(was): #2oo, NOW: #172 R.P.I. Notre Dame @ (was): #67, NOW:74  R.P.I. Virginia Tech:

Virginia Tech men’s hoops must be butter!

The Hokies are on a whopping 2-game and nearly ’24 unheard of: seven, that’s a (7) day, roll! Break up the Highty-Tighties band. Break out the C.B.I./C.I.T. invites… oh wait… there Eye goes agains… always putting the cart out in front of the, horse. ’cause in the meantime we have this little post-season determining or scuttling matter erstwhile known as: Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish enter our Cassell at: 12 up against 18 down (.4oo) and (.368) or seven-hyphen-twelve in in-league play. Thus, marooning the golden-domes in All Championship Conference first-day, play. That said, as you will catalogue down below… they are better(ing) since we saw them and since we got; got, last. Nonetheless, what you wanna know is… who is gonna win and by how much, rights? So, reads on… to find, out!

Notre Dame Head Coach: Micah Shrewsberry: age=47, 81-112 (.422) overall, and 12–18 (.4oo) 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.

He is up to a mo’ respectful-looking .5oo in D-1 ball solo since we contested him last.

That and their hoopology bracketology for N.I.L.’s just jumped up a notch or three.

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:

• was: 37th best in Scoring D allowed! NOW: 32nd best!! (Near lateral tho’ still great, ⇔)
• was: 6oth best in Defensive FG percentage allowed. NOW: 65th best. (Same drill, near great, ⇔)
• was: 9oth best in Defensive rebounding. NOW: 88th best. (Just a few 2nd-chances solid here, truly. ⇔)
• was: 331st best in FG percentage O! NOW: 335th best. (consistent, if nothing else… ⇔)
• was: 334th best in Turnover Margin!! NOW: 32oth best. (A nominal gainer, ⇔)
• was: 336th most FTA’s on O/game!! NOW: 339th best. (Again, flat, nothing to report: ⇔)
• was: 343rd best in Assist:Turnover ratio!!! NOW: 337th best. (Same, almost… ⇔)
• was: 345th best in Scoring O!!! NOW: 344th best. (LOL… unflinching 1o1, ⇔)
• was: 347th most in Fastbreak Points!!! NOW: 34oth best. (’nuff said… ⇔)
• 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.

Hmmmmmmmmm…

• Most consistent team; ever?!?

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: 8.4 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 4.8 rpg with a swipe a dime and ~33.3% 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.
  (UPDATE: most things are in decline, not heinous tho on the dip… ⇓)

  

• 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: 17 ppg with 3.3 rpg and 4.3 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. 29.3% long on 81.1% free-throwing and yet only 42% 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)
  (UPDATE2: warmy if not heaty player of late, ⇑)
• 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: 9.9 ppg with 2.1 rpg and a gold-medal teamwide 84.6% 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 31.1% overall and 33.9% from beyond the arc need to chip less orange paint.
  (UPDATE: not much; just a spit cooler here-n-there, ⇓).
• 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. 8.7 ppg and 5.2 rpg are serviceable… the 16.7% 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.
  (UPDATE: just trending rise just over, run, slightly up everywhere, ⇑)

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) 253th in pine ppg. (UPDATE: Has moved ⇓, just a scosche).

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: 6.2 ppg & 4.2 rpg on only: 39.5% floor, 59.5% free, and 28.4% 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…
(UPDATE: has improved his netting, ⇑-vote here).

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: 4.2 ppg with 5.3 rpg and 1 bpg are all still 36.6% offensive-end developmental at the moment.
(UPDATE: nearly lateral or flat-worlder here, ⇔)

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 36.8% 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 5.3 ppg and 4.3 rpg 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.
(UPDATE:

Illation, conclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Irishmen who could shamrock wimminz @Tech=handful+.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…

…not to be too taken with Senior Day.

---

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It’s nice.

It is nicer when you win.

It is not nice; however, when you play a buncha ScRubs early on.

You play the benched seniors as a departing Hallmark ‘thank you’ note late. Though only after you and your legit starters have opened the door fo’ them via putting the game outta-hand.

Or, did that just make too much, sense?

As Buzketball was known for yacking things up and our ’24 post-season Tourneying margin of error is slim and none. And Slim shoulda hit the weight room for four years had he wanted any departing,
P. … T.

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame WAS 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. NOW: our handy-dandy so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame IS calling for an +82-point Tech Triumph in this Saturday matinee here. The KEY part; however, was thus… So, even though this revamped Forum Guide did rise, granted, it more so rose on the massive and therefore dismissive- U.n.c. punking put ‘whoops’ upside the Domers head(s). When you kick that out-liar out? You get a data set that only calls for a delta of: Δ=3-shots! This would not have been enuff to unring the L’ing bell up @N.Dame last time out vs. the F’n Irish mind yah. Then… the Forum Guide ran pretty close to scheduling stride for stride; (we faced/they faced whomever +/- one game spacing max in calendar terms). When I ran that Fourm Guide of clones alones… it hit for a 3-game interval of a hurtful looking –1o-point VomiT. i.e., not only did Notre Dame best us last time; they are playing their best ball of the year vs. the very same peeps in nearly the very same sequencing. And (statistically) this could potentially desequence O&M spring broke things… verily indeed!

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… VeeTee is up a modest looking +3%-n-change in shooting percentage margin (all of: this is on superior making; as N.Dame is decently mo’ missing/inflicting here from the floor this year); with VeeTee up a similar looking ~+4% in 3-point percentage margin (same drill: the good guys won on 3-O and the not so good guys won on 3-D; the only diff’ was they won less on 3-D here compared to overall), and Notre Dame interrupts the sweep via logging in at being up +2 caroms corralled in rebounding margin for the year-to-date. (Here we see that N.Dame is about equally better at Windex Wipes on each end of the court… the kicker is that we/VT are particularly flaccid off the little-O fiberglass for the duration).

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… the Hokies are now up ~+3% in shooting percentage margin (all of which is on Floor-O, as ND has cooled a pinch here; although, VT’s overall D is trending on being user-friendly at a near feckless 47.5% allowed of late on D); with the F’n Irish up a downright salty looking ~+10% in 3-point percentage margin (7/10ths of which is stroking it in 3-O terms; tho’, they have tightened their 3-D allowed up to boot as well), and the Domers finished up +1 miss collected in rebounding margin of the last fortnight of play. This was a hollow-earth win as both are negative recently off the backboard and ND won this one in |absolute value| terms. With the Shamrocks just a scosche less bad off the offensive and the defensive ‘glass alike).

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? –11o-points❗️ Recall, this was –119-points❗️ the last time, before they beat us the last time too. Which is to say… N.Dame has improved mo’ than this shows… ’cause it normalizes to a –77-point hole when you kick their f’ugly U.n.c. marker out. Such is not grand… granted. And this just in… ‘rain is still rumored to be, wet.’ Fair-play. However, it does show that N.Dame has improved and has not spit the bit. Visiting N.Dame readers… take ’25, 💚.

LAST 10 GAMES: Hokies: 4-6, averaging 74.8 points, 29 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 5.2 steals, and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 46.7% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 74.8 points per game.

LAST 10 GAMES: Fighting Irish: 5-5, averaging 64.5 points, 34.4 rebounds, 10.5 assists, 5.9 steals, and 2.2 blocks per game while shooting 41% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 67.6 points.

V.P.I. is up a nice-looking~+6% at the charity stripe for the year.
Nobody is up anything in R&R. Nadda. None. Nil.
VT is a .866 host; whereas ND is .181 as a guest.

The Call...

No.128 Net Ranking Notre Dame @ no.54 Net Ranking Vah.Tech:

Virginia Tech will look to secure a bye into the second round of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament when it hosts Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon in Blacksburg, Va.

Seeking their first three-game winning streak since Jan. 20-27, the Hokies (17-13, 9-1o A.c.c.) are tied with Florida State and North Carolina State for eighth place in the conference. The top nine teams in the conference will receive a bye, with the top four earning a double bye.

The VerdicT:

So, scroll back upstairs… be Notre Dame menz hoops this/that, or lacking or wanting for this/that… they have NOT, Q.

You can see this objectively and science-factually dully demonstrated in their industry, sweat, or ‘want too’ metrics. {sic: D & rpg}. Both (still yet) holding the TD-Jesus line. Nobody taking a knee or a safety here. That’s a +1 @Coach Micah too… tho’ Eye clinically tangent.

The point being… this is not the walkover it may overall record(s) seem.

In point of fact… you could very well opine that Notre Dame is playing fine.
Some fine ball or maybe even their best ball of the year (recently).

Having won 5 of 6 and peaking/figuring things out at just the right time before being overmatched vs. potential Final-IV bound @U.n.c. To mix my sporting metaphor… that game was a punt… or Atlantic Coast squid kick of sorts…

The digits:

Eye keyboard all of ^dat^ ’cause I bothered to look it up… N.Dame was a mere one single solitary shot removed from sweeping February to close at 6-nil.

Ergo, therefore, to Whit… looking every bit the post-season spoiler part.

File that one opening-A.c.c. day away…

–oOo–

…in the meantime…

If you ask me -and you did via reading these very words- if you asks me… Eye would not play any of these scrubs. Not at all. Not one-iota (1ι).

Not unless I was up saaaaay… double-digits with game-time remaining digits I could count on my thumbs— or maybe on my nose.

🦃 #77 ELO >>> 🏀 >>> ELO #128 ☘️

On the one hand… N.Dame is a .286 team vs. teams with winning records and as we (per Will) still knows… the A.c.c. @Away team wins about 3 in 1o times.

On the other hand… N.Dame has three different hawt-sauce ballers who are either seasonally peaking or playing some dang tight ball of late.

As in… this one is not the gimmie putt or lay-up most other writers think.

As methinks, this one is the O.G. boxing adage of: “Styles make fights.”

N.Dame slows/uglies this one up and they just nick us here.

We style and profile on O and get it working from the jump; then the seniors’ curtain call, late.

 

 

 

💯

 

 

(% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech=79, Notre Dame=76

please support the VT F.C.A.!

“LETS GO!”

“Hokies!”

 bourbonstreet**