Notre Dame Virginia Tech basketball preview

#4o R.P.I. Notre Dame @ #245 R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

#8 ranked Notre Dame finally comes a Revenue Sport calling to a somewhat downtrodden debuting Buzz Williams Cassell Coliseum this Thursday night on ESPN3. That should make for something of a wake-up call or at least something of a hawt tix to have down in the chilly New River Valley.

Notre Dame enters our Cassell at 17 up and 2 down, have been beaten by Providence by 1 point and by hateful u.v.a. by a couple of shots.

As this is a pretty good basketball team with pretty good balance sans pretty good size.

Not the biggest Irish Setter in the fight; although there is some fight in this well coached Irish dog.

Love to see us win here, or at least love to see the Fighting Irish take us a bit lightly; as we are due to play a good game and some would say we played better than expected Sunday night down @U.n.c.

Notre Dame at a glance:

  • 1st in Assist:Turnover ratio (+1.69)
  • 2nd in FG percentage (52.8%)
  • 11th in scoring O, (81.7 ppg)
  • 16th in 3-point percentage (40.1%)
  • NO injuries reported

Notre Dame Backcourt: (returning starters=2 of 4)
Jerian Grant: (see: pic) if there is such a thing as a unsung star in the A.c.c. …this J.Grant kid is it. 17 ppg with an eye popping near 7 apg to go with 3 boards and a couple of steals is truly filling out a stat-sheet. The book says, and I quote: “one of the best perimeter shooters in college basketball.” Yah; I’d say that counts, as this kid can and will truly score from anywhere on the court. One mag’ called Mr. Grant a “slasher who can shoot” and I for one would have to say that that’s pretty well spot on. This guy will attack the rack (85 FTA’s on 78%) and he has solid enough range right out to 20-21′ (at 34% on his 3’s this campaign). Grant has been favorably compared to a Mike Bibby (Sac’ Kings) style of play. I would have to agree on that as well, as this kid can do a lot and he can nearly do it all. Except for the fact that he employs Bibby+ size at 6’5” and a cut looking 204 lbs. of pure first step quicks in his 5th year of eligibility. The son of Harvey Grant of Oklahoma then Washington Bullet fame, the nephew of Horace Grant of Clemson then ChiTown Bulls M.Jordan fame; so the hooping D.n.a. is there and you’d have to think someone will want a 6’5” scoring passer of a Pt.G. As this kid is a Pro, only question being, will that be of the import or export variety?

WOW, just wow!
WOW, just wow!

Pat Connaughton: 6-5 218 lb. de facto senior leader on a somewhat youthful caliber team. Pat is a true ‘tweener in between the traditional S/G and S/F second and third home position spots.  He is also Notre Dame’s second leading scorer at 13.8 ppg and authoritatively enough, N.Dee’s #1 Windex guy at a club leading 8.3 rpg! 48% from the field and 44% from beyond the arc is pretty smart work, as Mr. Connaughton may be the most productive Irish on a per inch basis. Pat’s final year numbers are virtually unchanged from where he was a year ago at this time, however, that’s still a pretty thorough amount of caroms and points collected over a 15 month NC2A span.

Further, Pat is indeed a 2-sport star. Don’t believe me? Just ask the O’s as Pat was drafted in the 2014 Major League Baseball Draft in the fourth round (121st pick overall ) by the Baltimore Orioles. Where he finished the minors with a lucrative looking 2.45 ERA! Pat is a Business Management major who is an A.c.c. Academic Honor Roll recipient and who would appear to have a nice life out in front of him, in some form or career or another.

Demetrius Jackson: 6/1 198 lb. sophomoric true Pt.G as a full-time One. Ok shooter who is known more so for his defensive pressure/prowess and pure quickness as something of an in-your-shirt jitterbug of a point-G. High effort high energy kinda guy that every lockeroom and every practice facility craves. McDonald’s All-American who had the markers of a score first One in high school (26 ppg). Back-up Point-G last year, does have some experience accordingly. Right now Demetrius scores a pretty solid looking 13.6 ppg with 3 boards and assists each, on a crafty looking 43% from 3-point land and 52% from the floor. Check back in a year or two as this kids high school numbers suggest at least a high teens scorer at the power conference collegiate level.

Steve Vasturia: Stevie is a 6’5” 22o lb. Shooting-G from Jersey in his second year. Known as a pure shooter in high school and at N.Dame alike. Only player at his high school to ever have his # retired, in any sport! Said to have great range, and his range is the gym, if Vasturia is in it, he’s open. Gatorade Pennsylvania player of the year with very good though not quite what I’d call great scholastic stats. Did tie a couple of none other than Wilt Chamberlain’s high school marks; so that says something right there. Gets you 8.7 per night with 3.4 rebounds on 39% from distance, 80% from the FT-line and a nifty/efficacious looking 51% overall. Smart kid, makes shots not mistakes, lets the game come to him. Might have overseas sized shooting range as he does possess some raw physical strength to go with his marksman skill set. As I never meet a basketball team that could not use another shooter.

Irish Frontcourt: (starters back=1 of 1)
Bonzie Colson: Bonzie is the only true Post in what amounts to basically a 4-G de facto starting line-up for coach Mike Brey . IF you can call a 6’5” S/F a true Post at that? As this starting N.D. line-up is not tall on height. Not at all. Almost has a Radford look-n-feel to it, albeit it with more recruiting ranking punch. Bonzie is a muscular 228 lb. rookie year Three, who gets you 4 points with a couple of boards even if he is only 16% form downtown. Unselfish pass first guy, almost a Point-F or a a facilitator, with an elongated reach or wingspan that allows him to play and defend guys who are bigger than he is. Two-time Rhode Island Gatorade Player of the Year coming outta high school with an all-’round looking box score game that is just waiting for a place to happen. Seemed to have a scholastic knack for making clutch shots and does enjoy an u18 gold medal from Europe. Accomplished choir singer from a family of coaches, so you just known he can name that 1 through 5 tune.

Notre Dame Bench: (depth=2 and change)

  • V.J. Beachem: Vee Jay is the one true Irish substitute night-in and night-out, with a few spots minutes obligated here and there to two others. Beachem is a 6’8” 200 lb. Wing with interesting looking metrics. In terms of wingspan, leaping and just generic athletic ability overall. Is said to have worked on his J which needed range coming into this year. Ranked 3rd outta basketball rich Indiana as a high school senior. Nets you 8.6 ppg on a team leading and staggering 53% from downtown! Yah; I’d say he worked on his J. Collects a rebound here and there though has morphed himself into more of a pure second-year athlete gone pure shooter.
  • Zach Auguste: Z’ gets his 23 minutes here and there and as a 6’10” 240 lb. junior year big, he at least eats up some post space when he is inserted into the game. Pure leaper who plays above the rim and was expected by some to actually start this season. Has plenty of reserve experience and was a Top-100 (97th) ESPN.com recruit. Right now he is giving you a third best 13.7 ppg and a second best 6.7 boards in relief! Plus a steal and a block and on 67% shooting and suddenly you have a 6th man of the year candidate on your hands.

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Illation, conclusion (s) and OPT digits:
Notre Dame has played precisely 2 road dates outta 19 total game thus far. Ergo, it is tough to get a good gauge on what kinda visitor these Irish truly are.

Notre Dame does enter this Atlantic Coast match-up +1 on rest, and our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston boxing writer fame, hints at an 16 point Notre Dame victory this Thursday night. I won’t say that that is umpossible, however, this N.D. starting line-up is not the worlds worst match-up for us, at least not on O&M stationary.

Church Lady from S.N.L.?
Church Lady from S.N.L.?

So believe it or not, I was truly toying with picking this upset, call it a hunch, call it a feel, call it a lark … you could even call it crazy! However, now that I see the official “QUESTIONABLE” injury listing for Bibbs for this one (concussion like symptoms) I’m a bit more recalcitrant to tab the underdog to win in this one.

***

It’s not that methinks Notre Dame to be that great; or unbeatable in this one. As the Irish’s scoring and shooting have dropped across the board since entering A.c.c. play: -12 ppg, -7% from the floor, and -5% on 3-pointers. Not to mention the fact that the Irish Rebounding Margin has gone negative too since going against intra-conference foes at -5 rpg. And, if that’s not enough, the N.Dame defense has softened, by 3% overall and 4% from range in the A.c.c..

Or in other words, this is not an untouchable Notre Dame squad, no matter how shiny their overall .897 winning percentage may be.

Notre Dame is prolly gonna win this one, and this just in: “…rain is rumored to be wet.” Not exactly going out on a limb over the thin-ice with my trust hacksaw on that one, am I?

That being said… it is not like Notre Dame smashed a basically .5oo Georgia Tech (twice) nor did they route a very serviceable and lower echelon post-season Miami last time out. Or in other words, I do not foresee a Fighting Irish squad that is completely beyond our depth. They are within reach; if only Bibbs can get his melon good-to-go | however, sourcing suggests that Bibbs will sit at least one more game as a precautionary measure; ….and so goes our upsetting chances indeed.

(82% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech
=58, Notre Dame=75

LETS GO!

Hokies!

 bourbonstreet**

2 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. I think the answer to your poll qyestion is both. I think Loserville could’ve trashed us if they wanted to, but Rick Pitino called off his dogs because he deeply respects Buzz Williams from their recent Big East battles when Buzz was at Marquette. I think UNC was clearly not fully focused on Sunday night, which allowed us to hang around despite an uncharacteristically bad shooting night (likely as a result of no Bibbs). All that said, I also think the Hokies are continuing to play very hard and are starting to noticeably improve, especially in playing as a team as they continue to get comfortable with each others’ strengths.

    1. I (mostly) do agry.

      U.n.c. could even should have done more.
      They just coasted all game.

      Pitino chilled out at the end.

      And yet, methinks coach Buzz is finally stamping his system onto so much young O&M clay.
      Give him time. He will shape them. He will mold them.

      thanks for reading Y2HoKie!
      b.street

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