WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Howard University men's basketball will begin their first true road trip versus the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, to tip off the 2019 Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational. Head coach Kenneth Blakeney will face off against his former coach and mentor Mike Brey in the Purcell Pavilion on Tuesday night (7 p.m. ET, ACC Network Extra).

 
News and Notes:

•  Tuesday marks the first meeting between Notre Dame and Howard in men's basketball. 
• Record Watch: Charles Williams is 99 points shy for the most career points (1,933) currently held by James Daniel. 
• The match will be the first road test outside of Washington, D.C. for the Bison.
• Howard was picked to finish sixth in the 11-team MEAC in 2019-20, according to a poll of the leagues head coaches and sports information directors.
• Howard will be one of two HBCUs (SWAC - Alabama A&M) the Fighting Irish will face this season.

MEN AGAINST BREAST CANCER INVITATIONAL

• The "Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational Presented by FieldTurf" is a non-conference collegiate basketball tournament featuring games at select campus venues throughout the country. The event is held in honor of "Men Against Breast Cancer" (MABC), a non-profit that provides knowledge, tools, and support services for men that are helping brave wives and mothers battling breast cancer. Breast cancer is an affliction that no woman should face alone, and men need to be informed of ways they can provide comfort and care for the women they love. For the 2019 season, FieldTurf is proud to present the MABC Invitational, featuring a ten-game round-robin tournament played at Notre Dame, Marshall, and Toledo, with Robert Morris and Howard.

 
The Series: 

• First-ever matchup
• A lot of history between the two coaching staff. Blakeney played and coached under Coach Brey
• Homecoming for Assistant Coach Eric Atkins served as Notre Dame's Video Coordinator for the previous three seasons. Voted as one of the Top 20 players of the Mike Brey era, Atkins was a three-time captain at Notre Dame and concluded his career as one of just five Notre Dame players to score 1,000 points (1,421) and post 500 assists (589). Atkins appeared in 133 career games (second-most all-time at Notre Dame) and started 97 consecutive games to end his career. Atkins is not the only familiar face on the Bison sideline. Head coach Kenny Blakeney is in his first season at Howard and is a former student-athlete and assistant coach under Mike Brey.

About the University of Notre Dame:

• The Fighting Irish is led by head coach Mike Brey in his 20th season at the helm. 
• Notre Dame opened the invitational with a 92-57 victory over Robert Morris.

 UP NEXT:

• The Bison will continue in Men Against Breast Cancer Invitational action in Toledo, Ohio versus Robert Morris (Nov. 15) and Toledo (Nov.17) and then head South to face the Marshall University Herd in Huntington, West Virginia (Nov. 21) to conclude the invitational. 
• Howard's sixth consecutive road contest will end in Munice, Indiana facing Ball State University on ESPN+.