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

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin founded the school in 1842. The main campu ...

in the sport of

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

during the 2011–12 college basketball season. The Fighting Irish compete in Division I of the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(NCAA) and the

Big East Conference The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and M ...

. They were led by head coach

Mike Brey Michael Paul Brey (born March 22, 1959) is an American college basketball coach. He has been the men's head coach at the University of Notre Dame since July 14, 2000. Early life and education Brey, the son of Olympic swimmer Betty Brey, graduate ...

, and played their home games at the Edmund P. Joyce Center

Notre Dame, Indiana Notre Dame is a census-designated place and unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, in the U.S. state of Indiana. It includes the campuses of three colleges: the University of Notre Dame, Saint Mary's Coll ...

Previous season

The Fighting Irish finished the 2010–11 season 27–7, 14–4 in Big East play, finishing second place behind

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

Ben Hansbrough Ben Hansbrough (born December 23, 1987) is an American former professional basketball player and a former assistant coach for Western Kentucky University. He resigned from WKU on October 16, 2017. He is the younger brother of former NBA player ...

was named

Big East Player of the Year The Big East Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year award is given to the men's basketball player in the Big East Conference voted as the top performer by the conference coaches. It was first awarded at the end of the league's inaugural sea ...

, 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 The Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year award was established in 1967 to recognize the best men's college basketball coach of the year, as voted upon by the Associated Press (AP). A parallel award for women's coaches was added in ...

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 Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

Preseason

Roster changes and recruiting

Notre Dame lost team captains Hansbrough &

Tyrone Nash Tyrone Sidney Nash (born September 24, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who last played for Rasta Vechta of the German ProA. He played college basketball for the University of Notre Dame before playing professionally in Germany, ...

to graduation. Additionally, forward

Carleton Scott Carleton Goolsby Scott (born October 9, 1988) is an American professional basketball player who currently plays for Pallacanestro Trapani of the Italian League. He played college basketball for University of Notre Dame. Professional career Scott ...

surprised many by declaring for the NBA draft, 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, 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" 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.

Awards and honors

*2nd Team All-Big East –

Jack Cooley Jack Ryan Cooley (born April 12, 1991) is an American professional basketball player for Ryukyu Golden Kings of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the University of Notre Dame. High school career Cooley was a three-year star ...

*Big East Most Improved Player – Jack Cooley *Big East All-Rookie Team –

Jerian Grant Holdyn Jerian Grant (born October 9, 1992) is an American professional basketball player for Türk Telekom of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL). He played college basketball with the University of Notre Dame and was considered one of the top college ...

* Jim Phelan Coach of the Year Award – Mike Brey *NABC District V Coach of the Year –

Roster

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

Schedule and results

Source *All times are

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

, - !colspan=9, Exhibition , - !colspan=9, Regular Season , - !colspan=9, Big East Regular Season , - !colspan=9, Big East tournament , - !colspan=9, NCAA tournament

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:2011-12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team Notre Dame Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball seasons Notre Dame

Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball The Notre Dame Fighting Irish Men's Basketball team is the intercollegiate men's basketball program representing the University of Notre Dame in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. The program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA ...