| GAME 18: | NOTRE DAME (10-7, 1-3) |
|---|---|
| OPPONENT: | VIRGINIA TECH (13-5, 2-3) |
| TIP TIME: | NOON ET |
| WHERE: | BLACKSBURG, VA | CASSELL COLISEUM |
| WATCH: | ACC NETWORK |
| LISTEN: | NOTRE DAME RADIO NETWORK | CLICK HERE |
| TICKETS: | SOLD OUT |
| STATS: | Follow Here |
| SOCIAL: | @NDMBB | #GOIRISH |
BLACKSBURG, Va. – Notre Dame men’s basketball looks to invade Cassel Coliseum on Saturday in what will be an early matinee feature, tipping off at Noon ET on ACC Network. Virginia Tech has had Notre Dame’s number as of late, winningeight of the last nine in the series. However, the last seven matchups have all been decided by single digits, with the average margin of victory being 5.4 points.
With a win on Saturday, the Irish would:
- earn their first win in Cassell since 2017
- earn their third road win of the season, tying last year’s mark
- earn their third Quad 1 win of the season
Both teams have met heartbreak this season in ACC play. For ND it was the ending at California, and for Virginia Tech, they are coming off a SMU half court buzzer beater on Wednesday.
The Irish have one of the top defenses in the ACC and they’ll have to slow down a Hokies squad who is averaging 81.9 ppg. Six Virginia Tech players average double figures, led by Amani Hansberry’s 15.5 ppg. And their best statistical category – three point percentage defense – ranks 24th in the country at 29.0%.
TRENDING?
With Markus Burton on the mend, the ball has been put in the hands of Jalen Haralson and he has delivered. The freshman is averaging 16.5 ppg in ACC play.
Haralson, who went his first 13 games without a three, has since gone 5-8 from beyond the arc over the last three games. Furthermore, Haralson has scored at least 17 points in three straight games, in which he has shot 51.5%.
Logan Imes has achieved career highs in the recent string of games. He set personal bests in rebounds (8) and assists (6) at Cal, then scored a career high 13 points vs. Clemson. Then he once again grabbed eight rebounds vs Miami.
Ryder Frost came off the bench vs. Miami and recorded a stretch in which he scored seven straight points for the Irish. Frost drained two triples in his scoring run.
HOT HAND TO START
Over the last three games, Jalen Haralson has had a knack for starting hot. When looking specifically at the first 10 minutes of Cal, Clemson & Miami – Haralson was a combined 10-13 from the field for 27 points. Thus averaging 9.0 ppg in the first 10 minutes of games.
- Clemson on Jan. 10 – scored 11 of the team’s first 17 points. Finished with a team high 18 points.
- Cal on Jan. 2 – scored the team’s first 10 points. Finished with 17 points.
MORE ON JALEN
Jalen is currently averaging 15.1 ppg which ranks fifth amongst ACC freshmen. He’s riding a 15-game double-digit scoring streak which includes games against Kansas, Houston, Missouri, TCU, Stanford, Cal, Clemson & Miami. The 15 straight mark the 3rd longest active streak with 10+ pts among ACC freshmen.
Jalen attacks the rim at will where he’s converting 67.9 percent from within 4.5 feet. He’s shooting 50.6 percent overall from 2-point range.
SHREWSBERRY DIALED IN
Braeden Shrewsberry is converting 44.6 percent from three on the season – that number ranks 1st in the ACC and 18th in the nation. For camparison, Braeden shot 37.1 percent from three as a freshman and 36.9 percent as a sophomore. He’s also averaging 2.9 made threes per game which ranks third in the conference.
A big time performance came against Evansville when Shrewsberry scored a career-high 26 points behind a career-high 8 three pointers, shooting 80% from three (8-10). His 8 made triples tied for the 7th most in a game all-time in program history.
Fast forward to Tuesday night vs. Miami and Braeden surpassed the 200 career made three-pointer milestone. He became just the 14th Irish player all-time to do so.
MORE THAN JUST REBOUNDING
Carson Towt is 31-42 (.738) from the floor over the past eight games. Over four ACC games, Towt is 12-16 (.750) from the field, averaging 7.3 points and 10.5 rebounds.
Towt has often been praised by Coach Shrewsberry for his vision and passing ability. He currently ranks third on the team in assists, averaging 1.8 per game.
Towt’s current rebounding rankings:
- 10.2 rpg ranks 13th nationally, 2nd in the ACC
- 3.7 offensive rpg – 1st in ACC/17th in country
- 6.6 defensive rpg – 4th in ACC/21st in country
- 174 total boards – 15th nationally, 2nd in the ACC
- 1,252 career rebounds – leads all active players
NOTRE NOTABLES
- The Irish are 12 wins away from 2,000 all-time. They would become the eighth program to achieve this feat.
- Cole Certa is 7-15 from three over the last three games, scoring a combined 32 points.
- Certa is averaging the 2nd most points in ACC play at 9.3 ppg.
- Brady Koehler is shooting 45.5 percent from the midrange.
- Braeden Shrewsberry is shooting 52.9 percent from corner threes.
- Sir Mohammed recorded his 2nd highest scoring output of the season vs. Miami in which he dropped 15 points.
- Mohammed thrives in the paint where he is shooting 54.2 percent.
- Certa started the season 27-27 from the FT line, as the streak ended at Cal on Jan. 2. He’s now 94.4% (34-36) on the season.
- NET is at 74 — 2-5 in Quad 1 // 1-1 in Quad 2// 1-0 in Quad 3 / 6-1 in Quad 4.