#2oo R.P.I. Notre Dame vs. #67 R.P.I. Virginia Tech: 

Virginia Tech men’s hoops just got the hip-check to the hop-scotched.

The Hokies are @Home licking their So.Beach wounds as Eye types… This after failing to coast home and having suffered a just downright brutal post Intermission –27-point swing the ‘rong way down in My-am-a. Thereby tanking just like neighborly fellow Floridian Shamu used to SeaWorld do. This is all prior to sojourning 557 miles Nor-by-Nor-West up-n-over to South Bend, Indiana. Where we face the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, fame. The hoopster F’n Irish checked in at a modest looking: 7 up against 15 down ovearll. And: (2-9) or a Last-Place .181 in intra-league runs. Nonetheless, what you wanna know is… who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, reads on; to finds… out!

Notre Dame Head Coach: Micah Shrewsberry: age=47, 76-1o8 (.413) overall, and 44–45 (.494) at Notre Dame.
Has a rep’ for, well, not really winning so far. As you never ever see a double-negative listing. Also for courting lottsa backyard/regional connections or recruiting juice.
$4,000,000.oo (with incentives).

An Indianapolis area native, Shrewsberry earned his bachelor’s degree from Hanover College in 1999 and a master’s degree from Indiana State in 2oo3. As a player at Hanover, Shrewsberry was a three-year starting Qb1 or Pt.Guard1 and team tri-captain; while leading the league in free throw percentage and assists during the 1998–99 season.

After his playing career, Shrewsberry had assistant coaching stops at Wabash and DePauw before joining the coaching staff at Marshall for two seasons under Ron Jirsa. In 2oo5, he was named the head coach at Indiana University South Bend, where he served until 2oo7 when he joined Brad Stevens’ staff at Butler. While with the Bulldogs, Shrewsberry was part of the program’s back-to-back NCAA national runner-up coaching staff.

In 2o11, Shrewsberry would join Purdue’s coaching staff where he was credited for helping lead the Purdue Boilermakers to 8.74 turnovers per game, a nation-leading effort. He’d reunite with Stevens in the NBA ranks, joining the Boston Celtics coaching staff, and helping the Celtics to five playoff appearances, including back-to-back Eastern Conference finals. On May 9, 2o19, Shrewsberry returned to Purdue as an associate head coach

Then Shrews’ got the Pennsylvania State top-kick gig. In just his second season coaching the Nittany Lions, Shrewsberry led the team to a 23-14 record, which saw it finish as runner-up to Purdue in the BIG-X Tournament and earn its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2o11. Shrewsberry collected more Big Ten wins (17) in his first two seasons than any other Penn State head coach.

On March 23, 2o23, Shrewsberry was named as head coach at Notre Dame, the 18th head coach in program history. A familiar place no doubt… check it… As he coached at an Indiana University branch campus, Indiana University South Bend, upon embarking on his journey as a coach. He was the first-ever full-time coach in IU South Bend men’s basketball history, improving in wins in each of his three seasons at the helm of the Titans.

After returning to assistant coaching with successful stints at Purdue (2011–13, 2019–21) and in the NBA with the Boston Celtics (2013–19), he then got the real So.Bend call.

Official Title: The: GLENN & STACEY MURPHY HEAD COACH.

Daddy-Shrewsberry and his wife, Molly, have four children, Braeden, Nicholas, Caitlin, and Grace.

n.Dame at a glance:

• 37th best in Scoring D allowed!
• 6oth best in Defensive FG percentage allowed.
• 9oth best in Defensive rebounding.
• 331st best in FG percentage O!
• 334th best in Turnover Margin!!
• 336th most FTA’s on O/game!!
• 343rd best in Assist:Turnover ratio!!!
• 345th best in Scoring O!!!
• 347th most in Fastbreak Points!!!
• Thus, tallying nearly ~.455 of the 34 D-1 menz Team Categories that Eye bother to track at 291st best or, worse! Never seen that A.c.c. b4, either. As this is one of the poorer All Chump Calling teams I’ve seen in years, plural. Possibly in a decade give/take… dang.
• NO Injuries listed. ‘thx’ @Coach God.

Returning Starters=nil❗️ (Zilch, zero, zip).

Notre Dame Strengths:

• J.R. Konieczny Junior, is a: 6′7″, 2o4 lb., true-Jr. season homespun (So.Bend, Indy) baller. J.R. had (self)-decided to use the 2o22-2o23 season as a redshirt year after some dingy foibles earlier on. Do like the Alice wants her mop-(top) back hair-swagg here. Good for a second-best: 9.4 Irish ppg this year and yet not being included in my pre-season magazines last year mighta just been a… clue. Over-a-chiev-er. (clap-clap-clapclapclap). As my old notes said: ‘worker bee’ and not much else. So, the team-leading 5.9 rpg with a swipe a dime and ~32% from 3-ball-land may or may not have been expected here. As Lindy’s wrote: not-a-thing about Konieczny yet again. What little I did find said he has: “good size/skill blend.” And that is all Eye saw. Wound up a gritty 5th in Indiana Mr. Basketball voting in 2o21. ESPN did give him **** or four stars; tho’ everyone else was a 3-star awarding and right at not less than 5o-spots lower-ranked (or mo’) nationally. The best I saw was: A 247Sports three-star prospect, ranked 135th nationally, 28th small forward, and fifth in the state. The surname is pronounced: “Kah-nez-nee.” So, there is that, and J.R. Jr. did collect a AAA Indy High School state bling. There is that too. Nearly looks like he is in Jr.High. Prolly gets carded into his 4o’s give/take. And after that… you have to wonder how much headroom this self-made man has left.

  

• One #3, 5′1o″, 166 lb., Markus Burton… is prolly a nice-sized vote-getter for A.c.c. Newcomer of the year. In his nugget or rookie voting year itself. Leading N.Dame with: 16 ppg with 3.3 rpg and 4 apg is not bad work when you have played 22 mo’ collegiate hoops games than you and I have combined. 2oo3’s Indiana Mr. Basketball for: St.Joseph’s H.S. Averaged a state-best 3o.3 points per game, along with 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists, and 3.6 steals, while shooting 58.2 percent from the floor and 42.5 percent from deep. Not ½-bad from the Hoosier hoops happy state. Hence, the (seemingly) mere *** or tri-star ranking seems a mite lyte to some. 1oth all-time Indy scorer; who finished State runner-up as a pure senior scholastic season blowtorch on O. Says he is working to get his 1st-shoe-store open on the side. +1 fiscally stature-wise there. Has Twizzlers N.I.L. love. +.5 there. Rivals no.14o baller in all the land. Wears a football girdle under his shorts… musta suffered some sorta Charley Horse/Hip-Pointer or the like along the way. Such is the way of a slasher/scorer Pt.Guard1. Who Lindy’s curiously described mutually as being: “the most impactful” and while “…may not even have the highest upside.” {sic: of his fellow ’23 recruiting class @N.Dame}. Wild, huh? Anywho… said to be a strong-3-point-shooter who can create for others. Virtually +4oo% mo’ assistance than any other Irish might say: “we agry”. The team-pacing 1.8 spg is some pickpocket quick-hands. The A.c.c. leading 4.1 tpg has the look-n-feel of a kid trying to do too much. 3o.5% long on 8o.5% free-throwing and yet only 41.1% overall would conspire to agry. Not really sure he is even his listed size, as this is a bantamweight pint-sized One in P5, D-1 terms. Tho’ I’ma not sure he is not already an export-Pro; to boot. This is a good overall baller… and where will Markus slot next season though? (UPDATE: warming if not heating up of late… getting his post-walling-hitting Atlantic Coast sea-legs)
• Braeden Shrewsberry is a: 6′3″, 189 lb., debut-year off-G1. He of the red-frosted twist-top ‘do that is nothing if not, odd. 232nd pinnacle ranking: (On3) and candidly, some thought this Two to be a ‘reach-take’ here. Coaches son never hurt 1ι (one-iota). Diverse on-the-ball Wing. Yet another poaches from now (un)Happy Valley for N.D. hoops. However, nepotism is in his favor… as he (may) only has to ask the Big Whistle’s wifey for mo’ P.T. here. (Son of: of Micah and Molly Shrewsberry). wow. The: 9.1 ppg with 2.3 rpg and a gold-medal teamwide 89.9% free-throwing is a start. What is left after that is sketchy to unknown here. As the book says: ‘versatile’ game and we shall see how that games living-at-home out. Did play/prep @State College Aera in between all of this… seems a moody one to me upon breaking tape. That, and the 38.1% overall and 33.9% from beyond the arc need to chip less orange paint.
• ex-Seton Hall: 6′9″, 2o8 lb., Tae Davis, P/F1. Davis is your one true Big in coach Shew’s pet quad-G offensive set. 8.1 ppg and 5.2 rpg are serviceable… the 1o.1% from trifecta distance is coming up, short. Lindy’s says that Tae-Tae is a: “leaner” who can provide help next to the hoop. Does have a ruff streety legit-‘tude to him on film. Like a: “Whatcha wanna do” vibe. Pretty dang lean, be nice to see what some right-side-of-the-trax eats can ’27 do here. Peaked as the: 139th-ranked overall prospect in his class according to 247 Sports. Played for his father, Dre Davis, Sr. in Indy H.S. terms. Prolly knows/gets the game per the same. Had a nice double-double (21 ppg and 11 rpg) Senior Prom digits. Nice, though I’ma not sure they were great. Though… we shall see where this Qb1 in-ring I.Q. can take Tae^2 come ’26 or so. As he too is still offensive-end: “…developing” from what Eye could game footage see here.

Notre Dame Weaknesses:

• Brey is gone… and so are his nearly ~6oo coaching wins. So, the headset/chalkboard experience and Learning curves alike are experiencing a substantial contraction here.
• A.c.c.ordingly -and not Social Needia era unexpectedly- everyone not named: Konieczny went Rush Exit Stage (and) Left. Gonzo. Nearly a complete roster and rotation remake alike.
• Hence, familiarity and synergy are left-tailed here as well.
• As Notre Dame is playing ’25 and beyond, today.
• What with zero, that’s (o) or nadda, none, nil as pre-season Accolade Coast Conference nominees. Not one: 1st, 2nd, or 3rd-string or superlative wise either. Yikes!
• And frankly, they seem a bit weight-room/nutrition-center undercooked for it in physical terms upon breaking tape.

READERS observe: this is nearly a different team or team style off the bench… like tall-ball subbin’ in for small-ball nearly perfectly inverted!

Domer‘s Bench: (depth=3 to 4’ish) 236th in pine ppg.

The Irish bench is nothing if not long/tall. They do seem to want for backcourter(s) in the G-centric era here to me.

6′1o″, 2o3 lb., Carey Booth: your P/F2, and an initial year baller. Second-year, Kebba Njie: 6′1o″, 254 lb., is a Four/Five hybrid guy. 6′9″, 252 lb., Matt Zona, P/F3 in his final year.

Carey Booth drops you: 5.7 ppg & 4.2 rpg on only: 39.5% floor, 53.3% free, and 27.9% three. Which shows you where/what he is all about. Lindy’s says Carey is: “long, athletic, and still developing”. Eye say: we agry. Inside-out kid and yes, he is P.S.U. yesteryear (old-man) Calvin Booth related. Father, Calvin, was a two-time team captain at Penn State who still owns the school record for blocked shots, was the 1998 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, and the highest-drafted Nittany Lion in program history. Calvin is currently the General Manager of the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and all his sisters play XL-1o wimminz volleyball. 247Sports Ranked 49th overall in the 2o23 class. Seems springy on tape to me. True athlete and that at least courtesies or bats-eyes at the always alluring sporting word of: “potential” itself. Time=tell on the rest…

Kebba Njie: Also, by way of Penn.State. As N.Dame is nearly officially P.S.U.-West at the moment. A consensus 4-star recruit and No. 16 power forward in the country according to Rivals. ESPN peaked him at 82nd for all of High School ball. His older brother, Mo, plays basketball at So.Methodist.U. and his
Father, Baboucarr, played basketball collegiately at IPFW and Cincinnati State. So, again, there is some roundball D.N.A. in play here. Good frame, and a solid inside playar, although the: 4 ppg with 5.7 rpg and 1 bpg are all still 31.3% offensive-end developmental at the moment.

Julian Roper II: is a: lead-G2: who checks in at:  6′4″, 21o lbs. He is from: St. Mary’s and then is from: Northwestern. He is your only pine-squadron backcourt relief pitcher from the Irish bullpen here. He is said to be an ankle ding prone pure-shooter. (St.Philip bless). Does/did have some measure of range to his game… 42.1% before his last ankle blowout last year tho’ only 31.3% since the same Northwestern ankle blowout is a hard look. Father played football at Grand Valley State University and mums played basketball at Central State University. So, there is some hooping Genome that Project(s) here. As this kid could/would prolly do mo’ than 6.6 ppg on mo’ than 1.5 good, wheels. As Mister Roper’s no.141 player in the country tabbing by Rivals.com would seem to agry. With no word yet from: Jack… Chrissy or from Janet.

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Irish who could car-bomb @Tech=handful'ish.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…

…not to be too taken with just how suspect Notre Dame really is.

Eye do sorta mean that tongue-in-cheek, tho’ I also mean it cheeky indeed.

As their compiled Recruiting Metrics are not as bad as their contemporary rec’ suggests.

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The glitch/caveat the armchair Pt.Guard1’s among you are already naysaying is… where are they/those metrics now b.street?

Yah-yah; you have the measure of it. Fair play.
As most of their V.H.T.’s (now) run ‘ball somewhere else. Tru dat.

The monition/proviso is… they did bring in some fair-to-middling replacement parts; being the Mid-West Havard or Notre Dame and all prolly helps ‘cat-whistle’ Talent just like that.

However, they have yet to mesh -or much less- coalesce.

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for a mere +55-point VicTory dance here! WoW. And it was a strange raised to the squirrelly power one to be sure. Check it… early on it was an inverted saddle or |absolute value| mutually sucky one. Like opponents running a Tech and an Irish train alike. As both teams sucked {sic: got beat} by the same peeps. It was rather at VeeTee got beat/sucked a little less. Then about a fortnight ago it re-inverted back to a positive saddle and finished one, that’s (1) single solitary shot removed from a technically |perfect correlation| on the year overall. A near-clean sweep -partially inverted or not- is a rare Fourm Guide thing. And this one (due to the inversion) was even stranger than that. Mo’ below…

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… VeeTee is up a decent looking +4% in shooting percentage margin (this from: being up sharply on O, although N.Dame is/was holding that D-line, mo’ below…); with VeeTee up +6% in 3-point percentage margin (all: on O. As only two-tenths parted these two on D), and yet N.Dame is up nearly ~+2 caroms corralled in rebounding margin for the year-to-date. (per: being much better in backboarding the O-‘glass and a little better off the D-‘glass to boot).

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… the Hokies are now up a very visible +11% in shooting percentage margin (as: the Irish cannot make a 2 with a pencil on O, tho’ they were one whole entire percent starchier on D); with the F’n Gobblers up a near solid +6% in 3-point percentage margin (from: same drill as the floor, the Irish are –1% stiffer in 3-D and yet cannot make a “3” with a stencil on 3-O), and the Irishmen are recently up reasonable +4 misses collected in rebounding margin in the last fortnight of fiberglassing. (due to: both teams being negative here, N.Dame won on |absolute value| terms only. As both are missing running down mo’ than a few Windex Wipes of lates…)

Armchair Pt.Guard’s:

Hemmingway Hoops: “To have and to have not…”

• vs. no-names? +22 points❗️ Now, and in all fair play… N.Dame did not play a cupcake or cakewalk of O.O.C. (out-of-conference) bum-fighting tomato-can set of easy-peasy knock-overs. They had some pretty sprite mid-major or little guy salting’s. The lesson here; however, is thus… there were signs (early on) that this N.Dame team was not *that* good. As the F’n Irish took two fugly O.O.C. L’s vs. ding-dongs and got into two mo’ near thing O.O.C. scrums vs. also-rans at best/at most.
• vs. Surnames? –119-points❗️ Yikes. This may be a new sorting-table metric of mine… although this is the worst sluicing we’ve seen so far by far. Lotta gangue minerals here, some pyrite, and only a bit of commercial-grade flower gold not named the oddball u.V.a. upset. Blind hog did find one 10 qt acorn to be fair… then he got tin-foiled over and over and over. As said below… this gap is widening or worsening if you are a N.Dame visitor to this FREE-view website.

LAST 10 GAMES: Fighting Irish: 1-9, averaging 58.8 points, 36.7 rebounds, 8.6 assists, 5.3 steals, and 2.8 blocks per game while shooting 39.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 65.9 points per game.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hokies: 4-6, averaging 74.4 points, 30.3 rebounds, 14.9 assists, 4.5 steals, and 3.0 blocks per game while shooting 48.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 75.0 points.

M*A*S*H 4o77th:
Rechsteiner (QUESTIONABLE: illnesses, St.Panteleimon help) and Long (QUESTIONABLE: trick-knee, St.Nikon help), are both unknown at best to ball out under Touchdown Jesus. Coach God bless.

Notre Dame is a .386 host; whereas VeeTee is .166 as a guest.
V.P.I. is up a nice +7% at the charity stripe for the year.
VeeTee is up an okay looking +2 in R&R.

The Call...

No.168 Net Ranking  Notre Dame vs. no.54 Net Ranking Vah.Tech:

The VerdicT:

This is a (seemingly) obvious one; n’est-ce pas?

As you should obviously favor the better team with the better record.

However, as bettors -and Will Stew’- will tell you, you should not fave any visiting A.c.c. team more than 3 in 1o times. Now, whether that encodes for Dame ‘being due’, or for VeeTee netting like poo out on the always a tough row to hoe A.c.c. road we shall see…

And although recalcitrant to (outright) call this one a trap game… it (somehow/someway) just does not strike me as clean.

Surely N.Dame has to be at least a scosche better than they have recently been, (having dropped 9 of their last 1o and 7-straight), right?

The Digits:

…and this just in, rain is still rumored to be wet and Notre Dame is not a good, team.
Well, at least not in menz basketball anyhow.

Although the Hokies are 1-5 on the road, as our last four roadies have been decided by a combined 25 points. Meaning: we ain’t gettin’ visiting smoked; and you P.A.T.T.y-cakes might say we are not traveling ½, baked. More recently, the F’n Irish have averaged 57.4 points, on a coolio 39.1-percent shooting, just 8.9 assists, and a sloppy-looking 14.9 turnovers while going o-7 since winning in overtime at Georgia Tech on Jan. 9.

–oOo–

Despite the recent results, Notre Dame — which is 1-6 in true road games — has stayed relatively competitive in the current skid. None of the six defeats was by more than 12 points. Yet there are also signs of slippage for the Irish on defense. “We’ve been a good defensive team for the whole season,” Notre Dame coach Micah Shrewsberry said. “We haven’t been the last three or four games.”

See?
That’s their one true lifeline to VomiTorium running ‘ball @Home.
Out-defend us, hustle us, get the crowd into it… and nick an ugly game, late.

ELO #87 🦃 @ ELO #23o ☘️

So, the Forum Guide got me thinking -and we all know just how dangerous that can be- it got me thinking… N.Dame has the (intrinsic) look-n-feel to the Point.G.1 in me of a team that is edging closer-n-closer to a look-n… fell.

So, I ran the laps not my lips… and lo’-n-behold their run is just starting to (noticeably) overrun their rise. Or, a just beginning a ‘final approach’ descent on a negative slope. Having been done out by double digits in all their L’s in their last fortnight of just learning how to get runover. (All ≥6-shots beaten at a min’). On the front side conversely, of this ugly seven-game schneid.. they were actually a .333 winning team and played everyone to within one or two shots at max’/at worst when getting beat.

Do you see what Eye means?

Now they have the (extrinsic) look-n-feel of a team that is getting used to gettin’ beat to Coach Spock and Eye and to objective science-fact itself.

Ergo, therefore, to Whit… let us not do them any favors here with a slow O&M start.

That, and this one has the look-n-feel of a handsy game.

He who turnovers over least laughs most.

✋🏿🏀💯

 

(59% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=67, Notre Dame=6o

please support the VT F.C.A.!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**

 

 

 

SUPER bonus:
So, this is the one No Fun League game that I have the time to Excel MegaStat© each-n-every year.

I was surprised that said sheets forecast the 49ers to be up by about 1-full-play. As there are 19 consecutive seasons worth of reason(s) to deny the Kay.Cee. repeat as Lombardi Trophy winners in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday nite. To me… and to said sheets… San.Fran. was/is the cleaner team down in the dirt along both lines of scrummage. The turnover margin says so. As San Francisco was +1o, and Kansas City was –11.

However, the best player on the field is hurling to one of the all-time Te’s and to the alpha-Swiftie of them all, see. 2 Super blings while going a stalwart to Stallworth looking: .8235294117647059 (14 up vs. 3 down) in playoff games is a lot.  And that throw down the right hashmark very late in the @B’more game is something you cannot coach the verb. That’s a Gift with a capital “G”. (additionally, the Chefs also have the superior defensive fun-fit; which Eye super-pressure liked).

Hence: Kay.Cee. is the g-unit here until proven BIG game otherwise.

Swifties=sho’ got a Purdy mouf, 9‘ers=get got.

💃🏈🎤