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1927 – present
The early titles: Before the NCAA tournament existed to settle it, Notre Dame was named national champion by the Helms Foundation for 1927 and 1936. Those selections stand in the program's record as its pre-tournament titles.
The arena: The program's home opened in 1968 as the Athletic and Convocation Center — the Joyce Center — and is now Purcell Pavilion, with a capacity of 9,149.
The streak-breaker bookends: Notre Dame twice ended the longest winning streaks of the UCLA dynasty in this building: John Dee’s team ended UCLA streaks of 19 games overall and 48 in nonconference play on 23 January 1971 — and the Bruins’ 88-game streak, begun on 29 January 1971, six days after that loss, ended in the same building, and on January 19, 1974, the second-ranked Irish beat top-ranked UCLA 71–70 after trailing throughout, scoring the game's last twelve points in the final 3:22 to end the Bruins' 88-game winning streak. The 1974 game itself is told in Events; its place here is as the program's defining home win.
The Phelps era: Digger Phelps coached Notre Dame from 1971 to 1991, going 393–197, taking fourteen teams to the NCAA tournament, and beating top-ranked opponents seven times. His one Final Four team, 1978, lost in the national semifinal to Duke.
Since: Mike Brey coached the Irish from 2000 to 2023, the longest tenure in the program's history. Micah Shrewsberry has coached the team since 2023.
Sources:
- Program record — the Helms Foundation selections of 1927 and 1936; the Joyce Center's 1968 opening; Purcell Pavilion capacity 9,149.
- Sports Illustrated and program histories — Phelps's 393–197 Notre Dame record, fourteen NCAA tournaments, the seven wins over top-ranked teams, the 1978 Final Four.
- Game record — January 19, 1974: Notre Dame 71, UCLA 70, the streak ended at 88; the 1971 win ending UCLA’s 19-game overall and 48-game nonconference streaks.