Feb. 6, 2017
By Alan Wasielewski
The University of Notre Dame men’s basketball team (17-7, 6-5 ACC) returns home to face Wake Forest (14-9, 5-6 ACC) on less than two days rest Tuesday evening at 7 p.m. ET on ESPNews.
The Irish are coming off a hard-fought 83-76 loss at No. 12/10 North Carolina on Sunday, Feb. 5 – a game moved from Saturday, Feb. 4 due to a water crisis in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The game move forces the Irish into one game of recovery after the game with the Tar Heels, versus the two days of recovery previously scheduled before the meeting with the Demon Deacons.
WHO: No -/24 Notre Dame (17-7, 6-5) vs. Wake Forest (14-9, 5-6)
WHEN: Tuesday, February 7, 2017, 7:00 p.m. ET
WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
NATIONAL BROADCAST: ESPNews with Zach Zaidman (play-by-play) and Dalen Cuff (analyst).
RADIO BROADCAST: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Zach Hillesland (analyst). You can listent to the broadcast live online via the network affiliates or on SiriusXM Channel 84.
Here are Five Things To Know about the Notre Dame – Wake Forest matchup –
NOTRE DAME vs. WAKE FOREST SERIES HISTORY:
Notre Dame and Wake Forest will be meeting for the seventh time on Tueday evening, with the series tied at 3-3. The Demon Deacons won the first three meetings in the series, which included the 2000 NIT Championship game in Madison Square Garden.
Tuesday will mark Wake Forest’s third trip to Purcell Pavilion, where the Irish boast a 2-0 record over the Demon Deacons.
NOTRE DAME vs. WAKE FOREST | 3-3 | HOME 2-0 | AWAY 1-1 | NEUTRAL 0-2 | ACC 3-2
|
Date |
City |
Site |
ND rank |
Opp rank |
W/L |
ND |
Opp |
|
3/30/2000 |
+New York, NY |
Madison Square Garden |
L |
61 |
71 |
||
|
1/25/2014 |
~Winston-Salem, NC |
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
L |
58 |
65 |
||
|
3/12/2014 |
#Greensboro, NC |
Greensboro Coliseum |
L |
69 |
81 |
||
|
2/17/2015 |
~Notre Dame, IN |
Purcell Pavilion |
10 / 10 |
W |
88 |
75 |
|
|
1/31/2016 |
~Notre Dame, IN |
Purcell Pavilion |
W |
85 |
62 |
||
|
2/24/2016 |
~Winston-Salem, NC |
Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum |
23 / 20 |
W |
69 |
58 |
+ – NIT Championship Game | # – ACC Tournament | ~ – ACC Game
BEACHEM 20 POINTS – THREE CONSECUTIVE GAMES:
Senior forward V.J. Beachem has scored 20 or more points in three consecutive games entering the game Tuesday night with Wake Forest. Beachem is the first Irish player to accomplish that feat since Jack Cooley scored 20 or more points three straight times during the 2011-12 season.
Should Beachem reach 20 points against Wake Forest, it would be the first four-game 20-point streak since Ben Hansbrough (32 vs. Providence on 2/23/11, 21 vs. Seton Hall on 2/26/11, 30 vs. Villanova 2/28/11, 21 vs. Connecticut (3/5/11) and 23 vs. Cincinnati (3/10/11).
THREE-YEAR WIN TOTAL RECORD IN SIGHT:
As the only program in the nation with back-to-back NCAA Elite Eight apperances, Notre Dame has compiled the best two-year stretch of victories already, posting a program-best 56 wins in 2014-15 and 2015-16.
With 17 victories so far in 2016-17, the Irish are one win away from matching the 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams for the program-best 74 wins in three years.
|
Season 1 |
Wins |
Season 2 |
Wins |
Season 3 |
Wins |
Total |
|
2010-11 |
27 |
2011-12 |
22 |
2012-13 |
25 |
74 |
|
2014-15 |
32 |
2015-16 |
24 |
2016-17 |
17 |
73 |
|
2013-14 |
15 |
2014-15 |
32 |
2015-16 |
24 |
71 |
|
2008-09 |
21 |
2009-10 |
23 |
2010-11 |
27 |
71 |
FARRELL – MOST IMPROVED IN THE ACC:
Junior guard Matt Farrell has made a case as the most improved player in the nation this season. After starting Notre Dame’s final four games of the 2015-16 season (his first four career starts as the Irish advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight) Farrell has stepped up his game even further in 2016-17.
Averaging 14.0 points per game (along with 5.5 assists per game and .432 3FG%) Farrell is the most improved player, in terms of points-per-game average, in the ACC with an 11.4 improvement (Georgia Tech’s Bem Lammers is second at +11.2).
As of February 6, Farrell leads the Irish in points-per-game (15.1), three-point shooting (.500) and assists (5.0) in ACC play.
VASTURIA AND BEACHEM REACH CAREER MILESTONES:
Senior captain Steve Vasturia entered the Legends Classic final against Northwestern needing 18 points to reach 1,000 points in his career.
Not only did Vasturia reach that milestone, he might have played the best all-around game of his career against the Wildcats. The Medford, New Jersey, native grabbed eight rebounds to go along with 18 points, three assists and three steals.
Senior V.J. Beachem needed 10 points entering the game at Georgia Tech for 1,000 career points and eclipsed that in the first half, scoring 23 points in McCamish Pavilion.
Vasturia is the 59th and Beachem the 60th Notre Dame player to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
Teammate Bonzie Colson could join the duo in the 1,000-point club, as Colson has 954 career points entering the matchup with Wake Forest.
–ND–
Alan Wasielewski is an associate athletics communications director in Fighting Irish Digital Media and works with the men’s basketball and rowing programs.