Maybe the Leprechaun mascot roaming the sidelines has something to do with it.
But it's more likely that Notre Dame's lengthy home-court winning streak has more to do with talent than a good luck charm.
Notre Dame is tough to beat at Purcell Pavilion, going 41-5 in Big East play over the last six seasons. The Fighting Irish own a 29-game home winning streak, the second longest in school history.
No. 17 UConn (13-3, 3-2) will try to end the unbeaten run today, visiting Notre Dame (11-6, 3-1) in South Bend (11 a.m., ESPN2).
The Huskies hold the distinction of breaking Notre Dame's school-record 45-game winning streak back in January of 2009.
Coach Jim Calhoun considers Notre Dame one of the toughest places to play in the league in part because of a vocal student section.
"There's definitely an affinity between students and the team," Calhoun said. "They make up a large portion of the crowd. There's no question in my mind that's one of the reasons for their success.
"They feel comfortable at home. They're a good team and they play together. And their fans help them. They've always been really into it."
It was supposed to be a homecoming game for Ryan Boatright, a freshman from Aurora, Ill. But UConn announced Friday night that Boatright will miss today's game while the school works with the NCAA to complete a review his eligibility.
An eligibility issue stemming from his AAU days sidelined Boatright for the first six games of the season. This time, additional information provided to the NCAA also involves his pre-UConn days. He will continue to practice but not play, a UConn spokesman said.
Boatright is a key member of the rotation, serving as the first guard off the bench. He's averaging 10.2 points and 3.5 assists. His absence leaves sophomore Shabazz Napier as the only true point guard.
Life on the road already is difficult.
Now the Huskies face an even bigger challenge without Boatright.
So far, the Huskies have struggled in true road games. Not counting a win at South Florida before a crowd loaded with Husky fans, they're 0-2 in hostile arenas, losing at Seton Hall and at Rutgers.
To increase their odds of victory today, the Huskies need to dictate tempo. The faster the pace, the better off they'll be.
In Monday's comeback win over West Virginia, UConn seized control in the second half when it accelerated tempo.
The Huskies accomplished that change of pace by feeding off a tenacious defense and relying on a three-guard offense.
"Coach said the most important thing he liked about the other night was our fight," junior Alex Oriakhi said. "We'd be crazy not to build off of it."
One of Notre Dame's strength lies in a togetherness forged by adversity.
For the second time in three seasons, the Irish lost an All-Big East caliber player to injury. Where in 2010 Luke Harangody went out, this time top returning scorer Tim Abromaitis suffered a season-ending knee injury in November.
Notre Dame has made a nice adjustment.
"We've been able to hang in there and have each other's back when we've taken punches," Notre Dame coach Mike Brey said. "We've already been tested in that area � and we'll be tested again."
With Abromaitis out, junior forward Jack Cooley has emerged as Notre Dame's go-to-guy. Cooley is averaging 14.3 points, 10.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks in league games.
"Right now I feel as though he's playing as well as any big guy in the league," Brey said.
UConn may be without frontcourt reserve Tyler Olander who missed two practices this week with a right heel contusion but took part in about 70 percent of Friday's workout in Storrs. His availability will be a game-time decision.
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