West Virginia at Notre Dame
When: 7:00 PM ET, Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Where: Joyce Center, South Bend, Indiana
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THE STORY: Riding an eight-game win streak all the way to a No. 18 national ranking, Notre Dame takes aim at a season sweep of West Virginia after rallying for a 55-51 victory in Morgantown, W.Va., on Feb. 8. The Fighting Irish had made just 2 of 18 3-point shots in the game before hitting three straight during a late 11-0 run to seize control of the game. Including that setback, West Virginia had lost five of six before posting a 66-48 win at rival Pittsburgh last Thursday.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN3 (web).
ABOUT NOTRE DAME (19-8, 11-3 Big East): Since losing star forward Tim Abromaitis to a season-ending injury in November, the red-hot Fighting Irish have found surprising success by slowing the pace of the game. Their 61.1 possessions per contest in conference action are the second fewest among Big East teams, and they are allowing a league-best 58.7 points against conference opponents. Junior PF Jack Cooley (12.2 ppg, 9.3 rpg, 1.5 bpg) leads the Big East in field-goal percentage (61.8) and has posted four consecutive double-doubles, a run that began with a 21-point, 12-rebound effort at West Virginia.
ABOUT WEST VIRGINIA (17-10, 7-7): Senior F Kevin Jones has carried the load inside for the Mountaineers, leading the Big East in scoring (20.4) and rebounding (11.3). He and junior PF Deniz Kilicli (11.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg) pace a frontcourt that has West Virginia ranked second in the Big East in rebounding margin (plus-6.0). Senior G Truck Bryant is tied for seventh in the league with 16.7 ppg, but he is shooting just 31.3 percent on 192 3-point attempts (most in the Big East) and 36.2 percent overall. Bryant was held scoreless in the home loss to Notre Dame earlier this month.
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1. Notre Dame holds a 26-12 lead in the all-time series despite losing four of the last five meetings before this season.
2. The Fighting Irish are 16-2 against the Mountaineers at home, winning 11 consecutive meetings in South Bend dating back to 1987.
3. Jones ranks second nationally with 18 double-doubles, trailing only O.D. Anosike of Siena (20).
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