ESPN3: Notre Dame vs. North Carolina A&T Aggies Preview - Five Things To Know (Sunday, 5 PM ET)

ND Game Notes NC A&T 

WHO: Notre Dame vs. North Carolina A&T

WHEN: Sunday, December 4, 2016 | 5:00 p.m. ET
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WHERE: Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center

TICKETS: und.com/buytickets


VIDEO BROADCAST INFORMATION: ESPN3/ACC Network Extra with Tony Simeone (play-by-play) and A.J. Burgett (analyst). 

AUDIO BROADCAST INFORMATION: Notre Dame Basketball Radio Network, with Jack Nolan (play-by-play) and Zach Hillesland (analyst). 

How To Listen/Watch The IrishHere are the Five Things To Know about the Notre Dame - North Carolina A&T matchup on Sunday: 

NORTH CAROLINA A&T AT A GLANCE:

North Carolina A&T is located in Greensboro, North Carolina and is a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Aggies have made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances and earned the program’s first NCAA victory in 2013, defeating Liberty 73-72 in a First Four game before falling to number-one seeded Louisville. 

North Carolina A&T finished the 2015-16 season with a 10-21 record and 7-9 in the MEAC. In 2016-17, the Aggies are 1-5, defeating Greensboro College in their home opener and will face North Dakota State on Friday, Dec. 2.

Sunday will mark the first-ever meeting between Notre Dame and North Carolina A&T in men’s basketball.

THE ‘DICE’ MAN RETURNS:

Ray ‘Dice’ Martin returns to Notre Dame this weekend as an assistant coach with North Carolina A&T. Martin, whose coaching career has ranged over five decades after earning his degree from Notre Dame in 1977, played four years under Digger Phelps, was a team captain and a member of the team that ended UCLA’s 88-game win streak on Jan. 19, 1974.

In that legendary contest Martin, then a freshman, was inserted into the lineup late in the game as the Irish made a stunning comeback over the Bruins. Martin took a charge from Keith Wilkes in the game’s final minute to set up the final game-winning field goal from Dwight Clay.

Martin’s coaching career has seen him criss-cross the country. Early in his career he was a member of Jim Valvano’s 1983 NC State coaching staff that shocked Houston in the NCAA Championship game. Martin was the head coach at Long Island, while also making coaching stops at SMU, Tennessee, Shaw, Florida Atlantic, Miami (Ohio), South Carolina State, UMBC, North Carolina Central and Grambling.

“I would really call him an educator,” Notre Dame head coach Mike Brey says of Martin. “There’s a lot of young people in the college game, through his different coaching stops, who have benefited from his relationship. He’s one of the good guys in the business. He’s a class act. I think every young person who comes in touch with him feels good about himself.

“Ray Martin was a heck of a basketball player for us and a great guard coming out of New York City. I was younger, but I knew the name Dice Martin, growing up in D.C.”

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TIMES FOUR FOR COLSON:

Junior Bonzie Colson has made the most of a significant increase in playing time this season as Notre Dame’s top option in the post to compile a great start to his third season in an Irish uniform.

In the Legends Classic semifinal victory over Colorado, Colson led the Irish with 22 points and 12 rebounds - while also shooting 9-of-9 at the free throw line and collecting two steals.

He followed up with 13 points and 11 rebounds in the championship game victory over Northwestern while playing a team-high 38 minutes.

The double-double streak continued against Chicago State, as Colson logged 10 points and 11 rebounds.

In the ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup against Iowa, Colson played perhaps his finest game yet this season, scoring 24 points with a career-high 17 rebounds for his fourth double-double this season and eighth of

his career.

THE ULTIMATE WEAPON - THE FREE THROW LINE:

Notre Dame is second in the country (as of Dec. 2) in free throw percentage, shooting 84.5 percent (125-148) from the charity stripe this season. 

Here are some of the superlatives for the team from its free throw shooting -

• Junior Matt Farell is tied with five other players in the country with a perfect 1.000 shooting percentage from the free throw line (19-19).
• Dating back to the 2015-16 season, Farrell has connected on 23 consecutive free throws.
• Farrell is the first Notre Dame player in the Brey era to begin the season connecting on their first 19 free throw attempts.
• Farrell combines with Steve Vasturia (ninth, 20-21, .952) to give Notre Dame the only team in the country with two players in the national top 10 for free throw shooting.
• Farrell and Vasturia combine with Bonzie Colson (39th, 40-44, .909) to give Notre Dame the only team in the country with three players in the top 40 for free throw shooting.
• Colson’s 12-for-12 effort at the free throw line against Iowa tied four other ND players for fourth-best in school history.

IRISH MATCH SECOND-BEST START OF THE BREY ERA:

Notre Dame enters the game against North Carolina A&T with a 7-0 record, the third time in the Mike Brey era (since 2000-01) the Irish have started the year with seven consecutive wins.

The 2010-11 team won its first eight games (also the most recent season the Irish won an in-season tournament - the 2010 Old Spice Classic), while the 2001-02 team won its first seven games.

COURTESY UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

ESPN3: Troy to Host Alabama State on Sunday, 6:15 p.m. ET

Watch | Listen | Troy Game Notes

TROY, Alabama – Troy men's basketball will play on Sunday for the only time this season with a 5:15 matchup against Alabama State in Trojan Arena. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3 with Ali Forbes and Barry McKnight on the call.

The Trojans (3-4) are coming off a 80-74 home loss to USF on Thursday. The Bulls led for 38:48 of game play, yet after being down as much as 21, Troy cut the lead to five with roughly two minutes left before eventually falling.

The home loss came after a four-game stretch on the road. Troy dropped the first three contests against UAB, Eastern Illinois and San Francisco before earning a 65-63 win at Hawai'i.

Jordon Varnado and Wesley Person have again been the stalwarts for the Trojans this season. Both are averaging 13.9 points per game on the season. They've been aided by the scoring of newcomers Kevin Baker and Juan Davis, Jr. who are averaging 8.6 and 8.0 points per game, respectively.

Against USF, Jeremy Hollimon had a team-high 15 points, which marked the first time this season the senior led the team in points. DeVon Walker had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double as a Trojan.

On the other side, Alabama State has had to play six-of-seven games on the road en route to a 1-6 record to start the season. The first home game was the Hornets' last, a 72-69 loss to Jacksonville State.

SERIES HISTORY
ALABAMA STATE (1-6)
Overall Series: 11-10, ALABAMA STATE
Streak: TROY W1
Last: Troy 85-69, Dec. 7, 2013. Troy, Ala.

PLAYERS TO WATCH
TROY
Jordon Varnado: 13.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 13 blocks
Wesley Person: 13.9 ppg, 2.3 rpg, 15 3-pointers

ALABAMA STATE
Rodney Simeon: 13.7 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 10 steals
Tony Armstrong: 11.0 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 20 offensive rebounds

NOTEWORTHY
• The Trojans have two players ranked in the top-10 in rebounding in the Sun Belt Conference. DeVon Walker is fifth with 7.3 rebounds per game and Jordon Varnado is seventh with 7.1 rebounds per game.

• Troy is first in the Sun Belt in blocked shots. The Trojans lead the conference with 33 blocks, seven more than any other team.

• USF's 43 first-half points were the most points Troy allowed in a half this season.

For more information on Troy men's baVsketball, visit TroyTrojans.com or follow the team on social media at @.

TROY UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATION

ESPN3: SMU Mustangs Host Delaware State Sunday at 2 p.m.ET

SMU (5-3, 0-0 American) vs. Delaware State (2-6, 0-0 MEAC)
Date / Tip-off	Sun., Dec. 4 / 2 p.m. CT
Location	Moody Coliseum -- Map
Tickets	Tickets
TV	Spectrum Sports / ESPN3 (ESPN3 is subject to blackout in DFW)
Radio	KAAM 770 AM | TuneIn App - Search SMU
Game Notes	SMU | Delaware State | American
Live Stats	SIDEARM
Facebook	/SMUBasketball | SMU Mustangs
Twitter	@SMUBasketball | @SMUMustangs
Instagram	@SMUBasketball | @SMU.Mustangs

SMU (5-3) hosts Delaware State (2-6) on Sunday at 2 p.m. This is the second contest in a six-game homestand. The Mustangs are 4-0 at home this season after a 49-43 victory against CSU Bakersfield on Friday. SMU is 36-3 at home since the start of the 2014-15 season and has 18 straight home wins against non-conference opponents.

Junior Semi Ojeleye leads SMU in scoring (17.5, 5th AAC) and rebounding (7.9, 10th). Shake Milton is second on the team in scoring (11.4, T-25th AAC) while leading in assists (4.4, 7th AAC), steals (1.9, 5th AAC) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.2, 7th AAC). Four Mustangs average double digits in scoring with Ben Moore (11.0) and Sterling Brown (10.8) joining Ojeleye and Milton. SMU has outrebounded 7 of 8 opponents so far with a +11.3 rebound margin (2nd AAC, 9th NCAA). Six Mustangs average 3.0 or more rebounds with Ojeleye, Moore (7.5, 11th AAC) and Brown (5.9, 17th AAC) leading the way.

LAST GAME (W, 49-43 vs. CSU Bakersfield on Dec. 2): DALLAS (AP) -- Shake Milton scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and SMU rallied in the final five minutes Friday night to beat Cal State Bakersfield 49-43. The Mustangs (5-3) went on a 12-0 run starting with Jarrey Foster's free throw at 5:28 and ending on Semi Ojeleye's free throw to make it 48-40 with 13 seconds left. Milton's 3-pointer with 3:36 left gave SMU the lead for good at 43-40. Sterling Brown added 10 points, Ojeleye had nine points and eight rebounds, and Ben Moore grabbed 12 boards to go with five points. Cal State Bakersfield (5-4) trailed 29-24 early in the second half before taking the lead with an 8-0 run. The Roadrunners still led 40-36 on Jaylin Airington's 3-pointer with 5:49 left but missed their next 10 shots from the field. Damiyne Durham led the Roadrunners with 14 points.

UP NEXT: SMU continues its six-game homestand against rival TCU on Wednesday at 7 p.m. THe homestand continues against McNeese State (Wednesday, Dec. 14), Stanford (Monday, Dec. 19) and Albany (Tuesday, Dec. 20). The Mustangs then start American Athletic Conference at Memphis on Tuesday, Dec. 27.

THE SERIES VS. DELAWARE STATE (0-0): This is the first meeting.

HEAD COACH TIM JANKOVICH... is in his first season at the helm at SMU after four seasons as the associate head coach. He is in his 34th season as a collegiate coach, and his 12th as a head coach. In 2015-16, the Mustangs finished 25-5, finishing the season ranked No. 24 after reaching a high of No. 8. SMU was the last unbeaten team in the country, starting 18-0, winning the Las Vegas Classic title during the season-opening streak. In 2014-15, the Mustangs claimed the American Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships en route to the NCAA Tournament. SMU was the top seed in the 2014 NIT, reaching the title game. This is his 10th season as the leader of a Division I program, including five as head coach at Illinois State (2007-12) and four at North Texas (1993-97). As a head coach, he is 171-124 (.580) [14-3 at SMU]. That includes a 104-64 mark at ISU where his teams recorded four top-three finishes in the Missouri Valley, reached the conference tournament final three times and earned four NIT bids. As an assistant or head coach, his teams are 628-375 (.626) with six regular season conference championships, four league tournament titles, nine NCAA Tournament appearances and eight NIT bids.

- 6 Conference Titles (Colorado State - WAC '89, '90; Kansas - Big 12 '05, '06, '07; SMU - AAC '15)
- 4 Conference Tournament Titles (Illinois - Big Ten '03; Kansas - Big 12 '05, '06; SMU - AAC '15)
- 9 NCAAs (CSU '89, '90; Oklahoma State '93; Illinois '03; Kansas '04 RF, '05, '06, '07 RF; SMU '15)
- 8 NITs (CSU '88, Vanderbilt '00, '02; Illinois State '08, '09, '10, '12; SMU '14 Final)

ATTENDANCE: SMU has surpassed 100,000 in attendance the past three seasons. In 2014-15, SMU set a season attendance record of 124,986 total and 6,944 average. The New Moody single-game attendance record of 7,395 was set against Connecticut (Feb. 14, 2015). SMU has sold out 41 of 52 games in Moody Coliseum since the renovated facility opened Jan. 4, 2014.

SMU Season Home Attendance Total
Total Season
124,986 2014-15 AAC Champions (15 sellouts in 18 games)
117,420 2015-16 (13 sellouts in 17 games)
107,412 2013-14 (9 sellouts in 19 games - 13 games in Moody Coliseum)
101,296 1984-85
---
27,408 2016-17 (4 sellouts in 3 games)

SMU MUSTANGS ATHLETIC MEDIA COMMUNICATIONS

ESPN3: Clemson Tigers Face Coppin State Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.

WATCH GAME: ESPN3

MATCHUP
CLEMSON (4-2) vs. COPPIN STATE (0-9)\

Date: Sunday, Dec. 4
Tipoff: 2 p.m. ET
Arena: Littlejohn Coliseum (9,000)
Radio: CTSN (Tony Castricone-pbp; Philip Sikes-color)
Web: ACC Network Extra (Pete Yanity-pbp; Bob Mihalic-color)

• Clemson collected its first win since 2011 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge last time out, a 60-58 triumph over Nebraska. The Tigers overcame a nine-point first half deficit to claim the victory.
• The win over the Cornhuskers was Clemson's first at home in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge since 2007, when the Tigers beat Purdue 61-58.
• The Tigers face Coppin State for the first time since the 2005-06 season, when Clemson scored 102 points in a lopsided victory.
• Clemson is 33-1 all time versus MEAC competition.

SERIES HISTORY
CU Series W-L record: Clemson leads 2-0
Streak: Clemson has won both previous meetings

TIGER TRACKS
• Clemson has faced the nation's second-toughest schedule, according to the RPI figures available at WarrenNolan.com. The Tigers were 12 in Friday's RPI.
• Avry Holmes will appear in his 100th career game Sunday. He played in 62 games for the University of San Francisco before transferring to Clemson, where he has appeared in 37 straight contests.
• Holmes needs just 12 points to reach 1,000 for his career.
• Jaron Blossomgame has scored at least 13 points in all six games this season, and leads the Tigers in scoring at 17.8 per contest.
• Blossomgame needs 53 points to become the 10th player in Clemson history to rank among the Tigers' top 20 in both points and rebounds. He is already 17th in Clemson history with 653 rebounds.
• Sidy Djitte is third in the NCAA with 5.0 offensive rebounds per game, and has collected 19 over Clemson's last three outings alone.
• Shelton Mitchell played 27 minutes against Nebraska, his second game back after sitting the first four contests following knee surgery.

CLEMSON UNIVERSITY ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS

Johnson C. Smith University Coach Stephen Joyner, Jr. Earns 100th Career Win

STEPHEN JOYNER, Jr.
HEAD COACH WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Johnson C. Smith University head women's basketball coach Stephen Joyner, Jr. earned his 100^th career coaching win in the 75-64 win at USC Aiken on Wednesday night.

Joyner, in his fifth season at the helm of the JCSU program, currently has a career record of 65-51 at the helm of the Gold and Blue. A 2001 JCSU graduate and guard on the JCSU men's team that won the 2001 CIAA Title, Joyner started his coaching career as an assistant coach with the Livingstone men's program in the 2001-02 season.  He then landed an assistant coaching position with the women's program at N.C. Central and served the Eagles from 2002-2006. Other assistant coaching stops for Joyner include Johnson C. Smith (2006-2008), and
Florida A&M (2008-2010).

Joyner left Florida A&M after the conclusion of the 2009-2010 season to accept the head coaching position at Winston-Salem State. While with the Rams, accumulating a 35-21 record, including a 22-10 conference record.

He came to JCSU in 2012 and after posting an 8-18 record in his first season, has guided the Golden Bulls to three consecutive winning seasons, including a 20-8 mark in the 2014-2015 campaign.

Currently, JCSU holds a 6-1 record, having won six-straight games, and is tied for ninth in the latest Atlantic Region Women's Basketball Poll.

Stephen Joyner, Jr.

Notable Wins

No.	Date	Opponent	Score
1	Nov. 12, 2010	WSSU at Lenoir-Rhyne	58-51
25	Jan. 9, 2012	WSSU vs. Bowie State	59-52
50	Jan. 4, 2014	JCSU vs. Bowie State	64-59
75	Feb. 11, 2015	JCSU vs. St. Augustine's	97-73
100	Dec. 1, 2016	JCSU at USC Aiken	75-64

Stephen Joyner, Jr.
Career Record

Year	School	Record
2010-11	Winston-Salem State	17-11
2011-12	Winston-Salem State	18-10
2012-13	JCSU	8-18
2013-14	JCSU	14-13
2014-15	JCSU	20-8
2015-16	JCSU	17-12
2016-17	JCSU	6-1
7th Season		100-73

JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY OFFICE OF SPORTS INFORMATION

Shaw University Volleyball Concludes Season at NCAA Tournament

WHEELING, West Virginia  – After one of the best seasons in program history, the No. 8 Shaw University women's volleyball team came up short on Friday night in a 3-0 (25-9, 25-11 and 25-10) loss to No. 1 and defending NCAA Division II National Champion Wheeling Jesuit University in the 2016 NCAA Tournament First Round at the McDonough Center.

Despite the loss, the Lady Bears had a tremendous record-setting season to look back on.

Sophomore Kelly Murphy (Mukwonago, WI) and freshman Aisja Jones (Red Oak, TX) tallied six and five kills in the match for the Lady Bears (22-8), who advanced to the NCAA advanced to the NCAA Tournament after winning the 2016 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Championship for the first time in 21 years.

Sophomore Michelle Olmeda-Gonzalez (San Juan, PR) dished out 16 assists while Jones and Murphy tallied seven and six digs in the loss.



After trading the first couple of points in the opening set, the Cardinals scored 10-straight points to lead 12-2 over the Lady Bears. A kill by freshman Tapanga Moten (New Orleans, LA) led to Shaw embarking on a 5-1 run before WJU extended its lead 21-9 on an attack error by the Lady Bears. The Cardinals scored the last four points to take the 25-9 set win.

Five miscues by Shaw gave the Cardinals a 5-1 lead in the second frame. The Lady Bears snapped a scoring drought on a kill by freshman Amari Fletcher (Phoenix, AZ) as the score showed 11-2 in favor of WJU. Shaw cut the deficit to 11 points before the Cardinals controlled a 6-3 push with a kill by Maddy Smyth giving WJU the 25-11 set win.

With three ties and one lead change, the Lady Bears hung close with the Cardinals in the third set. WJU used a 7-1 push to expand its lead 13-7 over Shaw before a kill by Morghan Robinson (Anaheim, CA) cut the deficit to five points. The Lady Bears got within five points one more time but WJU punched in an 11-1 spurt which proved to be too much for Shaw as the Lady Bears fell 25-10, falling 3-0 for the contest

Kayce Krucki led the charge for Wheeling Jesuit on 10 kills and eight digs. Andrea Thobe tallied a match-high 31 assists while Breanna Kramer and Sam Obringer collected 12 digs apiece.

The Cardinals advance to Saturday night's Atlantic Region Semifinals. The Cardinals will face the Lady Cats of Pittsburgh-Johnstown, which defeated California (Pa.) 3-1 in the day's third match, in a 7:30 p.m. match.

For more information on Shaw women's volleyball and its 11 varsity sports, visit www.shawbears.com.

BOX SCORE

SHAW UNIVERSITY BEARS SPORTS INFORMATION

Grambling football: Wild 'must see' touchdown in SWAC title game

HOUSTON, Texas -- It was quite a day for the Tigers of Grambling State. Winning the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) title game is one thing, but coming back in dramatic fashion to take the title certainly added a little oomph to the victory.

Grambling rebounded from a deficit of 17 points at halftime to capture a 27-20 victory over Alcorn State on Saturday. After trailing for most of the ballgame, the Tigers took the lead on a 31-yard touchdown run from wideout Martez Carter. It was Grambling's first SWAC championship since 2011, and the school's 24th conference title overall — most in SWAC history.

The game-winning score happened to be Carter's only touchdown on the day, but it probably should have been his second. That said, the touchdown that tied the game for the Tigers halfway through the fourth quarter is worth watching a couple times.

After making a catch in the open field, Carter's rumble toward the endzone is a sight to behold. However, a hit inside the 5-yard line forced the ball loose, but Grambling WR Dominique Leake proved to be Johnny-on-the-spot. Leake snatched the fumble out of the air and stepped across the goal line for the game-tying score. The PAT attempt would be blocked, keeping the score knotted at 20-20 and setting the scene for Carter's game-winning score a few minutes later.

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