2011–12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

2011–12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball
NCAA Tournament, Round of 64
ConferenceBig East Conference (1979–2013)
Record22–12 (13–5 Big East)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaPurcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center
Seasons
2011–12 Big East men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 11 Marquette 14 4   .778 27 8   .771
Notre Dame 13 5   .722 22 12   .647
Cincinnati 12 6   .667 26 11   .703
No. 15 Georgetown 12 6   .667 24 9   .727
South Florida 12 6   .667 22 14   .611
West Virginia 9 9   .500 19 14   .576
Connecticut 8 10   .444 20 14   .588
Seton Hall 8 10   .444 21 13   .618
Rutgers 6 12   .333 14 18   .438
St. John's 6 12   .333 13 19   .406
Pittsburgh 5 13   .278 22 17   .564
Villanova 5 13   .278 13 19   .406
Providence 4 14   .222 15 17   .469
DePaul 3 15   .167 12 19   .387
*No. 2 Syracuse 0 1   .000 0 3   .000
**No. 17 Louisville 0 8   .000 0 10   .000
2012 Big East tournament winner
As of March 31, 2012[1]
*Syracuse: 30 reg. season games, 4 postseason games vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Syracuse–(34–3)(17–1) **Louisville: 25 reg. season games, 5 postseason games vacated due to sanctions against the program; Disputed record: Louisville–(30-10)(10-8)
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011–12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame in the sport of basketball during the 2011–12 college basketball season. The Fighting Irish compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Big East Conference. They were led by head coach Mike Brey, and played their home games at the Edmund P. Joyce Center Notre Dame, Indiana.

Previous season

The Fighting Irish finished the 2010–11 season 27–7, 14–4 in Big East play, finishing second place behind Pittsburgh. Ben Hansbrough was named Big East Player of the Year, and Mike Brey was named Big East Coach of the Year for the third time. Brey was also named National Coach of the Year by Sports Illustrated & CBSSports.com, and the recipient of the Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year award.

The Irish were defeated in the semifinals of the Big East tournament by Louisville. They earned a #2 seed for the NCAA tournament, the program's highest seeding since 1981, where they were eliminated in the third round by Florida State.

Preseason

Roster changes and recruiting

Notre Dame lost team captains Hansbrough & Tyrone Nash to graduation. Additionally, forward Carleton Scott surprised many by declaring for the NBA draft,[2] forgoing his final season of eligibility. All three players went undrafted and signed contracts to play in Europe. Notre Dame welcomed one transfer in center Garrick Sherman from Michigan State,[3] who will have two years of eligibility remaining after sitting out the 2011–12 season.

Notre Dame recruited two players from the high school senior class of 2010–11:

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Pat Connaughton
SF
Arlington, MA St. John's Prep 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sep 19, 2010 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 92
Eric Katenda
PF
Wichita, KS Sunrise Christian Academy 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Apr 26, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 91
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: NR   Rivals: NR
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Notre Dame 2011 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  • "2011 Notre Dame Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  • "2011 Player Commitments – Notre Dame". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  • "2011 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 4, 2012.

Both Katenda and Connaughton were expected to contribute in their freshman season. However, Katenda suffered a "freak injury"[4] to his left eye during a summer pick-up game, leaving him with a permanently damaged optic nerve. The injury, combined with an academic issue with the NCAA, delayed his enrollment at Notre Dame until January 2012. He will sit out the remainder of the season but is expected to play again.[5]

Awards and honors

Roster

2011–12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Eric Atkins (C) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 182 lb (83 kg) So Mount Saint Joseph Columbia, Maryland
G 4 Patrick Crowley 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So St. Francis Los Gatos, California
C 11 Garrick Sherman (I) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 251 lb (114 kg) Jr Kenton / Michigan State Kenton, Ohio
G 12 Alex Dragicevich 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 221 lb (100 kg) So Glenbrook North Northbrook, Illinois
F 14 Scott Martin (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 222 lb (101 kg) Sr Valparaiso / Purdue Valparaiso, Indiana
F 21 Tim Abromaitis Injured (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 236 lb (107 kg) GS Farmington Unionville, Connecticut
G 22 Jerian Grant 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So DeMatha Bowie, Maryland
G/F 24 Pat Connaughton 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 206 lb (93 kg) Fr St. John's Prep Arlington, Massachusetts
F 25 Tom Knight 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Dirigo Dixfield, Maine
G 32 Joey Brooks 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Strake Jesuit College Prep Houston, Texas
F 33 Mike Broghammer 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 265 lb (120 kg) Jr Hopkins Orono, Minnesota
F 45 Jack Cooley 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 248 lb (112 kg) Jr Glenbrook South Glenview, Illinois
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 2011-11-30

  • Sherman is not eligible to play under NCAA transfer rules.

Schedule and results

Source[9]

Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
11/1/2011*
7:30pm
St. Xavier W 90–72 
Edmund P. Joyce Center (6,578)
Notre Dame, IN
11/7/2011*
7:30pm
Stonehill College W 92–70 
Edmund P. Joyce Center (6,567)
Notre Dame, IN
Regular Season
11/12/2011*
2:00pm
Mississippi Valley State W 80–67  1–0
Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,087)
Notre Dame, IN
11/14/2011*
9:00pm, ESPNU
Detroit
CBE Classic
W 59–53  2–0
Edmund P. Joyce Center (6,720)
Notre Dame, IN
11/16/2011*
7:30pm
Sam Houston State
CBE Classic
W 74–41  3–0
Edmund P. Joyce Center (6,614)
Notre Dame, IN
11/18/2011*
9:00pm
Delaware State W 93–69  4–0
Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,826)
Notre Dame, IN
11/21/2011*
7:30pm, ESPN2
vs. No. 21 Missouri
CBE Classic
L 58–87  4–1
Sprint Center (11,436)
Kansas City, MO
11/22/2011*
7:45pm, ESPNU
vs. Georgia
CBE Classic
L 57–61  4–2
Sprint Center (10,747)
Kansas City, MO
11/27/2011*
2:00pm
Bryant W 84–59  5–2
Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,138)
Notre Dame, IN
11/30/2011*
11:15 pm, ESPN2
at No. 18 Gonzaga L 53–73  5–3
McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
12/4/2011*
4:45 pm, MASN/Versus
vs. Maryland
BB&T Classic
L 71–78  5–4
Verizon Center (10,714)
Washington, DC
12/8/2011*
7:30 pm
Maine W 87–78  6–4
Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,024)
Notre Dame, IN
12/10/2011*
7:30 pm
Dartmouth W 65–47  7–4
Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,651)
Notre Dame, IN
12/17/2011*
4:30 pm, ESPN2
vs. No. 18 Indiana
Crossroads Classic
L 58–69  7–5
Conseco Fieldhouse (19,064)
Indianapolis, IN
12/19/2011*
7:30 pm
Sacred Heart W 106–65  8–5
Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,042)
Notre Dame, IN
Big East Regular Season
12/27/2011
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 22 Pittsburgh W 72–59  9–5 (1–0)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,231)
Notre Dame, IN
1/4/2012
7:00 pm, Big East Network
at Cincinnati L 55–71  9–6 (1–1)
Fifth Third Arena (10,142)
Cincinnati, OH
1/7/2012
4:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 11 Louisville W 67–65 2OT 10–6 (2–1)
KFC Yum! Center (22,687)
Louisville, KY
1/10/2012
7:00 pm, Big East Network
South Florida W 60–49  11–6 (3–1)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,075)
Notre Dame, IN
1/14/2012
11:00 am, ESPN2
No. 17 Connecticut L 53–67  11–7 (3–2)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149)
Notre Dame, IN
1/16/2012
9:00 pm, ESPNU
at Rutgers L 58–65  11–8 (3–3)
Louis Brown Athletic Center (6,334)
Piscataway, NJ
1/21/2012
6:00 pm, ESPN
No. 1 Syracuse W 67–58  12–8 (4–3)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149)
Notre Dame, IN
1/25/2012
8:00 pm, Big East Network
at Seton Hall W 55–42  13–8 (5–3)
Prudential Center (8,421)
Newark, NJ
1/29/2012
12:00 pm, Big East Network
at No. 24 Connecticut W 50–48  14–8 (6–3)
XL Center (16,294)
Hartford, CT
2/4/2012
1:00 pm, CBS
No. 15 Marquette W 76–59  15–8 (7–3)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149)
Notre Dame, IN
2/8/2012
9:00 pm, ESPNU
at West Virginia W 55–51  16–8 (8–3)
WVU Coliseum (9,258)
Morgantown, WV
2/11/2012
12:00 pm, Big East Network
DePaul W 84–76  17–8 (9–3)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149)
Notre Dame, IN
2/15/2012
7:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 23 Rutgers W 71–53  18–8 (10–3)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (7,557)
Notre Dame, IN
2/18/2012
9:00 pm, ESPNU
No. 23 at Villanova W 74–70 OT 19–8 (11–3)
Wells Fargo Center (15,939)
Philadelphia, PA
2/22/2012
7:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 West Virginia W 71–44  20–8 (12–3)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,265)
Notre Dame, IN
2/25/2012
12:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 20 at St. John's L 58–61  20–9 (12–4)
Madison Square Garden (11,436)
New York, NY
2/27/2012
7:00 pm, ESPN
No. 20 at No. 11 Georgetown L 41–59  20–10 (12–5)
Verizon Center (14,514)
Washington, DC
3/2/2012
7:00 pm, Big East Network
No. 20 Providence W 75–69  21–10 (13–5)
Edmund P. Joyce Center (9,149)
Notre Dame, IN
Big East tournament
3/8/2012
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 23 vs. South Florida
Quarterfinals
W 57–53 OT 22–10
Madison Square Garden (20,057)
New York, NY
3/9/2012
9:00 pm, ESPN
No. 23 vs. Louisville
Semifinals
L 50–64  22–11
Madison Square Garden (20,057)
New York, NY
NCAA tournament
3/16/2012*
9:45 pm, CBS
No. 23 (S 7) vs. (S 10) Xavier
Second Round
L 63–67  22–12
Greenboro Coliseum (16,523)
Greensboro, NC
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time. (#) during NCAA Tournament is seed with Region.

References

  1. ^ "Big East Conference Standings - 2011-12." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-31-12.
  2. ^ "Carleton Scott To Remain In NBA Draft". und.com. May 8, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  3. ^ "Irish Basketball Program Welcomes Garrick Sherman". und.com. June 21, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  4. ^ "Injury leaves Eric Katenda partially blind". ESPN. August 6, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  5. ^ "After eye injury no limits in sight for ND's Katenda". chicagotribune.com. January 20, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Jack Cooley And Jerian Grant Named To BIG EAST All-Conference Teams – UND.COM – University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site". Und.Com. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  7. ^ a b "Mike Brey Named NABC District V Coach of the Year – UND.COM – University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site". Und.Com. March 21, 2012. Archived from the original on January 22, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  8. ^ "Mike Brey Named Jim Phelan National Coach Of The Year – UND.COM – University of Notre Dame Official Athletic Site". Und.Com. March 30, 2012. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved June 15, 2012.
  9. ^ "2011–12 Schedule". Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2011.