Top 10 showdown at home

The Dedication Game on Dec. 7, 1968 between No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 1 UCLA began a journey of 11 such contests at the ACC (now Joyce Center and Purcell Pavilion) from 1968-80. No games between a Top-10 Notre Dame team against a Top-10 foe were played at the Old Fieldhouse (the AP poll began in 1949).

Yet Wednesday night's game between No. 4 Duke and No. 8 Notre Dame will mark only the second time in the last 35 years such an event will occur, and the second under 15th-year Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey.

On his home court, Brey has posted a laudable 14-5 record (.737 winning percentage) versus teams ranked in the AP Top 10, and he has won five in a row, starting with a 69-55 win over No. 9 Georgetown on Dec. 29, 2010.

The streak is highlighted by a 67-58 triumph against then No. 1 Syracuse on Jan. 21, 2012, and the most recent such conquest was versus … No. 7 Duke last Jan. 4 (79-77). Brey is 6-3 at home versus AP Top-5 ranked opponents.

Here were the first dozen contests, with Notre Dame holding an 8-4 record:

Dec. 7, 1968: No. 1 UCLA 88, No. 5 Notre Dame 75 - The two-time defending national champion Bruins use 29 points from center Lew Alcindor - later Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - to overshadow sophomore Austin Carr's 26-point effort on an Irish team ranked pre-season No. 1 by True magazine.

Jan. 21, 1971: No. 9 Notre Dame 89, No. 1 UCLA 82 - Carr's brilliant 46-point performance is the most ever against a John Wooden-coached team. The Bruins would go on to win their fifth straight national title and begin an NCAA-record 88-game winning streak until …

Jan. 19, 1974: No. 2 Notre Dame 71, No. 1 UCLA 70 - Down 70-59 with 3:32 left, the Irish stage a miraculous 12-0 rally by hitting their final six shots, the last by guard Dwight Clay with 19 seconds remaining. It would mark the first time ever Notre Dame moved up to No. 1.

Jan. 29, 1974: No. 3 Notre Dame 69, No. 5 Marquette 63 - Three days after losing the revenge match at UCLA, head coach Digger Phelps' Irish bounce back to defeat Al McGuire's Warriors, who would finish as the runner-up in the NCAA Tournament.

Jan. 31, 1976: No. 7 Maryland 69, No. 10 Notre Dame 63 - Lefty Dreisell's Terrapins with All-American guard John Lucas make a late push to topple the Irish team led by junior All-American Adrian Dantley.

Feb. 28, 1976: No. 2 Marquette 81, No. 6 Notre Dame 75 - In his final game at Notre Dame, Marquette coach Al McGuire makes a "parting the Red Sea" gesture to the Notre Dame student body as his team holds on late to earn the win.

Jan. 22, 1978: No. 7 Notre Dame 75, No. 3 UCLA 73 - For the first time, the Irish sweep the Bruins in their home-and-home yearly series begun in 1971-72, Phelps' first season.

Feb. 26, 1978: No. 9 Notre Dame 65, No. 1 Marquette 59 - After the Irish fall behind by 17, freshman Kelly Tripucka scores 15 second-half points and sophomore reserve Bill Hanzlik shuts down All-America guard Butch Lee. The Irish would make their first and still lone Final Four three weeks later.

Feb. 11, 1979: No. 4 UCLA 56, No. 1 Notre Dame 52 - A month-long stay at No. 1 by the Irish ends in this role reversal game against the Bruins. Notre Dame entered this game 17-2, while tonight's Irish team is 19-2.

Dec. 11, 1979: No. 4 Notre Dame 77, No. 7 UCLA 74 - Freshman guard John Paxson's four free throws in the closing seconds lift the Irish to victory over first-year head coach Larry Brown's Bruins, who would finish as runner-up to Louisville in the NCAA Tournament.

Dec. 9 1980: No. 9 Notre Dame 68, No. 7 Indiana 64 - Paxson and the senior trio of Tripucka, Orlando Woolridge and Tracy Jackson propel the victory against Bob Knight's Hoosiers that would go on to capture the national title, led by Isaiah Thomas.

Feb. 9, 2003: No. 10 Notre Dame 66, No. 4 Pitt 64 - Guard Chris Thomas drives and dishes a pass to center Torin Francis for a lay-up in the closing second. The Irish would advance to the Sweet 16 that year for the first time in 16 years, and still the most recent.