NCAAB Game Preview - Virginia Tech at Notre Dame
Sat Feb 23, 2019 4:00 PM EST

Duke
75
Syr
65
F
BYU
68
Gonz
102
F
UVA
64
Lou
52
F
Aub
53
KY
80
F
Tenn
80
LSU
82
F(OT)
Fres
68
Nev
74
F
FSU
59
UNC
77
F
SoFL
59
Hou
71
F
Marq
76
Prov
58
F
Kansas
62
TxTch
91
F
Purd
75
Nebras
72
F
IaSt
72
TCU
75
F
VaTec
67
ND
59
F
Wisc
69
NW
64
F
OkSt
46
KSU
85
F
OhSt
62
MD
72
F
Tuls
73
Temp
84
F
Tex
67
Okla
69
F
PSU
83
Ill
76
F
BC
66
Clem
76
F
Tows
58
NE
73
F
W Ky
63
ODU
67
F
LIU
69
StFPA
66
F
Samf
83
Citad
87
F(OT)
GASt
82
CoCar
95
F
ChaSo
78
Winth
80
F(2OT)
StJos
79
UMass
80
F
Vermt
69
Bingha
63
F
IndSt
61
MOSt
67
F
GaTec
65
Mia-FL
80
F
W MI
76
E MI
77
F(OT)
Wyo
48
ColSt
83
F
Navy
71
Colg
93
F
WVU
75
Baylor
82
F
Evans
61
Brad
63
F
GrgWas
57
VCU
85
F
Rich
84
LaSal
75
F
CenMI
64
Ball
57
F
GaSo
92
App
69
F
Mia-O
58
Akr
70
F
GTown
69
Crei
82
F
UAB
76
USM
72
F(OT)
ULM
86
TexAr
91
F(2OT)
Detr
75
Oakl
95
F
Campbl
74
Longw
72
F
YSU
54
WriSt
82
F
SacHr
80
CenCT
66
F
LoyMa
63
Pacif
56
F
UGA
71
Miss
72
F
FIU
79
FAU
76
F
Denv
63
UND
81
F
UNCW
63
W&M
71
F
JMU
104
Hof
99
F(OT)
ChiSt
57
Seatt
77
F
N AL
60
Stetsn
63
F
Chat
69
Mercer
74
F
Woff
72
Furm
64
F
Ida
76
S UT
85
F
E WA
86
NoAZ
73
F
UtSt
78
Bois
71
F(OT)
SJSU
68
AF
82
F
MtStM
58
Bry
81
F
Duques
79
GMas
78
F
Mizzu
60
Fla
64
F
StLou
62
Dayt
70
F
NOrl
60
McNee
51
F
Savan
69
NCC
78
F
Norf
75
Morg
74
F
BethC
67
FlaAM
54
F
Lamar
63
TXAMC
58
F
Presb
71
UNCA
55
F
StBon
74
Ford
53
F
Merrim
66
FaDi
74
F
LoyMD
65
Boston
72
F
SCSt
62
NCAT
63
F
How
74
Copp
73
F
MD-ES
62
DelSt
56
F
SeLA
75
AbCh
66
F
ArkLR
65
ArkSt
72
F
SDak
89
SDSt
94
F
NebOm
58
NDSU
50
F
UL
62
TxSt
64
F
Del
60
Drex
68
F
TN-M
78
APSU
92
F
StFNY
62
RobM
67
F
Hamp
74
Radf
71
F
Lib
70
NFla
75
F
InWor
54
SFA
81
F
Hartfo
75
UMassL
73
F
CenAR
57
Nich
100
F
USA
68
Troy
52
F
E KY
101
JSU
104
F(2OT)
UNCC
67
MTSU
86
F
OrSt
67
USC
62
F
MsVl
63
PVAM
69
F
UTRGV
79
NMSt
88
F
NJIT
77
JU
73
F
Dart
65
Brown
68
F
SouthCar
61
MissSt
76
F
Vand
61
Bama
68
F
NIU
54
Toled
57
F
SIU-E
75
Belm
97
F
Gram
60
JackSt
71
F
ASU
69
Alc
74
F(OT)
KennSt
56
FlGlf
78
F
Charl
84
Elon
74
F
Harv
88
Yale
86
F
Clev
83
NoKY
77
F
UMBC
75
Albany
84
F
GWebb
79
HiPt
87
F
Maine
53
Stony
81
F
Corn
50
Penn
68
F
VMI
83
WCU
78
F
N TX
53
LaTec
66
F
ORU
66
W IL
75
F
Utah
92
WaSt
79
F
LongB
71
UCRiv
67
F(OT)
Valpa
53
NrthIA
64
F
Mem
88
WichSt
85
F
ECU
85
Tul
81
F
HCU
113
SHSU
119
F(2OT)
Seton
70
StJon
78
F
Portl
80
Pepp
86
F
Colum
61
Princ
79
F
AlaAM
49
South
59
F
TAMU
87
Ark
80
F
SEMO
67
Murr
103
F
Rice
85
UTEP
81
F(2OT)
UMKC
67
UtVal
79
F
MTSt
83
Mont
89
F
StMar
66
USD
46
F
E IL
60
TNSt
75
F
MorSt
66
TNTec
63
F
ArkPB
74
TXSo
94
F
Oreg
83
UCLA
90
F
CBU
72
CSBak
58
F
CS-Ful
67
UCSB
82
F
UCDav
76
CSNor
81
F(OT)
SDSU
60
UNLV
59
F
HI
80
CAPoly
88
F
Sac
57
PorSt
65
F
Colora
55
Wash
64
F
USF
65
SCla
68
F
Blackshear leads No. 20 Virginia Tech into Notre Dame
Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:34 PM

No. 20 Virginia Tech is coming off a tough loss as it travels to Notre Dame for an ACC matchup on Saturday afternoon, but coach Buzz Williams still found plenty of positives.

Mike Brey's Fighting Irish suffered another in a series of frustrating defeats this week, but their bigger picture isn't nearly as rosy.

How not-so-bad was the Hokies' 64-58 home loss to Virginia on Monday?

By comparison, Virginia Tech (20-6, 9-5 ACC) were drilled 81-59 at Virginia on Jan. 15, so it did get improved play against the Cavaliers and their touted defense.

"I thought, from start to finish, in many respects, we executed as well on both ends of the floor as we ever have," Williams said after the game, noting that of "58 balls that we shot, (only) three of them were bad. Against a team that's as potent as they are defensively, that ratio is very good. The shots that we shot were the shots we wanted to shoot."

Also, Williams' team has taken on a different look since that first meeting against Virginia, because Justin Robinson, the Hokies' second-leading scorer, later went down with a left foot injury and is out indefinitely.

Without him, Virginia Tech has slowed the tempo in order to play a more-grinding style. Forward Kerry Blackshear Jr., a 6-foot-10 junior, has embraced the transition, averaging 19.8 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in the six games since Robinson suffered his injury Jan. 30.

"For sure, in the last six games, he at least gives us a chance," Williams said, also crediting the rest of the team for being "accepting of the fact that we need to get the ball to him in different spots in order to help our team."

Blackshear is averaging 14.3 points a game, just below Robinson's 14.4 and guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker's 16.7. Blackshear is leading the team in rebounding at 6.9 per game.

The biggest issue for Notre Dame (13-13, 3-10) has been scoring. In conference play, the Irish have reached 70 points in only two games. Perhaps no game was more typical of that frustration than Tuesday's 75-68 home loss to Wake Forest, another of the ACC's bottom-feeders.

The Irish shot well for most of the first half and led 36-29 with 3:39 left in the first half but didn't score again before intermission.

"The way the game started, you figured you were going to score a little more tonight," Brey said after the game. "But we hit the wall a little bit. We had some great looks again at key times that we couldn't make."

Juniors John Mooney (14.1 points, 10.9 rebounds per game) and T.J. Gibbs (13.9 points) are leading the offense, with sophomore D.J. Harvey adding 10.8 points per game.

The Irish haven't been able to replace the ball-distribution skills of senior Rex Pflueger, who went down with a torn ACL in his left knee in December. He was averaging 4.3 assists a game.

"The reality is we are kind of who we are right now," Brey said, referring to his team's offensive struggles. "Getting over the hump is a big hurdle for any group that is developing. We've shown no signs of being able to do it. That's who we are."

--Field Level Media

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