Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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home games against George Washing- ton, St. Francis (Pa.) and Chicago State before No. 3 and defending national champion Kentucky visits Purcell Pa- vilion. A home game against Brown, a Crossroads Classic tilt with in-state ri- val Purdue in Indianapolis, and home games against IPFW, Kennesaw State and Niagara round out the non-con- ference slate. Here's a look at Notre Dame's com- After that it's smooth sailing with plete schedule and what we've chosen as clear-cut gimmies (Must Haves), toss-ups (Bubble Games) and match- ups that require an Irish upset (Steals). Records from the 2011-12 season are in parentheses. another 20-win season and a postsea- son run is built. There are enough non- conference opponents with winning records a year ago to keep Notre Dame honest, but only a couple that jump off the page. Nonconference (nine): Evansville This category is the base on which MUST HAVES (16-16), Monmouth (12-20), George Washington (17-14), St. Francis (6-23), Chicago State (4-26), Brown (8-23), IPFW (11-19), Kennesaw State (3-28) and Niagara (14-19). Ten of Notre Dame's 13 nonconfer- Entering his 13th season at Notre Dame, head coach Mike Brey is seeking his ninth NCAA Tournament bid and, more significantly, second advancement to the Sweet 16. PHOTO BY JOE RAYMOND ence games are at Purcell Pavilion, with the other three at neutral sites. The first four games are played in the span of seven days. Notre Dame needs to get in a groove early, particularly when it comes to figuring out how freshman forward Cameron Biedscheid and se- nior center Garrick Sherman, who sat out last season after transferring from