Your Notre Dame baksketball preview is, up!

#32 R.P.I. Virginia Tech @ #150 R.P.I. Notre Dame: 

Virginia Tech men’s basketball returns home after a roughed-up putting up in the Jiffy-Pop dome of Syracuse, New York.

The Hokies prolly were due to bounce a bit in horse racing terms. And yet the Hokiebird went less than quarter horse and laid a flat roundball of an egg early Saturday afternoon. Now however we play 5 up and 8 down Notre Dame (and 12th place at 2-5 in the A.c.c.); again. The Irish also being o-1-4 in postponed and cancellations respectively thus far. God Bless. That all said, what you wanna know is… who is gonna win and by how much, right? So, read on to find; out!

Notre Dame Head CoachMichael Paul Brey: Age=61, 536–285 (.653) overall, 430–215 (.668) at Notre Dame.
$2,120,177.oo

Jim Belushi gone Church Lady!

Baller Brey graduated from the legendary scholastic hoop’s factory DeMatha Catholic High School in 1977. As a two-year letter winner under all-everything coach Morgan Wootten, Brey helped the team to a 55–9 mark. He enrolled at Northwestern State University, where he played varsity basketball -as a Forward- for three years (1977–1980). Brey was a standout guard in his collegiate playing days, competing for three seasons at Northwestern Louisiana State (now Northwestern State) from 1977-80. He led the team in assists and steals all three years and still ranks among the top 10 in career assists at Northwestern State. He played his final collegiate season at George Washington in 1980-81 after sitting out the 1979-80 season as a transfer. He averaged 5.0 points and 4.8 rebounds per game for the Colonials, serving as team captain and eventually earning the team’s Most Valuable Player Award.

Coach Brey returned to his former high school, becoming an assistant coach under Morgan Wootten. In 1987, he was hired by Duke to assist under coach K, and in 1995 he took over his first head coaching job at Delaware. Brey guided the Fightin’ Blue Hens to a pretty flighty looking 99–51 record over five years | leading Delaware to two America East Conference Championships and subsequently two trips to the NCAA Tournament. After that, in 2ooo, he got the big whistle job for the Notre Dame Irish. Notre Dame had not been to the NCAA Tournament since 1990.

Brey led the Irish to the NCAA tournament in his first three years as head coach (2001–2003), notching a Sweet-16 appearance in 2003. He has led his team to tournament appearances in 13 different seasons at two different schools. He has won six conference championships, four Conference Coach of the Year awards, and five National Coach of the year awards (all for the same season: 2o11). Good for two Elite-8’s and three Sweet-16’s overall. Coach Brey has only suffered one negative (<.5oo) L’ing season in 21 years. And his teams have enjoyed a post-season in all less three months of March. Coach Brey teams attend with an overall skillful, offensive, and a shooters marksmanship rep’.

Brey serves on the Coaches vs. Cancer National Council and has helped raise over two million dollars for the organization; felicitations on that.

Peep Brey was born on March 22, 1959, Brey is a 1982 graduate of George Washington with a degree in physical education.

Daddy Brey has two children – Kyle and Callie – and a granddaughter, Olivia Marie. Kyle was a Te/Fb for the University of Buffalo from 2006-09. Brey’s late mum (Betty) only held the world record in the butterfly events and competed for the United States at the 1956 Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. God Bless.

Notre Dame at a glance:

  • #1, fewest personal fouls/game!!! (kinda finesse looking backcourt centric club).
  • 12th in FT percentage!!! (⇔, exactly the same; go fig’?).
  • 48th in 3-ball percentage!! (⇓, a 27-spot drop, tho’ still pretty good).
  • 3oth best in Assist:Turnover ratio. (⇑, 17 spots better, more efficacious).
  • 316th in 3-point FG percentage D!! (⇔, 1 spot removed from, identical).
  • 331st in offensive rebounding!! (⇓, 10 spot slip).
  • 338th in swipes/game!!! (⇔, virtually the same).
  • 1 injury listed (Coach God twice bless!)

Returning Starters=2

Notre Dame Strengths:

  • IF, small ball or Golden State hoops is your thang? You’ve come to the right 1-2-3-Wing typea place. As N.Dame is backcourt heavy indeed.
  • This team can flat out shoot the rock accordingly, a very skillful team in biathlon Winter Sport terms on the shootingrange, itself.
  • 6′6″, 2oo lb., Junior year, Dane Goodwin… is a worker bee who ground his way to Most Improved last year. This year he’s all the way up to a pretty dang nifty looking 12.8 ppg as less was expected here. And yet Goodwin’s goodwill delivered mo’… would that we could all say the same. This ‘good’ if not “great” Dane has had a Ragnar typea thing for VTech has he has lit the Hokies up a couple of times along the way. This from a kid who was only: the 2018 Ohio Mr. Basketball, only: the 2018 Gatorade Ohio Player of the Year, and only: the 2018 USA Today Ohio Player of the Year. That’s all. That and he was also only: the 77th ESPN national recruit and he only first-team all-state Golf as well. So, he has some skills, what with masterful shooting (85.7% FTA’s and 42.3% from behind the arc) and to be able to play the alpha technically proficient sport itself at an all-state level. Which only afforded Dane being Honored on the floor of the Ohio state Senate on May 16, 2018, for his overall elite athletic accomplishments at Upper Arlington. Can’t say I’ve biographically read that one before. Dane’s old-man (Damon Goodwin), is the all-time winningest head coach at Capital University (a Division III school located in Columbus, Ohio, suburbs). After he only played basketball at the University of Dayton from 1982-83 through 1985-86 and was only a seventh-round draft pick of the Phoenix Suns in 1986. All his sisters are collegiate volleyballer’s and all his brothers are college hoopsters. So, you know the coach’s son type head-game metrics should be firmly in place here. Now mix in 4.8 rpg and 1.6 apg and suddenly you’ve got a very technically proficient textbook shooter on your hands with an all-around game. And this is prolly a fringe overseas guy for it to boot. (UPDATE: , or a bit cooler on shooting and O of late).
  • r-Sr., Juwan Durham is a virtually 7′, 231 lb. P/F defensive specialist who swats a nifty 1.8 bpg and then chips in-and-around the rim with 8.8 ppg, with 5.5 rpg on 54% bunny or put-back type shooting. The graduate season UConn Husky transfer baller is dogging all of that after an ugly scholastic right-knee blow-out (may St.Nikon help) and you have to wonder what he’d be doing on two good wheels as well? (as poor Juwan only nets ~23 mpg game of P.T. (playing-time) as is). Dang… this from Rivals no.47 kid who only took up roundball in High School itself! And was only twice the AAA Florida (Soph. and Jr. year) Player of the Year! Dang sum mo’… as a Swat Team leading look as beat-up as this kid is is rather impressive indeed. Even mo’ so when you figure that Juwan found about 12 lbs. of right-mass (mostly upstairs) this off-season. (UPDATE: , nearly everywhere; and very much advancing on the offense itself… this much betterment is rare mid-season and beyond!
  • 6′3″, 175 lb. Prentiss Hubb is a third-year Point.G masquerading as a protein shake kegger just looking for a headstand weight-room party-animal funnel to happen. As this is one lean kid who on an lb. for lb. basis is about as confident as they come. Finding a whole entire 9 off-season lbs. prolly helped. As has his now upwardly mobile 14.1 ppg and team pacing 5.3 apg which is not bad for being this young/lean. Nor is 3.1 rpg off the ‘glass. Although his 39.2% shooting overall does need to dormitory Raman noodle microwave oven warm-up more than a bit. Hubb was a top-40 high school recruit consensus wise prior to a senior year knee whammy (may St.Nikhon help some more)— whereafter Prentiss only finished ranked no.83 in one national recruiting service. After being a lofty **** consensus pick prior to getting kneed like that. So here again, what would this cocksure One be doing on two good twigs? Tho’ the 82.1% from the charity-stripe is pretty generous indeed from a kid who can score off the dribble and from the perimeter alike. (UPDATE: mostly upward or  moving since we saw him last).
    This pasty hommie has a few, hops!
  • One #14, Jr. year Nate Laszewski is a 6′10″, 227 lb. somewhat string-bean looking though springy P/F frontcourt baller from Jupiter, Fla. Nate nets you a most useful and now team-leading 16.6 points with nearly 7.8 rebounds and a swat per a stellar looking 64.6% from the floor. Accordingly, you have to be professionally intrigued by what this thin big man can be if his body every big-baller fills out? As Nate added a 25-lb. ferrous plate last off-season and he prolly could add close to one more. As last year Nate led N.Dame in FT-shooting and from a big that is never a bad thing. Lasz’ was ESPN’s no.51 baller nationally and he sure set a buncha New Hampshire scholastic 3-point shooting marks as a Euro-type Four. And oh by the way… Lasz’ is only splashing home a mind-boggling 55.1% of his three’s this campaign. Like last time I checked even Adrian Dantley did not net 6 outta 10 for N.Dame way way back when. And that’s a lotta long-range cheddar from a kid who only wore a 2-level scoring tag (down-low & mid-range) coming into this year. (UPDATE: still well above average numbers, tho’ not quite as soaring as before,  a little here).

Notre Dame Weaknesses:

  • Very frontcourt thin for being so very backcourt rotationally deep.
  • 3-senior year departures took a whole lotta institutional knowledge, know-how, and systemic experience out the Touchdown Jesus hooping door. Also taken with them would be ~33 ppg and ~16 rpg.
  • Some {sic: previews} say N.Dame to be depth thin overall (not just down low) as well.
  • 6′4″, 215 lb., Robby Carmody (St.Nikon bless) is OUT for the year with a cracked kneecap. Dang… also out for the year would be his 5.4 ppg on a nice looking 50% overall with 1.6 rpg. This after he blew his left-A.c.l. back in 2019. (St.Culbreth also bless). This after a shoulder-injury (St.Christopher help) and this after a concussion (St.Blaise bless). Dang some more… as this former 2018 Gatorade Pennsylvania Player of the Year and 81st ranked kid nationally (ESPN) would have no luck if not for bad luck itself. Poor guy… as this was a lowercase 30-something PPP scorer in the Keystone State when he was still 5×5 physically.

 

Fn Irish Bench: (depth=3’ish)

Stanford transfer and last year’s necessary sit-down Cormac Ryan is a 6′5″, 195 lb. Junior baller with rulebook (now apparently) resolved eligibility issues. Tho’ his current So.Bend averages of: 9.1 ppg with 4.1 rpg and 3.o apg per virtually matching 31.5% shooting from the floor and from downtown seem rather rural to me. The rep’ here says that Cromac (cool-name) is a pressure-defender who can shoot and that’s not the worst scorers-table medicine coming in off your bench let me tell you. (UPDATE: , or a sideways, Swiss or neutral playar in the meantime).

6′7″, 220 lb. final season now gone grad-student eligible Nikola -grate name- Djogo got included here just for his grate name and ’cause I wanted to climb his family tree. As you do not see these two Ethnicities paired together too often. Much less when you see them migrating southward to run ball from the Great White North, “eh“. As Nik’ is a Hamilton, Ontario native and this is precisely why assuming make an ass outta me. (and may St.Christopher bless some more and Nik’ has a history of shooting-shoulder surgeries to boot). That said, Mister Djogo does field a Triple-A OFSAA Championship ring (from H.S. Canadian ball) that I’d bet nobody else who ever meets Nik’ in the lower-48 does. However, the 4.o ppg with 2.4 rpg married to 50% long and 100% FTA’s (limited count admittedly) does not suck. (UPDATE: still has not missed a FTA, modest betterment overall, a slight  vector for this baller).

Trey Wertz is a 6′5″, 195 lb. Jr. year off-G by way of Santa Clara. Where he netted you a credible-looking 11.9 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.9 assists per game with an engaging 40% from deep. Father, Langston Jr., is a sports reporter for the Charlotte Observer— doubt that hurts, and Trey had good N.C. H.S. numbers. Good, not great or epic. So, his N.Dame numbers of: 8.1 ppg, with 2.6 rpg and 2.6 apg plus 38.8% from 3-point-land really ain’t ½ bad. Not at all. (UPDATE: really dropped on 3-pointing (~9%),  or down here).

Winning as a 1-point 'dog on the A.c.c. road up in So.Bend is all about, what(s)???

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...

Illationconclusion(s) and OPT digits:

Number of Irish who could Riverdance @Tech=5.

the takeaway:
The takeaway here is…

… let’s not go to Sacketts or the Bus Stop or Macado’s any time soon.

And God Bless Radford. Hard news… …hard times.


As this is NOT a good look on any level; and me fears that this really cuts into our margin of error for a pretty good though not quite legit great V.Tech men’s hoops club. As there were actually two straws there that stir(ed) the drink. And now we are down to one straw (Aluma) —which sucks. As it is hard to conceal just how much this hurts the team on O, on the glass. As we are now down nearly 2-full really interesting off-G’s (including the presence of the absence of Mr. K-State).

You need not be an Ag.School to realize that this is now one tough row to hoe.

 ***

Our handy-dandy friend the so-called Forum Guide of Graham Houston fame is calling for a highly improbable 24-point Tech Triumph when taken round-robin, common opponents, head-to-head. And even pro-rata it is calling for a 5-point Tech Triumph. (and frankly, I’d take a 1-point VicTory right now and call the whole shebang off).

The annualized year-to-date vitals say that… V.Tech is up just about +2% in shooting percentage margin (all on D); with no advantage in 3-point percentage margin (as V.P.I. was +4% on D and yet N.Dame was +4% better on O) and the 24060 (zip code) is up +2 caroms in rebounding margin year-to-date (tho’ So.Bend is positive on the ‘glass for the year in their own right).

7 PM kick-off!

The most recent 5-game metrics say that… the Irish are now up +3% in shooting percentage margin (virtually all on O); with the Domers up +4% in 3-point percentage margin (N.Dame scorching hawt on O of late and yet VeeTee is a little better in defense of the three), and yet the Hokies are up +5 in rebounding margin in the last fortnight of Windex Wipes (the Irish are positive most recently, tho’ got truly waxed on the glass two weeks ago. Additionally, M.Young’s crew has slipped by 5 rpg on the fiberglass in the last two weeks!).

The vibes say that N.Dame coach Brey says he’s much happier with his club’s shooting (offensive.exe), and his rebounding (efforting), and a little better on his D of late (hustle/”want too”). That does indeed move the St.Patty needle here. This is not the same N.Dame we dumped on with relative ease. (the whispers also say the one Irish thing left to clean up is a few turnovers here-n-there).

And neither are we the same squad as well. (Least we forget… Vah.Tech is now down a cumulative near 20 ppg, nearly 10 rpg, and almost 5 apg between Radford and Mr. K-State both PEACING us out at the off-G slot; for varying reason(s)).

N.Dame is up a lucrative +8% at the charity stripe for the year.
Oddly 2020-2021 upside-‘rong, nobody is up in R&R. Even.
N.Dame is a .5oo host; whereas VeeTee is .333 as a guest.

The Call...

No.48 Net Ranking Virginia Tech @ no.115 Net Ranking Notre Dame:

As this preview itself goes… N.Dame (same as Syracuse) seems to be rounding into at least a somewhat more precocious form of late.

Not world-beaters, tho’ today’s Notre Dame prolly beats the Sunday, Jan 10th Notre Dame that we went cruise-control on and beat by 14-points our very ownselves.

oOo

To make matters more haranguing… that day’s V.Tech nearly assuredly beats today’s V.Tech for all the ‘rong reasons hinted/mentioned at above.

That begs the -two ships passing in the night- the question of… does today’s Notre Dame beat today’s Virginia Tech?

I’m not entirely sure… though I’ma not entirely sure that that is umpossible, either.

As Notre Dame has played eight that’s (8) Top-25 ranked teams in their twelveteen goes this year. This two is a tough row to hoe. (having gone: o’fer against said Top-25 teams for their hottest fire ¦ strongest steel) troubles. And further having only been inside of double digits on those nationally ranked marquee contests just twice outta ocho/eight L’s suffered vs. stud-teams).

No bueno on that.
That’s not elite hoops and it was not really all that close more often than not.

The caveat being… Notre Dame is better than that. They have been better of late as well.
They are at home where the All Competing Conference visitor only wins 3-n-10 times historically.

Finally, there are a lotta little things that have moved favorably in the South Bend’s crew’s view. None of which are backbreaking or pick-making in and of themselves. Tho’ four smalls makes a medium and two mediums make a, large.

Ergo, the only McBryde Hall calculus for analysis here is… where is Blacksburg sans Radford?
(the O&M arrows above may just be a… hint).

💯🏀💯

 

(59% confidence interval)
Virginia Tech
=66, Notre Dame=75

please support the VT F.C.A.!

LETS GO!

Hokies!

 bourbonstreet**

1 Responses You are logged in as Test

  1. We have not depended on the same player to step up every game, so there is that but of all to lose Radford is about the biggest hit after Aluma. Hard days coming our way. If others rise to the challenge I dare say this will be deemed a Great, fan favorite team. Who plays above expectations and finds a way to will the team to victory? Don’t know but I will be watching

Comments are closed.