Feb. 23, 2001

NOTRE DAME, Ind. – After Wednesday, Martin Ingelsby will have a story to tell his kids.

Not about hitting the game-winning shot but about how he lost his tooth.

With 3.7 seconds remaining in the game, Ingelsby hit the fade away jumper over the tenacious defense of Boston College’s Troy Bell.

Just a few seconds later, he collided with Bell as he grabbed a loose ball to secure the win. The force of the collision cracked Ingelsby’s tooth in half and part of it fell out.

“Troy Bell ran into me and it just got knocked out,” Ingelsby said.

At that point, there was nothing the senior could do about as several hundred fans stormed the floor of the Joyce Center to congratulate the team.

Wednesday’s win elevated Notre Dame’s record to 18-6 and all but secured a NCAA bid for the Irish.

It is a feat that seemed unattainable for the Irish squad that Ingelsby joined as a freshman.

Now he can not help but look back and smile because times sure have changed for the Irish. In fact, times sure have changed for Ingelsby.

Perhaps ESPN’s Jay Bilas said it best in December, “Now [Jimmy] Dillon and [Matt] Doherty are gone and Mike Brey has put the ball back into Ingelsby’s hands. So what if he didn’t have much of a choice? Point is, the 6-0 senior has responded.”

Responded is an understatement. In Wednesday’s game he rose to the occasion.

With 21.4 seconds remaining, the Irish swung the ball so many times that a win seemed unattainable. Then Ingelsby did the unthinkable, he drove the lane against Bell, a definite lock for first team all-Big East, and drained one.

He succeeded hitting the right-handed jumper and igniting the cheers from the Joyce Center.

Ingelsby didn’t yell or scream with excitement. He simply turned around, smiled and jogged to get back on defense.

It was the mark of a seasoned veteran and a team leader.

His 10 points and five assists did not mark a season high for the guard, it marked just another day.

“I have basically forgotten about last year,” Ingelsby said. “I just want to focus on this year and help this team the best that I can.”

To Ingelsby, Wednesday’s game marked just another day except for one thing, he lost something on the floor of the Joyce Center which can never be replaced. His tooth.