No. 23 Notre Dame prepares to face dangerous Fort Wayne

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Notre Dame coach Mike Brey knew Sunday what was coming in less than 24 hours when his team likely would be nationally ranked for the first time.

Brey knows what's coming at the end of the week, when now-No. 23 Notre Dame (8-0) faces the newest top-ranked team in defending national champion Villanova (8-0).

All Brey was worried about after a 54-point victory over North Carolina A&T -- the most lopsided in Purcell Pavilion history -- was the challenge that awaits Tuesday when IUPU-Fort Wayne (7-2) comes to town.

It's the same Fort Wayne team that beat then-No. 3 Indiana during Thanksgiving week.

The Mastodons believe they can play with anybody. Anywhere. They're the type of non-conference team that often worries Brey -- experienced, confident.

Three years ago, Notre Dame hosted two similar teams in out of conference games -- Indiana State and North Dakota State -- and lost both.

"No disrespect to who we've played to date. They may be the best team we've played given their frame of mind, their confidence," Brey said. "It would be (an NCAA Tournament) resume win for us."

This is a challenge that Notre Dame needs after winning its first eight games by an average of 26.5 points.

"We want to play hard games; I think we're good in hard games," senior captain Steve Vasturia said. "Everybody is ready to show people what we're made of and take this team where we think we can take it."

Notre Dame again is one of the most efficient outfits in the country. The Irish average 89.1 points per game and placed a school-record seven in double figures Sunday. They lead the nation in free throw shooting at 85.8 percent.

They also do it with defense. Notre Dame has held opponents below 40 percent from the floor in five of eight games. The Irish rank fourth in the ACC in field goal percentage defense at 36.7. Last season, the Irish finished eighth at 43.2.

Can this team be Brey's best team in terms of locking down opponents and guarding for extended stretches?

"I think it is because they think they are," Brey said. "We really know how to play and rotate and help off each other."

Dealing with the Mastodons means dealing with do-everything forward John Konchar, a redshirt sophomore. Konchar is averaging 13.2 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.4 assists in a team-high 32.0 minutes with four double-doubles for points and rebounds.

Konchar and his teammates have worked to make sure the win over Indiana is just a start -- not the stopping point -- in what they believe can be a special season. Hours after beating the Hoosiers, Konchar already had detected a different basketball vibe around the 14,000-student campus.

"I went to breakfast and somebody wanted to take a picture with me," he said. "I thought that was really interesting. There's been more attention in a way about basketball, but we just take it day by and focus on our next game."