HOOPS Preview: Notre Dame Vs. Virginia Tech

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NOTRE DAME (19-13, 8-10 ACC) VS. VIRGINIA TECH (21-10, 10-8 ACC)

Where: Barclays Center (Brooklyn, N.Y.)

Rankings: Both teams are unranked

Time/TV: 7 p.m. ET/ESPN2

Last Meeting: Virginia Tech 80, Notre Dame 75 (Jan. 27, 2018)

Series Info: Notre Dame leads the all-time series 7-2

Round two of the ACC Tournament begins today and Notre Dame is set to take on No. 7 seed Virginia Tech after defeating Pittsburgh 67-64 yesterday afternoon. The Irish survived and advanced against the No. 15 seed Panthers and get a Hokies team that won the regular-season matchup in South Bend.

Can Notre Dame move one step closer to a NCAA Tournament berth? Here is a preview of both programs heading into the matchup and a prediction of the outcome.

Yesterday did not go the way many expected whatsoever outside of Notre Dame taking down Pittsburgh in round one of the ACC Tournament.

The Irish shot a woeful 16.7 percent (4 of 24) from the field in the second half, while allowing Pittsburgh to make better than 50 percent during its comeback attempt.

Senior forward Bonzie Colson led the way with 19 points and six rebounds, while senior guard Matt Farrell added 18 points. Junior guard Rex Pflueger notched 13 points and sophomore guard T.J. Gibbs picked up 11 points to round out the top scorers for the Irish.

Sophomore forward John Mooney and senior big man Martinas Geben each had nine rebounds to lead the Irish, while sophomore guard Nik Djogo was the only other player to see the floor.

Head coach Mike Brey and his group certainly have some adjustments to make based off that second-half performance. It isn’t encouraging, especially when considering Pittsburgh only played in four conference games during the regular season that ended with a single-digit deficit and the Irish won the first meeting between the two teams by 17 points.

Notre Dame is a confident bunch no matter what the season has thrown at them so far, and the motivation of earning an NCAA Tournament bid remains. Taking down a Virginia Tech team that is currently slated to be in the field of 68 would be a quality victory for the selection committee to consider when analyzing Notre Dame’s résumé.

But the Irish will need to be much better tonight to defeat a talented Virginia Tech squad.

The Hokies boast one of the better offensive teams in the country. They enter tonight’s contest averaging 80.2 points per game, which is tied for No. 46 nationally.

Head coach Buzz Williams’ group shoots 50.0 percent (tied for No. 8) from the field and 39.0 percent (No. 39) on three-point attempts. Per KenPom.com, Virginia Tech is No. 33 in offensive efficiency and No. 8 in effective field goal percentage (57.8 percent).

Junior guard Justin Robinson leads the way for the Hokies, averaging 13.8 points and 5.5 assists per game. Robinson is joined by two other upperclassmen on the perimeter: senior guard Justin Bibbs (13.1 points per contest) and junior guard Ahmed Hill (11.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per outing).

Freshman guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker has also made an impact in the starting lineup, averaging 10.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per contest.

Forward Kerry Blackshear gives the team a nice complement in the frontcourt to go with a talented backcourt. The junior is third on the team in scoring (12.7) and second in rebounding (6.0).

Off the bench, junior forward Chris Clarke is a top option with 8.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Freshman forward P.J. Horne is next in line at 4.7 points per contest.

The team’s bench backcourt consists of sophomore guard Tyrie Jackson (3.1 points per outing), senior guard Devin Wilson (3.0) and freshman guard Wabissa Bede (2.3).

Virginia Tech finished the regular season 4-3 in its final seven games, but picked up a road win over Virginia plus home wins over Duke and Clemson.

The Hokies have a ton of confidence entering the tournament despite falling 69-68 in its last contest of the regular season against Miami on the road.

Notre Dame will need to find a way to slow down a Virginia Tech offense that shot better than 50 percent from both the field and behind the arc in the first meeting. Bibbs scored a team-high 20 points, while Clarke added 12 points and 14 rebounds and Robinson pitched in 12 points.

But the Hokies won by five points on the road without Colson or Farrell in the lineup for the Irish. Gibbs led the way with 27 points for Notre Dame, while Pflueger and Mooney each contributed 15 points.

The Irish shot 39.3 percent from the floor and 41.4 percent from the three-point line, so there is improvement to be had there as well.

It is safe to say Colson and Farrell will be motivated in this one along with the rest of the Irish.

Prediction

Notre Dame 77, Virginia Tech 75

The second half of Notre Dame’s opening-round game against Pittsburgh leaves a lot to be desired with a poor effort on both ends of the court.

But it is hard to count out an Irish team that has played so well in the Barclays Center and one that will have the revenge factor. Brey’s group also knows what to fix heading into the game, while Virginia Tech will be playing its first game of the tournament.

Notre Dame almost knocked off the Hokies minus their top two players in late January. This should be a competitive game right down to the wire.

The Irish continue their march to a NCAA Tournament bid with a better performance offensively and defensively compared to Tuesday afternoon.

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