2011–12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team
American college basketball season
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:
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 (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
^ "Big East Conference Standings - 2011-12." ESPN.com. Retrieved 03-31-12.
^ "Carleton Scott To Remain In NBA Draft" . und.com. May 8, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012 .
^ "Irish Basketball Program Welcomes Garrick Sherman" . und.com. June 21, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012 .
^ "Injury leaves Eric Katenda partially blind" . ESPN . August 6, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012 .
^ "After eye injury no limits in sight for ND's Katenda" . chicagotribune.com. January 20, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2012 .
^ 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 .
^ 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 .
^ "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 .
^ "2011–12 Schedule" . Archived from the original on July 28, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2011 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearance in italics