoring game since a 23-point performance against Virginia Tech on January 20, 2004 … In the three games prior to being sidelined with his back injury, he scored six points versus Boston College (29 minutes), four points against Pittsburgh (nine minutes) and did not score against Connecticut (seven minutes) … Francis has scored in double figures in 10 games overall this season, including season-high 19-point performances against Villanova and Connecticut … He has started all 73 games of his Irish career and has grabbed nine or more rebounds in 10 games this season … Francis has registered double-doubles in two of the last three games and reached double figures in four games overall … He heads into the Boston College game with a season-high three straight contests in double figures.

The Mighty Quinn:

Chris Quinn is second on the team with an 12.4 scoring average and has led or shared team-high scoring honors on six occasions … He achieved a first in his career by leading Notre Dame in scoring in his first three games… Quinn has scored 20-plus points in two games, a 21-point performance against Marist (seventh 20-point performance of his career) in which he finished 7-8 from the field and connected on all four of his three-point field goal attempts and a 20-point effort in the season opener against Harvard … Last season, Quinn led the Irish in scoring on three occasions — in the Quinnipiac (25 points), Boston College (25 points) and Purdue (21 points) games … He played 38 minutes in the game against the Crimson and did not turn the ball over once … Against IPFW, he scored 15 points and dished off three assists, while turning the ball over just once … He finished with 17 points and no turnovers in 38 minutes against Charleston Southern … He netted 16, while handing out five assists, in the win over Villanova in the BIG EAST home opener … While averaging 36.3 minutes per game (in 689 minutes played), Quinn has turned the ball over just 21 times … In 11 games in 2003-04 (spanning 390 minutes), Quinn did not commit a turnover … Last season he committed just 37 turnovers and dished off 104 assists and owned a BIG EAST best 2.81 assist-to-turnover ratio … Also during the season, Quinn had a stretch of 159:00 minutes on the floor without a turnover.

Taking Care Of The Ball:

Prior to the Michigan game, Notre Dame’s backcourt tandem of Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn had only turned the ball over a combined four times in the first three games … Against the Wolverines, each had three turnovers in the contest … Thomas has played 668 minutes for an average of 37.1 minutes per game … He is averaging a turnover every 11.9 minutes… Quinn has turned the ball over 21 times in 689 minutes while averaging 36.3 minutes per game as he averages a turnover every 32.8 minutes … Neither of the two turned the ball over against Charleston Southern with Quinn playing 38 minutes and Thomas playing 37 minutes … Quinn’s only turnover prior to Michigan was in the IPFW game … Thomas’ last game without a turnover before IPFW was in Notre Dame’s second-round NIT matchup against Saint Louis last March.

Hot Shot:

Colin Falls scored a career-high 23 points in Notre Dame’s win against St. John’s as he connected on 7-16 from the field and 6-13 from beyond the arc … His six three-point field goals marked a career best … Falls has been in double figures in six of the last nine games … Before a three-point performance against Villanova on January 26, he had scored in double figures in the six previous outings (the first time that he had scored in double figures in six straight games ) … Earlier this season in contests against DePaul and Army, Falls shot 63.2 percent from the field (12-19) and 57.1 percent from three-point range (8-14) … He also averaged 18.0 points, scoring a career-high 20 against DePaul and 16 versus Army … Against DePaul, he connected on 7-10 shots from the field and 5-7 from three-point range, and followed that up by shooting 5-9 from the field and 3-7 from beyond the arc against Army … In Notre Dame’s defeat of Western Illinois, Falls knocked down 5-9 shots from beyond the arc to finish with 17 points, and he scored a team-high 19 on 3-6 shooting from downtown in the BIG EAST-opening victory at Seton Hall … He buried three shots from beyond the arc en route to 16 points in the Villanova contest … Falls has reached double figures in nine of the last 14 contests.

Threes The Key For Falls:

Fifty-five of Colin Falls’ 60 field goals have come from three-point range … It wasn’t until the DePaul game that he connected on a two-point field goal … Prior to the contest, all eight of his field goals and all 20 of his attempts had come from three-point range … Falls connected on three three-pointers against IPFW and Michigan as he finished with nine points in both of those games … During his freshman season, Falls’ favorite shot was from beyond the arc … 92 of his 107 career field goals made (.860) have come from three-point range, while 222 of his 264 attempts (.840) have been from the three-point line or beyond.

In Select Company:

When Jordan Cornette recorded his 100th career steal in the Army game, he joined former Irish standout Troy Murphy as the only two players in school history with 100 career blocks and 100 career steals … Cornette has 188 blocks and 115 steals in three-plus seasons, while Murphy ended his career with 126 and 113, respectively.

Counting On Colin:

Colin Falls’ game-winning shot (from three-point range) against Seton Hall on January 5 with four seconds remaining, marked the second game-winning shot of his career (44 games) .. . In the first round of the BIG EAST Championship last year, Falls’ three-pointer with 15.8 seconds remaining lifted the Irish to a 65-64 victory over West Virginia.

Rookie Roll Call:

Sophomore Omari Isreal has seen action in 13 games, while freshman Rob Kurz has played in 10 games … Isreal, who missed all of last season while recovering from the ACL surgery he had in February of 2003, had his best outing against Charleston Southern when he scored four points and grabbed three rebounds … He has played 10-plus minutes in three games … Kurz played a season-high 12 minutes against IPFW and a career-high three points against Marist.

Keeping It Close:

In the 50 losses suffered by Irish teams in Mike Brey’s four seasons, only 13 have been by 10 or more points and have been by a combined 352 points for an average of 7.04 points … Notre Dame’s biggest losses have been on the road at Pittsburgh (72-55 on January 6, 2003) and against Arizona (88-71 on March 27, 2003) in the West Regional semifinal in Anaheim, Calif… Prior to those two setbacks, the worst defeat was a 16-point decision at Connecticut during Brey’s first season … Notre Dame’s 11 losses during the 2001-02 season were by a combined 49 points for an average margin of defeat of 4.5 points … Only one loss that season (versus Georgetown at the Joyce Center) was by double figures, while eight of those setbacks were by five or less points.

Block Party:

The Irish frontcourt provides many shot-blocking opportunities … The 2002-03 team set the single-season mark with 189 blocked shots for a per game average of 5.59 … The former mark of 178 was set during the 2000-01 season in which Notre Dame averaged 5.93 blocks … The Irish finished the 2001-02 campaign with 163 blocks for an average of 4.94 per game … Last year, the Irish had 139 blocks for an average of 4.34 per game … Under head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame averaged 5.17 blocks per game in his first four seasons … The single-season totals each of the past four years are among the top five block totals in school history … The Irish have 81 blocked shots in 19 games (4.2).

198 And Counting:

Heading into tonight’s game against Boston College, Notre Dame has hit at least one three-pointer in 198 straight games, a mark that dates back to the the 1998-99 campaign … The last time an Irish team failed to hit a three-pointer was in a 101-70 loss to Connecticut at the Hartford Civic Center on January 12, 1999 as Notre Dame finished 0-7 from beyond the arc in the game.

Steady As They Go:

Notre Dame’s backcourt tandem of Chris Thomas and Chris Quinn has combined for 495 of the team’s 1,265 points (.391) and dished off 177 of its 273 assists (.648).

Spark Off The Bench:

Russell Carter has been a spark off the bench this season and has played in 16 games … Against Army, he played 12 minutes and grabbed a career-high five rebounds … In the win over Marist, he came off the bench to play a career-high 15 minutes and scored a personal-best seven points, while grabbing three rebounds … He notched four points and four boards versus Western Illinois in 15 minutes … His best career outing was against Samford as he registered career-bests of 11 points and seven assists, while playing a career-high 20 minutes … He chipped in five points in the conference-opening win over Seton Hall … Prior to playing just four minutes against Seton Hall, Carter had been averaging 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 12.3 minutes in the four previous outings … Against Syracuse in the loss at the Joyce Center, he had seven points in 10 minutes.

All In The Family:

Freshman Rob Kurz’ younger sister Laura is a freshman on the Duke women’s basketball team. As a matter of fact, she played a regular-season contest on the Joyce Center floor 48 hours before her brother’s home opener. The Irish women’s basketball team hosted the Blue Devils in semifinal action of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament on November 17 … Notre Dame won the game 76-65.

Irish Add Four In Early Signing Period:

Mike Brey signed four players to national letters of intent during the early signing period … Joining the Irish in the fall of 2005 will be Ryan Ayers (Blue Bell, Pa.), Zach Hillesland (Toledo, Ohio), Kyle McAlarney (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Luke Zeller (Washington, Ind.) … Ayers, a 6-7, 200-pound combination guard/forward, is the son of former Ohio State and Philadelphia 76ers head coach Randy Ayers … He averaged 16.4 points, 8.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists during his junior year at Germantown Academy … Hillesland is a 6-8, 220-pound forward who averaged 13.0 points, 9.0 rebounds in his junior season at St. John’s Jesuit … McAlarney, a 6-1, 170-pound point guard, already ranks as the all-time leading scorer in Staten Island prep history with 1,662 career points and a 22.6 scoring average … His 35.6 scoring average and 907 points in 2003-04 for Moore Catholic set the Staten Island high school single-season marks … Zeller, a 6-11, 240-pound forward/center, is a candidate for the 2005 Mr. Indiana Basketball honors … A Streets and Smith’s All-America selection in his junior season, he netted 19.8 points and 9.4 rebounds during his junior year at Washington.

Irish Find Success In The Classroom:

For the second straight semester, Irish basketball players excelled in the classroom … Overall, the Irish earned a 3.056 semester average, the second-highest semester average since the fall semester of 1992, after earning a 3.115 cumulative grade point average following the 2004 spring semester … The team also boasts a 3.028 cumulative grade index, which also reflects the highest average since Notre Dame’s Office of Academic Services For Student-Athletes began keeping track of semester grade point averages at the start of the 1992-93 school year … Seven players — Greg Bosl, Rick Cornett, Dennis Latimore, Chris Murphy, Ben Nickol, Chris Quinn and Chris Thomas – earned semester grade point averages of better than 3.00.

Notre Dame Basketball On The Big Screen:

Notre Dame will play a record 15 games on national television during the regular season …. Last year, the Irish also made 13 national appearances during the regular season and appeared on either CBS, ESPN or ESPN2 a total of 16 times … Since the 2000-01 season under head coach Mike Brey, Notre Dame teams have appeared on national television during the regular and post-season a total of 52 times (average of 13 per year) – it’s the most television appearances in a four-year period in the program’s history.

Joyce Center Sellouts:

Since the 2000-01 campaign, there have been 32 sellouts at the Joyce Center … Notre Dame enjoyed 10 sellouts during the 2002-03 campaign, the most since the 1985-86 season … The 29 sellouts from 2000-04 were the most in a four-year period since the 1983-87 campaigns.

Notre Dame Basketball Radio Show Returns To Logan’s Roadhouse:

Logan’s Roadhouse Restaurant in Mishawaka will once again be the site of the Notre Dame Basketball Radio Show during the 2004-05 season … The 30-minute radio show will be broadcast live on Monday nights on 92.9-FM (U93 in South Bend) 10 times during the year beginning at 7:00 p.m. … The dates of the show will be December 6, December 13, December 20, January 3, January 17, January 24, January 31, February 7, February 14 and February 28.

Notre Dame Athletics Debut On Sirius Satellite Radio:

Notre Dame has increased its radio footprint when it announced an agreeement on August 31 with SIRIUS Satellite Radio to become the official radio partner for Notre Dame athletics … SIRIUS will broadcast selected Irish men’s and women’s basketball games during the upcoming season, in addition to football and other sporting events … In addition, SIRIUS will aid in the development of marketing initiatives with the University’s athletic department as a member of ” Team Notre Dame” … Notre Dame’s agreement with SIRIUS is one of the cornerstones in the formation of SIRIUS College Sports Radio, a partnership between SIRIUS and College Sports Television (CSTV) that includes 23 major universities around the country … SIRIUS radios for the car and home start at $149 and are available at major retailers nationwide … For more, visit www.sirius.com.

The Kevin White Radio Show:

A weekly half-hour talk show featuring Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White airs once again this year on Chicago’s ESPN Radio 1000 (1000 AM, www.espnradio1000.com) … Now in its fifth season, “The Kevin White Radio Show” welcomes a series of guests and prominent figures associated with college athletics, including administrators, coaches and media members.

Web Site (www.und.com):

Notre Dame’s official athletic department web site can be found at www.und.com … The web site is created in partnership with College Sports Online of Carlsbad, Calif.

Tip-Off Times For Home Games Against Georgetown and Rutgers Changed:

Home games against Georgetown (February 16) and Rutgers (March 2) have been moved to 8:00 p.m. start times … Both contests were originally scheduled to tip-off at 7:30 p.m. … In addition to the time change, both games also will be televised by ESPN Classic.

Notre Dame Rises To Top Spot In Directors’ Cup Standings:

Notre Dame stands first in the final set of fall sports standings released in the 2004-05 United States Sports Academy Division I Directors’ Cup all-sports competition sponsored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (formerly known as Sears Directors’ Cup) … This marks the first time in the 12-year history of the all-sports program that Notre Dame has ranked number one … The previous highest ranking for the Irish was second in the 2004-05 second set of fall standings … Fall NCAA competition earned the Irish 337 points based on their NCAA title in women’s soccer (100 points), their fourth-place finish in women’s cross country (80), 11th-place finish in men’s cross country (57) and second-round NCAA appearances in men’s soccer and volleyball (50 each) … Michigan (333 points) stands second, followed by Stanford (332), Duke (327) and UCLA (297) … The current standings include results from NCAA fall competition in volleyball, field hockey, men’s water polo, men’s and women’s cross country, and men’s and women’s soccer and football … In previous years in which the Directors’ Cup competition has been held, Notre Dame has finished 11th in ’93-’94, 30th in ’94-’95, 11th in ’95-’96, 14th in ’96-’97, 31st in ’97-’98, 25th in ’98-99, 21st in ’99-’00, 11th in ’00-’01, 13th in ’01-02 and ’02-’03 and 19th in ’03-’04.

Leprechaun Legion

The return of Irish basketball to national prominence has brought attention, enthusiasm and excitement back to the Joyce Center … The Notre Dame student body has been a big part of increasing the homecourt advantage … In the spring of of 2001, an organization known as the Leprechaun Legion was introduced … Members of the Unviersity’s student body formed the Leprechaun Legion to generate support at home basketball games … The Legion sits in the east end of the Joyce Center and is extremely visible underneath the basket as members of the organization don kelly green shirts during game … Its chief aim is to increase school spirit during games and act as a catalyst for the rest of the crowd … This season, every student who purchased a basketball student booklet, received the “2004-05 Leprechaun Legion” shirt … The shirts are also on sale at home games in the Notre Dame Bookstore and Varsity Shops … Proceeds from the sale of the shirt benefit Coaches vs. Cancer.

Notre Dame Basketball Honored As One of Greatest College Basketball Programs

The Notre Dame men’s basketball program was recognized by Street & Smith’s as one of the top 100 basketball programs of all-time … Notre Dame’s program was rated the 39th best of all-time … Kentucky topped the list, followed by UCLA, North Carolina, Kansas, Duke, Indiana, Louisville, Arkansas, Connecticut and Cincinnati.

Facing The Defending National Champions:

Notre Dame’s 78-74 victory over Connecticut on Sunday marked the third straight year that the Irish faced a team which in the previous season had won the national championship … Notre Dame teams own a 10-24 record all-time versus teams which had won the NCAA crown in the previous season … Last year, the Irish knocked off Syracuse 84-72 on February 16, 2004 at the Carrier Dome and defeated Maryland 79-67 on December 7, 2002 in the first round of the BB&T Classic at the MCI Center … The 1999-2000 Irish squad beat Connecticut twice — 75-70 at the Hartford Civic Center and 68-66 at the Joyce Center — the season after the Huskies claimed the ’99 NCAA title.