Game Preview/Thread: No. 10 Notre Dame vs No. 7 Virginia Tech
No. 10 Notre Dame vs No. 7 Virginia Tech
Date: March 7
Time: 7:00 p.m. ET
Where: Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
TV: ESPN2
QUICK FACTS
- Notre Dame leads the all-time series 7-2.
- Wednesday will mark the first time the two programs have met in the ACC Tournament.
- The Irish are 7-3 all-time in the ACC Tournament.
- Notre Dame has played 10 games at Barclays Center and won eight games.
- Virginia Tech beat Notre Dame 80-75 on January 27th at Purcell Pavilion.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Matt Farrell | 16.8 | 2.4 | 5.3 |
| TJ Gibbs | 15.5 | 2.8 | 3.0 |
| Rex Pflueger | 8.2 | 4.2 | 3.1 |
| Bonzie Colson | 20.8 | 10.3 | 1.0 |
| Martinas Geben | 10.9 | 8.2 | 1.2 |
Virginia Tech
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Justin Robinson | 13.8 | 2.8 | 5.5 |
| Nickell Alexander - Walker | 10.6 | 3.9 | 1.5 |
| Devin Wilson | 3.0 | 2.0 | 1.7 |
| Justin Bibbs | 13.1 | 2.5 | 1.7 |
| Kerry Blackshear Jr. | 12.7 | 6.0 | 1.2 |
National Rankings
| Category | Notre Dame | Virginia Tech |
| Scoring Offense | 75.6 (124) | 80.2 (46) |
| Scoring Defense | 68.3 (72) | 71.8 (160) |
| Rebound Margin | 2.3 (99) | -1.4 (253) |
| Assist Per Game | 14.3 (122) | 16.5 (25) |
| FG% Offense | 45.1% (156) | 50.0% (8) |
| FG% Defense | 42.8% (107) | 42.6% (97) |
| Three-Pointers Per Game | 8.7 (88) | 8.8 (81) |
| Three-Point Percentage | 37.5% (65) | 39.0% (29) |
| Free-Throw Percentage | 75.4 (46) | 70.9% (194) |
| Assist-Turnover Ratio | 1.42 (19) | 1.38 (24) |
Preview
A win would likely put Notre Dame extremely close to an NCAA Tournament bid but the Irish might need to win in a more convincing fashion than they did against Pittsburgh on Tuesday.
Notre Dame has won ugly games all season but Tuesday might have been one of the ugliest despite having Bonzie Colson back in the lineup. The Irish shot just 34 percent from the field and 26 percent from three-point range in the 67-64 win against Pitt.
Virginia Tech is one of the nation's most efficient offensive teams and Notre Dame will need to play with the same efficiency.
In the first meeting, the Hokies beat the Irish 80-75 but Notre Dame was without Matt Farrell and Martinas Geben. TJ Gibbs poured in 27 points, while John Mooney and Martinas Geben scored 15 points, respectively.
The Irish can take advantage of points in the paint, especially with Colson back. Getting Colson and Geben going early will cause problems for the Hokies defense as it will allow the Irish guards to have some more open space.
Notre Dame will need better shooting performances from Colson (5/14), Farrell (4/11) and Gibbs (3/10) than on Tuesday against Pitt as Wednesday's game will likely be won on the offensive end.
Notre Dame's ability to rebound and hit free throws will be the difference in this game.
Prediction: Notre Dame 78 Virginia Tech 73