For the program’s Big East swan song, the 2012-13 Irish got off to one of the best starts in program history at 14-1. Perhaps Mike Brey was more motivated after receiving a 10-year contract extension. Whatever the reason for the hot start, it gave the Irish the luxury of probably only needing to finish .500 in conference play to make the NCAA tournament.
After winning their first two Big East games, the Irish went 9-7 the rest of the schedule before earning a first-round bye in the conference tournament and making the semifinals. That was enough to sway the selection committee, which gave the Irish an at-large berth. However, their March Madness run was cut short as they were one-and-done after falling to lower-seeded Iowa State.
Jerian Grant was the Irish’s top scorer at 13.3 points a game, and he tied with Eric Atkins for the team lead in assists at 5.5. Jack Cooley averaged a double-double of 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. Scott Martin, who became the first Notre Dame student-athlete to earn a sixth year of eligibility, was bothered enough by his knee that his final game came in late January, and his career ended for good after he elected to have surgery the following month.