Running back was a position of need for Notre Dame in the Class of 2012. Not only did the Irish need a good one, they needed two good ones.

Notre Dame targeted several of the country’s top backs early in the process and put a great deal of effort into the position, but the Irish entered the fall without a commitment from any. And had it not been for a chance meeting between two recruits at a Penn State camp, Notre Dame might have gone even longer without a back signed up.

Ohio’s Will Mahone planned on visiting Notre Dame during a summer tour, but after driving to Michigan State and then Penn State, Mahone and his mother were exhausted and ready to cancel the stop in South Bend. Then Mahone talked with Armani Reeves.

As the focus has now shifted to the 2013 class, one area the Irish coaching staff will be looking to concentrate on is along the offensive line.

NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Resurgent, resilient…resounding. However you want to describe the Notre Dame men’s basketball team, they found a way to win a fourth straight game by pulling away from No. 15 Marquette 76-59 on Saturday at Purcell Pavilion at the Joyce Center.

This team that many left for dead after a Dec. 17 loss to Indiana added another crucial win to its NCAA Tournament resume while improving to 15-8 overall and an amazing 7-3 in Big East Conference play.

“I tell you one thing, we got one heck of a strong resume,” Brey said proudly after the game. “Our resume is very strong with what we’ve done.”

“You know, and it’s exciting to think about…that that’s possible for this team after where we were, but I think our guys are very focused on showing-up on selection Sunday. God bless ‘em they should be, because they have put us in this position with their kind of focus and businesslike approach to go get it.”

Notre Dame faces another stiff test this afternoon as it looks to continue to build up its NCAA Tournament resume. The Irish will look to extend their winning streak to four games. In order to do that they will have to beat one of the hottest teams in the country. Buzz Williams and the No. 15 Marquette Golden Eagles (19-4 overall, 8-2 Big East) will look to win their eighth game in a row in hopes of staying right in the thick of the race for the top spot in the conference.

Marquette dropped two of its first three conference games and four of six overall during a rough three week period that stretched from December 19 to January 7. After back-to-back road losses to Georgetown (73-70) and Syracuse (73-66) the Golden Eagles got hot. They pounded St. John’s (83-64) and No. 21 Louisville (74-63) en route to seven straight wins, putting them just a game behind Syracuse at 8-2 in Big East play.

The Golden Eagles are one of the top scoring teams in the conference, ranking second in the Big East at 76.1 points per game. Marquette is an aggressive offensive team that excels at getting to and converting from the free throw line. Marquette leads the conference in free throw attempts and ranked second with a 71.1-percent conversion rate from the line. The Golden Eagles also move the ball extremely well on the offensive end, leading the conference with 17.4 assists per game.