The 2008–09 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's basketball team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2008–09 college basketball season, competing in the Big East Conference. The team was led by ninth year head coach, Mike Brey, and played their home games in the Edmund P. Joyce Center in Notre Dame, Indiana.

Preseason

Roster changes and recruiting Notre Dame lost senior forward and team captain Rob Kurz to graduation. Freshman guard Ty Proffit left Notre Dame and transferred to another school Notre Dame had two players transfer in and they will sit out this season per NCAA rules for transfer students. Scott Martin, a 6'8'' swingman, transferred after his freshman season at Purdue. Playing mainly off the bench, he averaged 8.5 points and 3.8 rebounds. He has three years of eligibility remaining. Ben Hansbrough, a 6'3'' guard, transferred after his sophomore season at Mississippi State, and will have two years of eligibility remaining. The younger brother of North Carolina superstar Tyler Hansbrough, he comes off a sophomore season in which he averaged 10.5 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.6 assists as a regular starter.

Notre Dame did not sign any recruits from high school for the 2008–09 class.

Preseason outlook With returning Big East Player of The Year Luke Harangody, the Irish were picked to finish fourth in the Big East conference by the Big East coach's poll. Harangody was also a unanimous first-team all-Big East selection and was picked to repeat as player of the year. Senior point guard Kyle McAlarney also made first-team all-Big East selection. Notre Dame is also looking to keep its 37 consecutive home game win streak alive.

Notre Dame was selected as the preseason No. 9 team in the country in the USA Today/ESPN preseason coaches poll, the program's highest ever preseason ranking in that poll. The Irish also debuted at No. 9 in the AP preseason poll, the fifth time Notre Dame has been ranked in the top 10 of that poll and its first top 10 ranking since the 1980–81 season.

Regular season

Roster

Name Number Position Year Home Town Tim Abromaitis 21 F Sophomore Farmington, CT Tim Andree 41 F Junior Colts Neck, NJ Ryan Ayers 42 F/G Senior Blue Bell, PA Ben Hansbrough 22 G Junior Poplar Bluff, MO Luke Harangody 44 F Junior Schererville, IN Zach Hillesland 33 F Senior Toledo, OH Tory Jackson 2 G Junior Saginaw, MI Tom Kopko 5 G Sophomore Chicago, IL Scott Martin 14 G Sophomore Valparaiso, IN Kyle McAlarney 23 G Senior Staten Island, NY Tyrone Nash 1 G/F Sophomore Queens, NY Jonathan Peoples 20 G Junior Bellwood, IL Carleton Scott 34 F Sophomore San Antonio, TX Luke Zeller 40 F/C Senior Washington, INSource:"2008-09 Notre Dame Men's Basketball Roster ." und.com. Retrieved on November 19, 2008.

Hansbrough and Martin are not eligible to play due to NCAA transfer rules.

Coaches Name Position Year at Notre Dame Alma Mater (Year) Mike Brey Head coach 9th George Washington (1982) Sean Kearney Assistant head coach 9th Scranton (1981) Rod Balanis Assistant coach 9th Georgia Tech (1993) Anthony Solomon Assistant coach 4th * Virginia (1987) Martin Ingelsby Coordinator of basketball operations4th Notre Dame (2001)

*Solomon returns to the staff for his fourth year after a previous stint from 2000 to 2003.

Schedule and results

!colspan=12 style=|Regular season

!colspan=12 style=|Big East tournament

!colspan=12 style=|National Invitational Tournament

Rankings Poll Pre Wk 1 Wk 2 Wk 3 Wk 4 Wk 5 Wk 6 Wk 7 Wk 8 Wk 9 Wk 10 Wk 11 Wk 12 Wk 13 Wk 14 Wk 15 Wk 16 Wk 17 Wk 18 Wk 19 Final AP 9 8 8 7 12 12 8 7 13 NR Coaches 9 9 8 7 13 14 11 10 13 NR

References