Nov. 16, 2011; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Tim Abromaitis (right) watches during a timeout in the first half against the Sam Houston St. Bearkats at the Purcell Pavilion. Abromaitis is serving a four game suspension for violating NCAA rules by playing in two exhibition games as a sophomore. Notre Dame won 74-41. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Abromaitis tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on November 25 of last season and never returned to the team. He played in just 2 games in the 2011-12 season, averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds per game.

The star Irish player was red-shirted his sophomore year.

Tim was expected to be a vital part of this Notre Dame team, but his early departure caused him to be a leader on the bench. He was still at most games and was a great role model for the underclassmen on this team.

Scott Martin has also applied for a 6th year but he hasn’t received any decision from the NCAA. After transferring from Purdue his freshman year, Martin sat out his sophomore year. Then, early in his junior year, Scott tore his ACL in his left knee during in a preseason workout, which caused him to miss his entire junior season. These reasons make people believe Martin has a better chance of coming back for a 6th year.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook!

Rutgers Individual Stats

Although it took Notre Dame almost the whole game to pull away, the Irish came up victorious against a struggling Blue Demons at home. The Irish are now 9-3 in the Big East while DePaul falls to 2-10.

Jack Cooley and Jerian Grant led the way in scoring with 22 points each. Cooley had his 8th double-double of the season with 14 rebounds as well. Grant had 15 of his points in the second half, helping the Irish run away later in the game.

Feb. 11, 2012; South Bend, IN, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish forward Jack Cooley (45) dunks over DePaul Blue Demons guard Jeremiah Kelly (11) in the first half at the Purcell Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-US PRESSWIRE

Here’s the box score from the game.

Moment of the game:

The score was 68-all when DePaul’s bench was charged with a technical foul. Notre Dame scored the next seven points to go up 75-68 with 5:30 to play. I can’t imagine this play not being the turning point of the game. It definitely game the Irish the extra momentum to take the lead. Bad move on DePaul’s part, but hey, I’ll take it.

Notre Dame’s next game is home against Rutgers. The Irish have a chance to get revenge on a bad loss a few weeks back. The game will be played on Wednesday.

Be sure to follow us on Twitter (@SlapTheSign) and like us on Facebook (Slap The Sign)!