As Notre Dame prepares to welcome Michigan State to Purcell Pavilion, one can’t help but think of the last time these programs met there. It was the 2014 ACC-Big Ten Challenge, and fans filled the seats to witness the first meeting between the teams since Magic Johnson’s Spartans eliminated the Irish in the 1979 NCAA Tournament en route to the national title. Also helping was the great reputation Tom Izzo had long established by then.
The game lived up to the billing as the Irish won a 79-78 overtime thriller. [autotag]Jerian Grant[/autotag] played the entire game, scoring a career-high 27 points and dishing out six assists. [autotag]Demetrius Jackson[/autotag]’s 22 points also set a career high, though he would pass that mark five times after this game. The Irish also got 11 points apiece from [autotag]Pat Connaughton[/autotag] and [autotag]Steve Vasturia[/autotag].
Before these programs battle in the final ACC-Big Ten Challenge in 2022, take a look back at this memorable 2014 contest. Don’t miss the rather festive photo of [autotag]Digger Phelps[/autotag] while you do: