Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com MARCH 2020 17 UNDER THE DOME 50 Years Ago: March 7, 1970 Notre Dame's first NCAA Tournament basketball victory in 12 years makes history (to this day). In the first round of the then 25-team tournament, junior guard Austin Carr scores 61 points in the 112-82 victory versus Mid-American champion Ohio in front of a capacity audience of 13,450 at the University of Dayton Arena. That output while converting 25 of 44 (56.8 percent) from the field and 11 of 14 (78.6 percent) from the foul line remains the single-game standard in the Big Dance. In the first 11 minutes alone Carr tallies 21 points, but Notre Dame doesn't take the lead for good until the 6:29 mark of the first half. By halftime the Irish build a 54-41 advantage with Carr totaling 35 points on 15-of-23 shooting from the floor. "The only thing I was thinking about was getting past the first round because it had been so long since Notre Dame won a game in the tournament," Carr said. "I was probably more focused in the first half than normal because of that." The previous single-game tourney scoring record was 58 set in 1965 by Princeton's Bill Bradley, a future starter for NBA champion New York Knicks teams. Carr continues to sizzle in the round of 16 versus No. 1 Kentucky when he scores 52 points on 22-of-36 shooting (61.1 percent) from the field, but the Irish end up losing 109-99. The Irish were ahead 87-86 before starting forwards Collis Jones and Sid Catlett foul out. In the consolation game, a 121-106 loss to Iowa, Carr adds 45 more points. His 52.7 scoring average in the three postseason contests easily remains a single-year NCAA Tournament standard, as does his 41.3 career average in seven career outings. Bradley is second at 33.7. 10 Years Ago: March 26, 2010 Notre Dame opens spring practice under first-year head coach Brian Kelly after producing a three- year mark of 16-21 since 2007 under predecessor Charlie Weis. Per usual under a new regime, there is a tearing down phase before building up. "We stink right now," Kelly said after the fourth practice, held March 31. "We're just so far from where we need to be in terms of attention to detail." 5 Years Ago: March 12-28, 2015 The most remarkable month in Notre Dame men's basketball history features an 8-1 re- cord (five wins versus ranked teams), an ACC championship and three victories in the NCAA Tournament for only the second time ever. Led by seniors Jerian Grant and Pat Con- naughton in the ACC Tournament, the Irish: • Defeat Miami 70-63, which had earlier in the year won at Notre Dame, to advance to the semifinals of the ACC Tournament. • Shock No. 2 Duke, 74-64 — which would go on to win the NCAA Tournament. • Score on an amazing 16 of 18 possessions in the second half to go on a 34-15 run in a stunning 90-82 conquest of North Carolina — which would win the national title a year later. "I'm a little bit in awe of what my team did," said 15th-year head coach Mike Brey, who had his first losing record (15-17) a year earlier. "To win a championship going through Duke and North Carolina on Tobacco Road is extremely powerful." With a supporting cast to Grant and Connaughton that includes Demetrius Jackson, Zach Auguste and Steve Vasturia, Notre Dame then advances to the Elite Eight for the first time in 36 years with hard-fought wins versus Northeastern (69-65), No. 24 Butler (67-64 in overtime) — the same day Brey's mother, Betty, passed away — and No. 14 Wichita State (81-70). In the NCAA Midwest Regional Final, No. 1 and 37-0 Kentucky makes all nine of its field goal attempts in the final 12:16, plus two free throws with six seconds remaining, to survive a 68-66 classic versus the Irish. — Lou Somogyi Anniversaries In Notre Dame Athletics History: March Seniors Jerian Grant and Pat Connaughton (holding the trophy) led the Fighting Irish on a remarkable March run in 2015, winning the ACC Tournament title in Greensboro and advancing to the NCAA Midwest Regional Final before falling to No. 1 Kentucky by two points in a thriller. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN ND Banners & Flags BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED PO Box 2331 • Durham, NC 27702 1-800-421-7751 Visit our online store! www.BlueGoldOnline.com BANNERS (28"x40") $19.95 + FREE S&H (Reg. $29.95 + S&H) CLEARANCE (Banners and Flags are Single-Sided Display poles not included) Please add sales tax if shipping to: IN (7%), MI (6%), and NC (7.5%) "ND Irish" Banner (Item #6138) "Mickey" Banner (Item #6135) MICKEY MOUSE GARDEN FLAG (Item #6136) $10.95 + FREE S&H (Reg. $14.95 + S&H) LIFE IS GOOD BANNERS "Irish Football" (Item #6143) "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" (Item #6139)