15 days ago, the Irish men's basketball team was just 6-8 in the Big East and 17-10 overall.

That's when Mike Brey re-invented his team. With All-American Luke Harangody out injured, the Irish switched from up tempo to the 'burn offense.'

And they haven't looked back.

Notre Dame beat Pitt in its first game in its new system on February 24th at Purcell Pavilion. Thursday night, the Irish beat the Panthers again to advance to the Big East semifinals for just the 3rd time in school history.

Notre Dame (23-10) has now won six games in a row, defeating the Panthers 50-45 in one of the lowest scoring games in Big East Tourney history. It's the first time the Irish have ever won two games in the conference tourney after beating Seton Hall Wednesday night.

Notre Dame's defense has been so good that the Irish saw their 2nd lead go from to just four despite not making a field goal over a span of nine minutes.

Tory Jackson led the way with 12 points on four 3-pointers. Luke Harangody, continuing to come off the bench, also had 12 points.

Ty Nash added 8 points, 6 rebounds, and a career-high 6 assists for Notre Dame.

Notre Dame's seniors have now won more games than any other class in Irish history. Jackson passes Matt Carroll for the most games played for Notre Dame.

The Irish, a lock for the NCAA Tournament at this point, have never reached the Big East finals, let alone win it. But now, they are very much in the mix. Notre Dame has already defeated every team still in the tourney.

The Irish will play West Virginia at 9pm Friday night in the semifinals.