Game Thread | Notre Dame at No. 10 Virginia Tech
Notre Dame (10-3, 0-0) at No. 10 Virginia Tech (11-1, 0-0)
Date: January 1st
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: Cassell Coliseum | Blacksburg, VA
TV: ESPNU - Kevin Brown and Jordan Cornette
QUICK FACTS
- This will be the 11th meeting between the two schools. Notre Dame leads the series 8-2.
- Notre Dame is 4-0 at Cassell Coliseum.
- Mike Brey is 9-3 against Buzz Williams.
- Notre Dame has played on New Years Day just three times. The last was in 2011 as the Irish fell to Syracuse 70-58.
- John Mooney leads the ACC in double-doubles (6) and is third in rebounds per game (9.3).
- Saturday will be the first ACC game of the season for the entire conference.
THE STARTERS
Notre Dame
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Prentiss Hubb | 6.8 | 2.8 | 3.3 |
| TJ Gibbs | 14.2 | 2.5 | 3.8 |
| DJ Harvey | 11.4 | 4.7 | 4.3 |
| John Mooney | 12.8 | 9.3 | 1.0 |
| Juwan Durham | 7.1 | 4.5 | 0.5 |
Virginia Tech
| Name | Points | Rebounds | Assists |
| Wabissa Bede | 4.1 | 2.3 | 2.0 |
| Ahmed Hill | 12.9 | 3.5 | 1.5 |
| Justin Robinson | 13.9 | 3.4 | 5.9 |
| PJ Horne | 5.5 | 3.5 | 0.8 |
| Kerry Blackshear Jr. | 13.0 | 5.8 | 1.8 |
Preview
Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 77.4
Virginia Tech: 81.5
Opponent Points Per Game
Notre Dame: 67.1
Virginia Tech: 56.6
FG%
Notre Dame: 42.6%
Virginia Tech: 51.2%
Rebounds Per Game
Notre Dame: 39.7
Virginia Tech: 34.4
Assists Per Game
Notre Dame: 14.5
Virginia Tech: 17.9
Blocks Per Game
Notre Dame: 5.9
Virginia Tech: 2.8
Steals Per Game
Notre Dame: 6.1
Virginia Tech: 7.8
ACC, ACC, ACC!
The ACC season is finally here and to be honest, I didn’t expect Notre Dame to have 10 wins entering the start of conference play before the season started.
Notre Dame will have its hands full with No. 10 Virginia Tech on Saturday but the good news is the Hokies might be without its leading scorer, Nickeil Alexnader-Walker, who is averaging 18.5 points per game. He was absent from Virginia Tech’s last game against Maryland Eastern Shore with a sprained ankle, so it will be interesting to see if he’s able to go on Saturday afternoon.
The Hokies offense will pose a problem for Notre Dame as they shoot 51.2% from the floor and 44.4% from three-point range. That said, a struggling Notre Dame offense will also have its hand full as the Hokies limit opponents to just 56.6 points per game. Notre Dame might get run out of the building if they score 56 points on Saturday.
Notre Dame hasn’t really played a complete game on both ends of the floor this year and that’s what it will take to upset the Hokies.
According to Tom Noie of the South Bend Tribune, Notre Dame junior Nik Djogo will miss Saturday’s game with the flu and didn’t make the trip. While not a huge loss, it’s still a hit to Mike Brey’s bench, which is extremely thin.
Brey has gotten his team to play good ball when no one gives them a chance in the past but I’m just not sure this is a game where that happens.
Prediction: Virginia Tech 83 Notre Dame 62