Dec. 2, 1999
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Head coach Matt Doherty often inspires his team and the fans when he recalls the glory days of Notre Dame basketball. The Insider focuses on some of the great series matchups in the Rivalry Review. This week, the Insider looks back at the first meeting between Vanderbilt and Notre Dame in the 1974 NCAA tournament.
With all hopes of the Final Four dashed, Notre Dame hit the court in hopes of ending the season on a positive note. Irish head coach Digger Phelps and Co. faced a tough team in the likes of Vanderbilt.
The Irish seemed determined and the Commodores could not get their offense jump-started. Notre Dame defeated Vanderbilt, 118-88. The 118 points stands as the most points ever scored for the Irish in the NCAA tourney.
“Coach told us to approach this game as if it were a new season,” Gary Brokaw said after the game.
Notre Dame captain John Shumate led the Irish with 30 points which was characteristic of his whole season. Shumate received numerous honors and awards for his senior season. He finished fourth in the nation that year in field goal percentage with .627.
Shumate also finished tenth in the nation in scoring, averaging 24.2 per game. At the conclusion of the season, Shumate decided to enter the NBA draft. The Phoenix Suns selected him fourth in the 1974 NBA draft.
Notre Dame’s Brokaw chipped in 20 points toward the victory while forward Adrian Dantley finished with 29.
Brokaw also earned accolades at the end of the season earning All-American honors.
The outcome of the game did not matter as Notre Dame had lost to Michigan on the preceding Thursday, 77-68.
Marquette knocked off the Wolverines and represented the Mid-East in the Final Four in Greensboro. The irony lays in the fact that the Irish beat three out of the four teams that competed in that year’s semi-finals.
Notre Dame finished the season with a record of 26-3 and the Associated Press Poll ranked them fifth in the final poll. It was the first team third-year head coach Digger Phelps took to the NCAA tournament.