Feb. 23, 2015
Game 29
Syracuse (17-10, 8-6 ACC)
vs.
#9/8 Notre Dame (24-4, 12-3 ACC)
Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2015
8 p.m. (ET)
Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Notre Dame, Ind.
TV/INTERNET
ACC Network (affiliate list)
WatchESPN
Steve Martin (play-by-play)
Mike Gminski (analyst)
RADIO
Broadcast on WatchND (free)
Sirius 92/XM 193 (Notre Dame feed)
Check affiliates on Pg. 3 of notes packet
Jack Nolan (play-by-play)
Torrian Jones (analyst)
LIVE STATS
#9/8 NOTRE DAME PLAYS HOST TO SYRACUSE ON TUESDAY
– No. 9/8 Notre Dame (24-4, 12-3) will aim for its fourth straight victory when the Fighting Irish play host to Syracuse (17-10, 8-6) on Tuesday. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. (ET) inside Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.
– This is the only regular-season meeting between the Irish and the Orange.
– Notre Dame resides in second place in the ACC standings, while Syracuse is in sixth place.
– The Fighting Irish are ending a stretch of playing three games in seven days. Following Tuesday’s contest, the Irish won’t return to the court until next Wednesday at Louisville.
– Tuesday’s game will be broadcast on the ACC Network (check local listings) and WatchESPN with Steve Martin (play-by-play) and Mike Gminski (analyst) calling the action.
– A free audio broadcast will be available on WatchND. Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Torrian Jones (analyst) will be on the call. The broadcast can also be heard on The Notre Basketball Radio Network headed by WSBT 96.1 FM and 960 AM in South Bend. A complete affiliate list is available on page 3 of this notes packet. The broadcast also is available on Sirius 92/XM 193 (Notre Dame radio feed).
IRISH PRODUCING A SUPER SEASON
– Notre Dame’s 24-4 record is the best 28-game mark for the Irish since the 1973-74 squad was 25-3.
– Only two other Fighting Irish teams in the last 100 seasons have compiled more wins prior to the NCAA tournament (26 in 2010-11 and 25 in 2012-13).
CONFERENCE CALL
– Notre Dame’s 12-3 ACC record matches the program’s best 15-game mark in conference play. The Fighting Irish were 12-3 in BIG EAST action in 2011-12.
– A win on Tuesday would give the Irish the top 16-game league record in school history.
– The most conference wins ever for Notre Dame is 14 in 2007-08 and 2010-11.
– Notre Dame has won at least 10 conference games five times in the last six seasons.
– Head coach Mike Brey has guided the Irish to at least 10 league wins in 10 of his 15 seasons in South Bend (9 BIG EAST, 1 ACC).
– Under Brey, Notre Dame has had only three losing seasons in league play. Prior to Brey’s arrival at Notre Dame, the best league record for the Irish was 8-8 in 1999-2000 in year five as a member of the BIG EAST Conference.
ROAD WARRIORS
– Notre Dame is 6-2 on the road in ACC play. The six wins are the most conference road wins ever for the Fighting Irish.
THE SYRACUSE SERIES
– Tuesday will be the 46th meeting all-time between Notre Dame and Syracuse and the second as ACC rivals. The Orange have won the last two meetings and lead the series 26-19. Notre Dame fell at No. 1 Syracuse, 61-55, last season.
– This is Syracuse’s first trip to Notre Dame since the Irish knocked off the top-ranked and undefeated Orange, 67-58, on Jan. 21, 2012.
– Notre Dame owns a 9-11 home record against Syracuse.
– The Irish went 9-20 against the Orange in BIG EAST play.
– Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey is 6-14 all-time against Syracuse.
BC BULLET POINTS
– Notre Dame shot a season-best 66.0 percent (35-53) from the field in Saturday’s 87-70 win at Boston College. It’s the highest percentage ever for the Irish in an ACC game and it marked the third time this season (first in ACC play) Notre Dame shot 60 percent or above from the floor.
– The Irish shot 75.0 percent (18-of-24) in the second half. That matched Notre Dame’s best shooting half ever under Mike Brey.
– Notre Dame matched a season-high mark with six double-figure scorers (Bonzie Colson 16, Demetrius Jackson 15, Zach Auguste 14, V.J. Beachem 10, Jerian Grant 10, Steve Vasturia 10). It’s the first time the Irish have ever had six double-figure scorers in an ACC game.
– Notre Dame’s 30 bench points were the most this season for the Irish in an ACC game.
– Notre Dame’s 50 second-half points were the most ever for the Irish in any half of an ACC contest.
– The Fighting Irish had an assist on 19 of their 35 made field goals. The 19 assists tied the most ever for Notre Dame in an ACC game.
NICE HOMECOMING FOR COLSON
– Freshman forward Bonzie Colson notched career-high marks for points (16) and rebounds (6) in Saturday’s win at Boston College.
– Colson is a native of New Bedford, Mass., and is no stranger to the confines of Boston College’s Conte Forum. Colson witnessed his fair share of Boston College games in the arena during the time his father, Bonzie Colson Sr., served as a member of the Eagles’ men’s basketball coaching staff from 2001-10.
CASHING IN FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE
– The Fighting Irish are 37-of-40 (.925) from the free throw line in the last two games. Notre Dame was 27-of-28 last Tuesday versus Wake Forest and the Irish were 10-of-12 (10-of-10 in the second half) on Saturday at Boston College.
– Notre Dame has made more free throws (383) than its opponents have attempted (362) this season.
GRANT KEEPS IRISH OFFENSE GOING
– Jerian Grant has had a hand in 42.5 percent of Notre Dame’s 2,234 points this season. He’s netted a team-high 477 points and his team-best 183 assists have led to 472 Fighting Irish points.
– Grant has been involved in 132 of Notre Dame’s 245 made three-pointers this season (53.9%). He has deposited 43 treys and he’s assisted on 89 others.
– Notre Dame has made 18 three-pointers in the last two games (Wake Forest & Boston College). Grant has made two of those while assisting on 11 others.
HIGH MARKS
– Notre Dame ranks in the top five nationally in five categories: field goal% (2nd, 51.3%), fewest personal fouls per game (4th, 13.8), assist-to-turnover ratio (4th, 1.67), fewest turnovers per game (4th, 9.1) and fewest turnovers (5th, 255).
HOT SHOTS
– Notre Dame boasts the nation’s second-best field goal percentage (.513).
– The Irish shot a season-best 66.0 percent from the field Saturday at Boston College. It was the third time this season (first in ACC play) that Notre Dame shot 60 percent from the floor.
– Seven Notre Dame players are shooting better than 45.0 percent from the field (min. 60 attempts) — Bonzie Colson (60.9%), Zach Auguste (60.8%), Demetrius Jackson (50.6%), Jerian Grant (50.3%), Steve Vasturia (49.0%), Pat Connaughton (47.4%) and V.J. Beachem (46.2%).
TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL
– Notre Dame ranks fourth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.67) and fourth in fewest turnovers per game (9.1).
– The Irish have committed less than 10 turnovers in four of the last five games. Notre Dame has turned the ball over less than 10 times in 10 ACC games this season.
– Notre Dame had a season-low four turnovers against Michigan State (Dec. 3).
SPREADING THE WEALTH
– Five Fighting Irish players are averaging at least 9.0 points per game this season – Jerian Grant (17.0), Pat Connaughton (13.1), Zach Auguste (12.7), Demetrius Jackson (12.5), and Steve Vasturia (9.4).
– Notre Dame matched a season-best mark with six double-figure scorers in Saturday’s win at Boston College. The Irish also had six double-digit scorers versus Purdue (Dec. 20).
– Notre Dame has had at least four players reach double-figures in 23 of 28 games this season.
– The Fighting Irish have had five or more double-digit scorers on 10 occasions.
– Six different Notre Dame players (Auguste, Colson, Connaughton, Grant, Jackson, Vasturia) have led the team in scoring during an ACC game this season.
FIGHTING IRISH GET OFFENSIVE
– Notre Dame is 10th nationally (second in the ACC) in scoring (79.8 ppg.).
– The Fighting Irish have scored 80-plus points six times in ACC play, which is the most for any squad in the league.
– Notre Dame’s 79.8 points-per-game average is the highest since the Irish averaged 81.0 ppg. during the 2006-07 campaign.
20-POINT PERFORMERS
– Four different Irish players have scored 20 or more points in a game this season. Jerian Grant has done it a team-best 10 times, while Zach Auguste (3), Pat Connaughton (2) and Demetrius Jackson (2) also have netted 20-plus points on multiple occasions this season.
DRAINING FROM DEEP
– Notre Dame is 13th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.404) and 14th in made three-point field goals (245). Both of those figures lead the ACC.
– The Fighting Irish are 17th nationally (first in the ACC) in three-pointers per game (8.8).
– Notre Dame has made 10 or more treys in a game nine times this season (five times in ACC play).
– Notre Dame made a season-best 14 three-pointers (14-of-25) against Chicago State (Nov. 29).
– Four Irish players are shooting 40.0 percent or higher from three-point range (min. 50 att.) – Pat Connaughton (44.6%), Demetrius Jackson (43.6%), V.J. Beachem (42.9%) and Steve Vasturia (40.7%).
– Five Notre Dame players have made at least 39 treys this season – Connaughton (75), Jerian Grant (43), Jackson (41), Vasturia (44) and Beachem (39).
GRANT HAS GAME
– Jerian Grant has posted a double-double in each of the last two games. He tallied 24 points and 10 assists in last Tuesday’s win over Wake Forest and followed that up with a 10-point, 11-assist effort on Saturday at Boston College.
– He is the first Notre Dame player with 10-plus assists in back-to-back games since Chris Thomas did so on Dec. 14 & 22, 2002.
– Grant has four double-doubles this season and eight during his career.
– Grant leads the ACC in assists per game (6.5), assist-to-turnover ratio (3.31), total assists (182) and minutes played (1015). He is second in the league in steals (52), fifth in points per game (17.0) and eighth in field goal percentage (.503).
– He ranks seventh nationally in assists (183) and ninth in assists per game (6.5).
– Grant has scored 20-plus points a team-best 10 times this season (six ACC games). He netted a career-high 27 points versus Michigan State (Dec. 3).
– Grant posted 23 points and a career-high 12 assists in the 77-73 triumph of Duke on Jan. 28. His 12 assists were the most ever for an Irish player in an ACC game.
– His 3.31 assist-to-turnover ratio this season ranks seventh nationally. His 2.59 career assist-to-turnover ratio ranks fourth among active Division I players.
– Grant has made his last 15 free throw attempts.
VASTURIA HAS BEEN VERY IMPRESSIVE
– Sophomore guard Steve Vasturia has scored in double-figures five times in the last six games. In those six contests, he is averaging 12.2 points and he’s shooting 52.9 percent from the field, including 50.0 percent (15-30) from three-point range.
CONNAUGHTON A CONSISTENT PRESENCE
– Senior Pat Connaughton has started 110 consecutive games. He is the third player in Notre Dame history to start at least 100 straight games. Chris Thomas (2002-05) started all 128 games during his Fighting Irish career and Pat Garrity (1995-98) was in the starting lineup during all 111 contests of his career.
– Connaughton has played in all 129 games during his career and has started all but 16 of those contests.
CONNAUGHTON AND GRANT IN CONTENTION FOR HONORS
– Jerian Grant has been named to the midseason watch lists for the John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Trophy and the Oscar Robertson Trophy. He also is one of 16 candidates for the Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award.
– Pat Connaughton is among 15 candidates for the Julius Erving Small Forward of the Year Award.
– The West and Erving awards will be presented April 10 by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame at ESPN’s new College Basketball Show live from Club Nokia in Los Angeles.
PAT’S AN ALL-AROUND PERFORMER
– Pat Connaughton leads the Irish in rebounding (7.7 rpg.) and is second in scoring (13.1 ppg.).
– Connaughton has a team-best seven double-doubles this season (three in ACC play) and his 14 career double-doubles are the most for any current Irish player.
– Connaughton leads the ACC (ninth nationally) in three-point percentage (.446) and made three-pointers (75).
– Connaughton ranks sixth in Notre Dame history in made three-pointers (250).
– He is 28th nationally (third in the ACC) in defensive rebounds per game (6.54) and he is eighth in the ACC in total rebounds per game (7.7).
– Connaughton has 1,357 points and 757 rebounds during his Irish career. He is the 10th player in program history with 1,300 points and 700 rebounds.
A DYNAMIC DUO
– Jerian Grant leads all current ACC players in career points (1,588), while Pat Connaughton is fourth (1,357).
– Connaughton leads all current ACC players in career rebounds (757) and Grant is first in career assists (620).
– Grant is 13th on Notre Dame’s career scoring list, while Connaughton is 25th.
– The senior duo has combined for 238 games played (220 of them starts), 2,945 points, 1,068 rebounds, 863 assists and 249 steals.
– Connaughton and Grant also have accounted for 8,047 minutes played on the court (33.8 mpg.). Grant and Connaughton rank first and fourth, respectively, in the ACC in minutes played this season.
– Grant boasts a 14.6 points-per-game average during his career and Connaughton has a 10.5 mark.
GRANT JOINS 1,500-POINT, 600-ASSIST CLUB
– With his first assist in last Tuesday’s win over Wake Forest, Jerian Grant became the second player in Notre Dame history with 1,500 points and 600 assists.
– Grant ranks 13th in Irish history in points (1,588) and third in assists (620).
– Chris Thomas (2001-05) tallied 2,195 points and 833 assists for the Irish.
STARTING FIVE CONSISTENCY
– Demetrius Jackson, Jerian Grant, Steve Vasturia, Pat Connaughton and Zach Auguste have been Notre Dame’s starting five in 26 of 28 games this season.
– Jackson, Grant, Vasturia and Connaughton have started every game this season, while Auguste has 26 starts.
– Last season, the Irish used 12 different starting lineups.
AUGUSTE STAYS HOT FROM THE FIELD
– Junior forward Zach Auguste boasts a .608 field goal percentage, which ranks ninth nationally.
– Auguste has been perfect from the field three times this season – 9-9 vs. Coppin State, 7-7 vs. Northern Illinois, 5-5 vs. Grambling State. His performance against Coppin State tied a Notre Dame record for most field goals without a miss in a single game.
– Auguste netted a career-high 26 points against Florida State in the ACC opener. Those are the most points ever scored by an Irish player in an ACC game. He made a career-best 11 field goals (on 15 attempts). That was his third 20-plus point effort of the season (20 vs. Navy, 21 vs. Coppin State).
– Auguste is averaging 12.7 points per game after posting a 6.7 ppg. mark last season (+6.0).
ACTION JACKSON
– Sophomore point guard Demetrius Jackson has scored in double-figures in 12 of 15 ACC games this season.
– Jackson pulled down a career-high 10 rebounds in the win over Boston College on Feb. 4. He is the third different Irish player with 10 or more rebounds in a game this season (Zach Auguste and Pat Connaughton are the others).
– Jackson ranks sixth in the ACC in steals (44).
– He has netted a career-high 22 points twice this season (Michigan State & Purdue).
– Jackson is averaging 12.5 points per game after notching a 6.0 mark last season (+6.5).
COMEBACK KIDS
– Notre Dame has overcome a deficit of 10 points or larger en route to a victory six times this season (see breakdown on Pg. 5).
– The Irish are 6-2 this season when trailing at halftime. All six wins have come in ACC play.
FIGHTING IRISH KNOW HOW TO FINISH
– Eight of Notre Dame’s 12 ACC wins this season have been decided by eight points or less. In the final five minutes of those eight contests, the Irish are shooting 52.3 percent from the field, while they are holding their opponents to 34.9 percent.
– Steve Vasturia is shooting 63.6 percent (7-of-11) from the field in the last five minutes of those eight wins and Jerian Grant is 12-of-25 (.480).
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS
– The Irish are 7-2 this season in games decided by five points or less (6-1 in ACC play).
– Ten of Notre Dame’s 15 ACC contests have been decided by eight points or less and the Irish are 8-2 in those games.
– Last season, Notre Dame was 6-7 in games decided by five points or less.
OVERTIME EXCELLENCE
– The Irish are 3-0 in overtime games this season (vs. Michigan State, vs. Georgia Tech [2ot], at NC State).
– The Fighting Irish are 9-1 in their last 10 overtime contests.
– Notre Dame has won its last five overtime games that have taken place at a true road site.
– Notre Dame is 19-10 in overtime under head coach Mike Brey.
FIGHTING IRISH POST ANOTHER 20-WIN CAMPAIGN
– Notre Dame has notched at least 20 wins in eight of the last nine seasons. Last season (15-17 record) was the only time the Irish failed to hit that mark during this latest stretch.
– The Fighting Irish have reached the 20-win plateau 11 times in 15 seasons under head coach Mike Brey. The most wins for the Irish under Brey are 27 (27-7) in 2010-11.
IRISH PRODUCE 600TH WIN AT PURCELL PAVILION
– The 77-73 victory over Duke on Jan. 28 was the 600th win for Notre Dame at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center. Irish teams are 602-157 (.793) since the building opened during the 1968-69 campaign.
– The Fighting Irish are 16-1 this season at Purcell Pavilion.
– Notre Dame squads have produced five undefeated campaigns at Purcell Pavilion (three under Mike Brey) — 1973-74 (15-0), 1985-86 (15-0), 2006-07 (18-0), 2007-08 (17-0) and 2010-11 (17-0).
BREY NOTCHES 400TH CAREER WIN
– Notre Dame’s season-opening victory over Binghamton was Mike Brey’s 400th career win as a college head coach. He has registered a 423-215 (.663) record in 19-plus seasons at Delaware and Notre Dame.
– Brey earned his 300th win at Notre Dame last season. He has compiled a 324-163 (.665) record in his 14-plus seasons in South Bend. He is one of 20 active head coaches to have 300 or more Division I victories at their current institution.
– Only two other Notre Dame head coaches have reached the 300-win milestone. Digger Phelps led the Fighting Irish to a 393-197 record from 1971-91. George Keogan notched a 327-97 mark from 1923-43.
CAPTAIN CONNAUGHTON
– Senior Pat Connaughton is Notre Dame’s lone captain for the 2014-15 season. Connaughton served as one of four captains for the Irish a year ago and becomes the 22nd different Notre Dame men’s basketball player to serve as a captain in multiple seasons.
– Since the 1985-86 campaign, only four other players have served as lone captains for their Irish teams– Ken Barlow (1985-86), Tim Singleton (1990-91), Ryan Hoover (1995-96) and Rob Kurz (2007-08).
FIGHTING IRISH IN ITALY
– In early August, the Fighting Irish squad traveled to Italy for a 10-day, four-game foreign tour. Notre Dame posted a 4-0 record. The Irish visited Rome, Perugia, Pesaro, Venice and Como during the trip.
– It was the program’s first foreign tour since 2008 when the Irish ventured to Ireland for 13 days.
CONNAUGHTON DRAFTED BY ORIOLES
– The Baltimore Orioles selected Irish swingman Pat Connaughton in the fourth round of June’s Major League Baseball Draft. He was the 121st pick overall.
– Connaughton spent part of June and July pitching for the Aberdeen IronBirds, the Class A Orioles’ affiliate.
– Connaughton finished his Fighting Irish baseball career last spring. He posted a 3.03 ERA and had an 11-11 record on the mound during his three seasons. He fanned 105 batters in 154.2 innings pitched.
IRISH FIRST AGAIN IN GRADUATION RATE SUCCESS
– The University of Notre Dame once again claims the 2014 national championship for graduating student-athletes in all sports–in the process posting the top NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) figure (99) for its student-athletes for the eighth straight year.
– The GSR number for all Notre Dame student-athletes rates the Irish first among the football-playing institutions in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A). The 2014 NCAA figures are based on entering classes from 2004 through 2007.
– Twenty-one of Notre Dame’s men’s and women’s athletic programs posted GSR numbers that rank them best in the nation within their sports (including 20 perfect 100 scores)– and 11 produced federal graduation rates that led all NCAA FBS institutions (including eight perfect 100 scores). Men’s basketball at 100 tied for first with 14 other schools.
– Five Irish women’s programs had perfect 100 federal rates ranking them first within their sports among the NCAA FBS subset. Six Irish men’s programs had federal rates ranking them first within their sports (three with perfect 100 scores) among the NCAA FBS subset. Men’s basketball at 85 ranked tied for first with Penn State.
– Five Irish women’s programs had perfect 100 federal rates ranking them first within their sports among the NCAA FBS subset. Six Irish men’s programs had federal rates ranking them first within their sports (three with perfect 100 scores) among the NCAA FBS subset. Men’s basketball at 85 ranked tied for first with Penn State.