# 1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team

The 1973–74 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 1973–74 season. The team was coached by Digger Phelps and was ranked in the Associated Press poll for the entirety of the season. On January 19, the Fighting Irish defeated UCLA 71–70, ending the Bruins' record 88-game winning streak.
Forward John Shumate was the team's captain and leading scorer, averaging 24.2 points per game. After the season, Shumate was selected as a first-team player on the 1974 All-America team.
The team finished 26–3, losing by a 77–68 score against Michigan in the NCAA tournament, and going on to finish third in the Mideast Regional.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | Site city, state |
| December 1 | | Valparaiso | W 112–62 | 1–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 3 | | at Ohio State | W 76–72 | 2–0 | St. John Arena Columbus, Ohio |
| December 6 | | at Northwestern | W 98–74 | 3–0 | Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, Illinois |
| December 8 | | Saint Louis | W 94–65 | 4–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 11 | | at Indiana | W 73–67 | 5–0 | Assembly Hall Bloomington, Indiana |
| December 20 | | Denver | W 99–59 | 6–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| December 29 | | at Kentucky | W 94–79 | 7–0 | Freedom Hall Louisville, Kentucky |
| January 12 | | Xavier | W 87–44 | 8–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 15 | | Georgetown | W 104–77 | 9–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 19 | | UCLA | W 71–70 | 10–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 22 | | at Kansas | W 76–74 | 11–0 | Allen Fieldhouse Lawrence, Kansas |
| January 24 | | Saint Francis (PA) | W 78–58 | 12–0 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 26 | | at UCLA | L 75–94 | 12–1 | Pauley Pavilion Los Angeles, CA |
| January 29 | | Marquette | W 69–63 | 13–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| January 31 | | DePaul | W 101–72 | 14–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 2 | | Davidson | W 95–84 | 15–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 4 | | at Michigan State | W 91–89 | 16–1 | Jenison Fieldhouse East Lansing, Michigan |
| February 6 | | at La Salle | W 98–78 | 17–1 | Tom Gola Arena Philadelphia, Pennsylvania |
| February 9 | | Duke | W 87–68 | 18–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 14 | | at Fordham | W 79–69 | 19–1 | Rose Hill Gym The Bronx, NY |
| February 16 | | at South Carolina | W 72–68 | 20–1 | Carolina Coliseum Columbia, SC |
| February 18 | | Western Michigan | W 85–68 | 21–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 23 | | West Virginia | W 108–80 | 22–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| February 26 | | Ball State | W 93–69 | 23–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| March 2 | | Villanova | W 115–85 | 24–1 | Joyce Center Notre Dame, IN |
| March 4 | No. 2 | at Dayton | L 82–97 | 24–2 | University of Dayton Arena (13,528) Dayton, Ohio |
| March 9 | | vs. Austin Peay NCAA Tournament • Regional First round | W 108–66 | 25–2 | Hulman Center Terre Haute, Indiana |
| March 14 | | vs. Michigan NCAA Tournament • Regional semifinal | L 68–77 | 25–3 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| March 16 | | vs. Vanderbilt NCAA Tournament • Regional Third Place | W 118–88 | 26–3 | Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. ||||||

## Team players drafted into the NBA

| Round | Pick | Player | NBA Club |
| 1 | 4 | John Shumate | Phoenix Suns |
| 1 | 18 | Gary Brokaw | Milwaukee Bucks |
| 5 | 75 | Gary Novak | Cleveland Cavaliers |