NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Francis Red Flash opens the 2015-16 season with a trip to Notre Dame to face the Fighting Irish on Friday night at 7:30 p.m. Notre Dame opens the season ranked 18th in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 and 19th in the Associated Press Top 25. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 with Shawn Kenney handling play-by-play and Rich Zvosec serving as the color commentator. The game can also be heard locally on 1400 WWGE with Todd Bartley and Bernie Jubeck on the call.

The Red Flash returns three starters from a team that reached the Northeast Conference Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive season in 2014-15 before falling to top-seeded St. Francis Brooklyn. Saint Francis earned a bid to the CIT where it hosted Bowling Green in a first round matchup. Bowling Green prevailed, 67-64. That was the first home postseason tournament game for SFU since it hosted an NCAA play-in game against Fordham in 1991. SFU won that game and went on to the NCAA Regionals where it lost to Arizona. 

Head coach Rob Krimmel returns for his fourth season at the helm. He guided the Red Flash to a 16-16 overall record and a 15-14 regular season mark in 2014-15. That winning regular season is the first for SFU since 2004-05. 

Notre Dame is one of four teams on the Red Flash's schedule that qualified for the NCAA Tournament and one of eight teams SFU will face that played postseason basketball in 2015. 

SFU SEASON OPENER NOTES

The Red Flash is looking for its first season-opening victory since defeating American to open the 2009-10 season. Saint Francis is also looking for its first victory in a season opener on an opponent's home floor since the 1966-67 season when the Red Flash defeated Duquesne, 81-63. Friday marks the second time that the Red Flash opens the season against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish defeated the Red Flash, 74-49, to open the 1982-83 season.

NOVEMBER SUCCESS

Saint Francis won three games in November last season for just the second time in program history. The other came in 1997-98. Last year, the Flash defeated Keystone College, Maryland Eastern Shore and Navy.

FRESHMAN STARTER

The Red Flash has seven freshmen on its roster to open the 2015-16 season, and if one of those rookies starts in Friday's game, it would give the Flash its second freshman opening night starter in three years. Current junior Malik Harmon (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) started in the Flash's season-opening loss at Fordham in Nov. 2013. Harmon went to win the NEC Rookie of the Year award and be named to the NEC All-Rookie Team.

A DECEMBER TO REMEMBER

December 2014 will go down as one of the most successful non-conference months in recent memory for the Red Flash. In a three-game stretch, Saint Francis defeated Albany, Duquesne and Rutgers. Albany was on its way to a 24-9 overall record and third straight America East Conference championship. The Flash earned its first win over Duquesne since 1990, snapping Duquesne's 11-game win streak in the series. It was also Saint Francis' first win at Duquesne since 1966, breaking a 16-game streak. Three days after the Duquesne victory, the Red Flash went to Rutgers and upset the Scarlet Knights, 73-68. The win was the first ever for a Northeast Conference school against a Big Ten opponent.

POSTSEASON SUCCESS

Last season, the Red Flash became the first team in school history to reach the Northeast Conference Tournament semifinals for the second consecutive season. In each of those two seasons, however, the Flash fell to the top-seeded team. Two years ago, SFU lost at Robert Morris, 60-57. Last season, SFU fell to St. Francis Brooklyn, 62-48. Despite the loss, Saint Francis still earned a bid to the CIT. In a first-round game, the Flash hosted Bowling Green. In that contest, the lead changed hands 13 times and the score was tied on eight occasions before the Falcons left Loretto with a 67-64 victory.    

FLASH POINTS

• The Red Flash will face longtime rival Duquesne at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown, Pa., on Dec. 12. The two teams have a long history in that building, including a Red Flash win over the second-ranked Dukes in 1955. 
• Saint Francis is scheduled to play two games on national television in 2015-16. SFU will face No. 3 Maryland on Big Ten Network on Dec. 4. SFU will also face NEC rival Robert Morris on ESPNU on Feb. 11.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME

The Fighting Irish opens the 2015-16 season with the Red Flash ranked in both polls. Notre Dame is 18th in the USA Today Coaches Top 25 and 19th in the Associated Press Top 25. The Irish were just two points away from reaching the Final Four last season, losing to Kentucky, 68-66, in the Regional Finals. Prior to that loss, Notre Dame defeated Northeastern, Butler and Wichita State. 

Head coach Mike Brey has more than 430 career victories, with more than 330 of those coming as head coach of the Fighting Irish. The Irish will look to replace Pat Connaughton and Jerian Grant, a duo that combined to start 240 games, score 3,204 combined points and grab 1,166 rebounds.

Leading returners for the Irish include three returning starters in senior Zach Auguste and juniors Demetrius Jackson and Steve Vasturia. Auguste was the team's second-leading scorer (12.9 ppg.) and rebounder (6.5 rpg.) during the regular season. He averaged 16.8 points per game in four NCAA Tournament games.

LOOKING AHEAD

Saint Francis returns to Loretto for its home opener against Westminster on Tuesday night. SFU then hosts American next Saturday before hitting the road to face Kent State and Maryland Eastern Shore.

Notre Dame opens the season with three consecutive home games before traveling to Orlando to play in the Advocare Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend. After playing Saint Francis, the Irish hosts Milwaukee and UMass-Lowell before its trip to Florida. Following the Advocare Invitational, Notre Dame plays in its lone true road game of the non-conference season at Illinois in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge on Dec. 2.

SERIES HISTORY

The Fighting Irish is 12-0 all-time against the Red Flash, with the last victory in the series coming in Nov. 2012. Notre Dame won, 69-52. The teams have played one time in a season-opening game, a 74-49 Notre Dame victory to open the 1982-83 season.