Game Thread | Notre Dame at Virginia Tech (MBB)
Notre Dame (12-18, 7-12) at Virginia Tech (17-13, 9-10)
Date: March 9th
Time: 2:30 PM ET
Where: Cassell Coliseum | Blacksburg, Va.
TV: ESPNU | Jay Alter and Malcolm Huckaby
Line: Virginia Tech -9.5
O/U: 133.5
QUICK FACTS
- The all-time series between the two schools is 10-10.
- Notre Dame won the last meeting 74-66 in February
- Freshman Markus Burton has scored 511 points this season, which is eight points away from tying the Notre Dame freshman scoring record held by Troy Murphy (519 points)
- Freshman Braeden Shrewsberry has averaged 13.0 ppg in true road games this season
- Sophomore Tae Davis has scored in double figures in four straight games
- ESPN’s Matchup Predictor: 90.1% in favor of Virginia Tech
PROJECTED STARTERS
NOTRE DAME
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Markus Burton | 17.0 | 3.3 | 4.3 |
| Braeden Shrewsberry | 9.9 | 2.5 | 0.8 |
| Tae Davis | 8.7 | 5.2 | 0.9 |
| Carey Booth | 6.2 | 4.3 | 0.4 |
| Kebba Njie | 4.2 | 5.3 | 0.7 |
VIRGINIA TECH
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Sean Pedulla | 15.7 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| Hunter Cattoor | 13.9 | 2.7 | 1.9 |
| MJ Collins | 6.7 | 2.5 | 2.7 |
| Robbie Beran | 6.3 | 3.9 | 1.1 |
| Mylyjael Poteat | 6.6 | 3.2 | 0.7 |
TEAM STATS
| STAT | NOTRE DAME | VIRGINIA TECH |
| Scoring Offense | 63.1 | 74.7 |
| Scoring Defense | 66.1 | 70.4 |
| FG% | 40.3% | 46.7% |
| Rebounds | 40.3 | 36.3 |
| Assists | 10.0 | 15.2 |
| Blocks | 2.6 | 2.5 |
| Steals | 5.8 | 5.3 |
| Turnovers | 12.6 | 11.1 |
THOUGHTS
Notre Dame beat Virginia Tech 74-66 on February 10th and it started a three-game winning streak and led to the Irish winning five of six.
It was much-needed momentum to end a long season, but then Tuesday happened. No. 7 North Carolina ran Notre Dame out of the building as the Irish fell by 33 points to the Tar Heels.
Sure, the Irish aren’t in the class of North Carolina this season, but there was quiet hope Notre Dame would at least compete after showing signs of life over the last month.
Saturday will be another opportunity for Micah Shrewsberry’s team to find momentum heading into next weekend’s ACC Tourney in hopes of finishing the 2023-24 campaign strong.
What does Notre Dame need to do to leave Blacksburg with a win?
The first is to show the ability to handle an intense atmosphere. Cassell Coliseum is loud and Notre Dame hasn’t handled tough road environments well this year. Communication, focus and then the ability to execute will be crucial for the Irish.
Similar to Tuesday’s game, Notre Dame will need to hits threes and defend the three. In last month’s win, Notre Dame went 7-for-20 from deep, while holding the Hokies finished 8-for-24. Hunter Cattoor hit 4-of-11 treys in South Bend and is hitting 42 percent from three on the year. Sean Pedulla will also not hesitate to shoot the three.
Braeden Shrewsberry will need to find his rhythm on Saturday as he’s gone 5-for-20 over the last three games from deep.
Hokies big man Lynn Kidd was the x-factor in the first meeting as Notre Dame held him to two points on just 1-for-3 from the field and one rebound, which was well below his 13.1 ppg and 6.6 rpg average. It would likely be stretch to hold him to that stat line again, but Kebba Njie and company can’t let him get going as that will only open things up for for the Virginia Tech guards.
The Irish will need either Tae Davis or Carey Booth to step up. Njie scored a season-high 11 points against Kidd, but Notre Dame can’t count on that as he’s finished in double figures twice this season. Davis is the most likely candidate to step up as he’s scored in double figures in four of the last five games, but more importantly, the Indiana native is being more aggressive. If he comes out attacking the rim, it would be good news for the Irish.
And finally, freshman Markus Burton will enter the game just eight points away from tying Notre Dame’s freshman scoring record held by Troy Murphy. Burton sits at 511 points and it will come down to which half he claims the record.
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