FACTS & STATS: Site: Joyce Center (11,418) -- South Bend, Indiana. Television: Local. Home Record: St. John's 8-7, Notre Dame 16-0. Away Record: St. John's 3-8, Notre Dame 4-4. Neutral Record: St. John's 0-2, Notre Dame 2-2. Conference Record: St. John's 5-11, Notre Dame 12-4. Series Record: Notre Dame leads, 17-14.

GAME NOTES: The 19th-ranked Notre Dame Fighting Irish will attempt to gain momentum as the NCAA Tournament approaches, as they carry an undefeated home record into tonight's Big East Conference clash with the St. John's Red Storm. St. John's took on Seton Hall at home on Saturday and barely got past the Pirates in a 65-62 final. That win halted a five-game losing skid for the Red Storm, who are just 11-17 overall and 5-11 in league play. As for Notre Dame, it is 22-6 overall and 12-4 in conference action. The Fighting Irish have won four of their last five games, including a 98-91 triumph over DePaul on the road. That victory sealed a first-round bye for Notre Dame in the upcoming Big East Conference Tournament. The Fighting Irish owns a 17-14 edge in the all- time series with the Red Storm, but St. John's won last season's meeting by a 71-68 final.

Anthony Mason Jr. has been the leading scorer for St. John's in four of the last five outings, and he is currently scoring 13.7 ppg. Justin Burrell adds 11.2 ppg to the mix, and he is pulling down 6.1 rpg. Generating offense has proven to be problematic for the Red Storm through 28 games, as the squad is scoring a mere 62.0 ppg on 40.8 percent shooting from the field. Also, St. John's has 114 more turnovers than assists to its credit. In the win over Seton Hall, Mason Jr. racked up 24 points on the strength of a 5-of-7 effort from three-point range. Burrell and Larry Wright both netted 12 points, and D.J, Kennedy contributed 10 points. St. John's knocked down 10-of-19 three-point shots, overshadowing the fact that the club only scored three points from the foul line.

There is no doubt that Notre Dame power forward Luke Harangody deserves to be named the Big East's Player of the Year. Harangody is posting 21.1 ppg on 50.6 percent shooting from the floor, and he is pulling down 10.5 rpg. Kyle McAlarney checks in with 15.3 rpg, and he is a 44.8 percent shooter from three- point range. As for Rob Kurz, the team's third and final double-digit scorer, he is netting 12.6 ppg to go along with 7.7 rpg. Notre Dame is generating 81.6 ppg while limiting the opposition to 70.8 ppg. In the victory over DePaul on Sunday, Harangody tallied 24 points and nine rebounds. Kurz added 21 points, and both McAlarney and Luke Zeller pitched in 13 points. The Irish finished with 27 assists and seven turnovers, and they shot 55.9 percent from the field.

Notre Dame gets the nod tonight, as it is simply superior to St. John's. Keep an eye on Harangody and McAlarney, as they form one of the best inside/outside duos in the nation.

Predicted Outcome

Notre Dame 75, St. John's 61