Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Catholic University Men's Basketball Team to Play at Notre Dame, November 7


From our friends at Catholic University Athletics...

Notre Dame, Florida, George Washington and Maryland have all enjoyed recent NCAA men's basketball postseason success. That's not all they have in common. They have each played Catholic University.

The Cardinals will add to that legacy when they return to play at Notre Dame. CUA and the Fighting Irish will meet at Purcell Pavilion in an exhibition game on Monday November 7 at 7 PM. Notre Dame defeated the Cardinals 72-47 on November 6, 2010.


"This will be a rich experience for our players, staff, fans and alumni," said head coach Steve Howes. "We had a great time when we opened our 100th anniversary season up there. Mike Brey has elevated the Irish to among the finest programs in the nation."

Notre Dame was in the Big East Conference when it last played Catholic and is now in the ACC. The Irish (24-12) won three games in the NCAA Tournament East Region last year before losing to North Carolina, 88-74, one game shy of the Final Four.

The Cards won the Landmark Conference regular-season and conference tournament championships and hosted an NCAA Division IIII Tournament game. CUA's season ended at 22-6 with an 84-76 loss to Endicott.

Jay Howard, a rising junior All-American candidate, returns to lead the Cardinals. Howard averaged 20.1 points and shot 59 percent from the field - both team highs - and was named first-team All-Landmark.

Howes enters his 13th year at his alma mater with a career record of 234-103. His victory total and winning percentage (.694) trail only GW head coach Mike Lonergan.

The Cardinals and Colonials met in an exhibition game in 2012. CUA played at Maryland the following year. The Cards opened their 2014-15 regular season at Davidson. They played at Loyola (Md.) the previous year.

In 2011, the Cards played at Florida, which featured freshman phenom and current Washington Wizard Bradley Beal. The Gators were coached by Oklahoma City Thunder Coach Billy Donovan. His son, Billy, played two seasons for the Cardinals (2010-12) before transferring to Florida.

"We have played some outstanding Division I teams," Howes said. "The games are a thrill for our players and alumni. They help us to recruit student-athletes who have kept us among the top teams in Division III."

Howes is looking forward to the return trip to Notre Dame.

"I'm very thankful to Coach Brey for agreeing to play us again this year," he said. "I have the utmost respect for him and his staff. The game will definitely show me what we need to work on before our first regular-season game.

"I hope we're able to give Mike's team a good challenge and help prepare them for what promises to be another great year at Notre Dame."

The Cardinals will open their 106th season on November 19 in the Pablo Coto Tip-off Tournament at Marymount (Va.) University.

Check back on CUAcardinals.com this Friday for the team's full schedule announcement.