Notre Dame at No. 1 Virginia, 4 p.m. ACC Network (NBC29 for Cville area)
Caught your breath from Thursday? Probably not? Well, time to buckle up for senior day anyway.
The Cavaliers host another desperate team, the Fighting Irish, at John Paul Jones Arena in the final home games for, most notably, redshirt senior Devon Hall and (regular) senior Isaiah Wilkins, and also graduate transfer Nigel Johnson.
The crazy escape from Louisville will be hard to top, but Virginia has put on some great recent senior-day performances. Last year, Virginia beat Pittsburgh, 67-42, on London Perrantes' special day. Two seasons ago, Louisville was the victim, 68-48, for Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, and Evan Nolte. In 2014-15, UVa beat Virginia Tech, 69-57, in Darion Atkins' final home game, and also what ended up being Justin Anderson's final appearance at JPJ. And finally, in
2013-14, Joe Harris and Akil Mitchell got their big send-off in the historic 75-56 victory over Syracuse to secure UVa's first outright ACC regular-season championship since 1981.
This Saturday has a lot to live up to, both from a team effort standpoint and because of the type of players Wilkins and Hall are. They had to come in and wait their turn, Hall literally, because he redshirted. They've turned from end-of-the-bench afterthoughts into key senior cogs in the Virginia machine. Hall is averaging 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. Wilkins averages 5.9 points, 6.4 boards, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks. They totally get what the culture of the program is and means, and have gotten this team, especially, to buy in and go all out in trying to sacrifice individual glory for team glory.
As I alluded to, the opponent, Notre Dame, is probably even more desperate for a victory than Louisville was. The Fighting Irish have been ravaged by injuries, and coach Mike Brey has done a good job just to keep the team's head above water. Now, with just this tough road tilt and the ACC tournament left, the Irish are hoping they can make one last surge into the NCAA tournament conversation. Here's more on Notre Dame:
Record: 18-12, 8-9 ACC
Scorers in double digits: Senior forward Bonzie Colson (20.7), senior guard Matt Farrell (17.1), sophomore guard TJ Gibbs (15.9), senior forward Martinas Geben (11.1)
Leading rebounders: Colson (10.3), Geben (8.1), junior guard Rex Pflueger (4)
Assist leaders: Farrell (5.4), Pflueger (3.2), Gibbs (3)
Notable: Pflueger averages 8.3 points. Sophomore forward John Mooney puts up 6.1 per game. Colson averages two steals, and Farrell, Pflueger, and Gibbs all average one. Colson averages 2.4 blocks, Geben one.
Best win: Way back on Nov. 23 in the Maui Invitational, Notre Dame, then ranked No. 13, defeated then-No. 6 Wichita State, 67-66. The Shockers are 24-5 and ranked No. 11 now.
Worst win: Dartmouth is 7-19, but Notre Dame only managed to defeat the Big Green by 10, 97-87, on Dec. 19 at home.
Other wins: DePaul, Mount St. Mary's, Chicago State, Chaminade, LSU, St. Francis (N.Y.), Delaware, Southeast Louisiana, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Syracuse, Boston College (twice), Florida
State, Wake Forest, Pittsburgh
Best loss: North Carolina wasn't playing as well then, but Notre Dame almost knocked off the No. 20 Tar Heels, but lost, 69-68, on Jan. 13 at home.
Worst loss: Ball State is OK at 19-12, but Notre Dame probably shouldn't have lost to it at home, 80-77, on Dec. 5.
Other losses: Michigan State, Indiana, Georgia Tech, at UNC, Louisville, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Duke, N.C. State, Miami
What Notre Dame does well: The Fighting Irish are getting healthy at the right time. Colson, the preseason ACC player of the year, was out after just one ACC game with a broken foot, way back at the end of December. He just returned against Pitt on Wednesday and had 12 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Farrell has also missed five games this season, but is averaging 20 points the past eight games. As a team, Notre Dame puts up 76.2 ppg (100th in the nation). The Fighting Irish don't shoot all that well from the field, 45.4 percent (146th), but they are very good from the free throw line, 75.5 percent (44th), and pretty good from beyond the arc at 37.8 percent (61st). Notre Dame moves the ball pretty well, averaging 14.5 assists (tied-117th), and owns a great +1.43 assist-turnover ratio (18th) while only having 10.1 turnovers per game (10th). Its turnover margin is +1.4 (87th).
What Notre Dame doesn't do well: The Irish's rebounding margin is decent, like Virginia's, but not great, at +2.1 (109th, UVa is 108th at +2.2). The defense struggles a little, but just just gives up 68.5 ppg (84th) and allows teams to shoot 42.8 percent from the field (108th). Three-point defense has been a major struggle, though, as teams are shooting 35.8 percent beyond the arc (231st). Notre Dame doesn't seem very active on defense, generating just six steals per game (205th) and 3.7 blocks per game (127th).
Notre Dame is listed as the last team in the "next four out" category in ESPN.com's Bracketology, meaning, if correct, it is eight spots from the field. Would a win at JPJ launch it all the way into the field? Probably not quite, but it wouldn't need to do as much at the ACC tournament if it did pull off the upset. If the Irish lose to the Cavaliers, they might need to make a run to the ACC final to get in, and they maybe would just have to win the ACC title in that case and get the automatic bid.
Colson being back is a huge plus for Notre Dame. And with Farrell healthy, the Irish don't bear any resemblance to the team that at one point this season lost seven straight games. Should the Irish win, hopefully pundits recognize them for what they are: a former top-25 team that was hit by injuries but is finding its groove. Any home loss seems bad these days for UVa, but it shouldn't knock it too far from the top of the rankings, if at all, and a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed would still be secure, maybe just not the overall No. 1 spot.
UVa has a great track record on senior day over the years and should be out for a little revenge. The teams split last season, with Virginia winning at Notre Dame, 71-54, but then the Irish took the ACC tournament matchup, 71-58. That was the game where Colson infamously made a shot and then veered a little too close to Virginia's bench and brushed Tony Bennett with his shoulder. Colson has always played with an edge, but that particular sequence definitely rubbed UVa fans the wrong way. Bennett looked a little taken aback during the game as well, but in the postgame news conference, he brushed it off as no big deal.
I think this will be a very tough game. Virginia must come off its high from the Louisville game quickly. Notre Dame is 18-12, but this version here is probably more like a 23-7 team. There's no doubt the Irish would be in the NCAA tournament if they had a healthy Colson all year. Now they still have work to do, and I expect them to come out and fight and try to ruin the special day for Wilkins, Hall, and Johnson.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
Caught your breath from Thursday? Probably not? Well, time to buckle up for senior day anyway.
The Cavaliers host another desperate team, the Fighting Irish, at John Paul Jones Arena in the final home games for, most notably, redshirt senior Devon Hall and (regular) senior Isaiah Wilkins, and also graduate transfer Nigel Johnson.
The crazy escape from Louisville will be hard to top, but Virginia has put on some great recent senior-day performances. Last year, Virginia beat Pittsburgh, 67-42, on London Perrantes' special day. Two seasons ago, Louisville was the victim, 68-48, for Malcolm Brogdon, Anthony Gill, Mike Tobey, and Evan Nolte. In 2014-15, UVa beat Virginia Tech, 69-57, in Darion Atkins' final home game, and also what ended up being Justin Anderson's final appearance at JPJ. And finally, in
 |
| Senior defensive stalwarts Devon Hall and Isaiah Wilkins have made life difficult for many players this season, including Clemson's Aamir Simms. |
This Saturday has a lot to live up to, both from a team effort standpoint and because of the type of players Wilkins and Hall are. They had to come in and wait their turn, Hall literally, because he redshirted. They've turned from end-of-the-bench afterthoughts into key senior cogs in the Virginia machine. Hall is averaging 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.1 assists. Wilkins averages 5.9 points, 6.4 boards, 1.2 steals, and 1.6 blocks. They totally get what the culture of the program is and means, and have gotten this team, especially, to buy in and go all out in trying to sacrifice individual glory for team glory.
As I alluded to, the opponent, Notre Dame, is probably even more desperate for a victory than Louisville was. The Fighting Irish have been ravaged by injuries, and coach Mike Brey has done a good job just to keep the team's head above water. Now, with just this tough road tilt and the ACC tournament left, the Irish are hoping they can make one last surge into the NCAA tournament conversation. Here's more on Notre Dame:
Record: 18-12, 8-9 ACC
Scorers in double digits: Senior forward Bonzie Colson (20.7), senior guard Matt Farrell (17.1), sophomore guard TJ Gibbs (15.9), senior forward Martinas Geben (11.1)
Leading rebounders: Colson (10.3), Geben (8.1), junior guard Rex Pflueger (4)
Assist leaders: Farrell (5.4), Pflueger (3.2), Gibbs (3)
Notable: Pflueger averages 8.3 points. Sophomore forward John Mooney puts up 6.1 per game. Colson averages two steals, and Farrell, Pflueger, and Gibbs all average one. Colson averages 2.4 blocks, Geben one.
Best win: Way back on Nov. 23 in the Maui Invitational, Notre Dame, then ranked No. 13, defeated then-No. 6 Wichita State, 67-66. The Shockers are 24-5 and ranked No. 11 now.
Worst win: Dartmouth is 7-19, but Notre Dame only managed to defeat the Big Green by 10, 97-87, on Dec. 19 at home.
Other wins: DePaul, Mount St. Mary's, Chicago State, Chaminade, LSU, St. Francis (N.Y.), Delaware, Southeast Louisiana, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Syracuse, Boston College (twice), Florida
Best loss: North Carolina wasn't playing as well then, but Notre Dame almost knocked off the No. 20 Tar Heels, but lost, 69-68, on Jan. 13 at home.
Worst loss: Ball State is OK at 19-12, but Notre Dame probably shouldn't have lost to it at home, 80-77, on Dec. 5.
Other losses: Michigan State, Indiana, Georgia Tech, at UNC, Louisville, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Duke, N.C. State, Miami
What Notre Dame does well: The Fighting Irish are getting healthy at the right time. Colson, the preseason ACC player of the year, was out after just one ACC game with a broken foot, way back at the end of December. He just returned against Pitt on Wednesday and had 12 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. Farrell has also missed five games this season, but is averaging 20 points the past eight games. As a team, Notre Dame puts up 76.2 ppg (100th in the nation). The Fighting Irish don't shoot all that well from the field, 45.4 percent (146th), but they are very good from the free throw line, 75.5 percent (44th), and pretty good from beyond the arc at 37.8 percent (61st). Notre Dame moves the ball pretty well, averaging 14.5 assists (tied-117th), and owns a great +1.43 assist-turnover ratio (18th) while only having 10.1 turnovers per game (10th). Its turnover margin is +1.4 (87th).
What Notre Dame doesn't do well: The Irish's rebounding margin is decent, like Virginia's, but not great, at +2.1 (109th, UVa is 108th at +2.2). The defense struggles a little, but just just gives up 68.5 ppg (84th) and allows teams to shoot 42.8 percent from the field (108th). Three-point defense has been a major struggle, though, as teams are shooting 35.8 percent beyond the arc (231st). Notre Dame doesn't seem very active on defense, generating just six steals per game (205th) and 3.7 blocks per game (127th).
Notre Dame is listed as the last team in the "next four out" category in ESPN.com's Bracketology, meaning, if correct, it is eight spots from the field. Would a win at JPJ launch it all the way into the field? Probably not quite, but it wouldn't need to do as much at the ACC tournament if it did pull off the upset. If the Irish lose to the Cavaliers, they might need to make a run to the ACC final to get in, and they maybe would just have to win the ACC title in that case and get the automatic bid.
Colson being back is a huge plus for Notre Dame. And with Farrell healthy, the Irish don't bear any resemblance to the team that at one point this season lost seven straight games. Should the Irish win, hopefully pundits recognize them for what they are: a former top-25 team that was hit by injuries but is finding its groove. Any home loss seems bad these days for UVa, but it shouldn't knock it too far from the top of the rankings, if at all, and a No. 1 NCAA tournament seed would still be secure, maybe just not the overall No. 1 spot.
UVa has a great track record on senior day over the years and should be out for a little revenge. The teams split last season, with Virginia winning at Notre Dame, 71-54, but then the Irish took the ACC tournament matchup, 71-58. That was the game where Colson infamously made a shot and then veered a little too close to Virginia's bench and brushed Tony Bennett with his shoulder. Colson has always played with an edge, but that particular sequence definitely rubbed UVa fans the wrong way. Bennett looked a little taken aback during the game as well, but in the postgame news conference, he brushed it off as no big deal.
I think this will be a very tough game. Virginia must come off its high from the Louisville game quickly. Notre Dame is 18-12, but this version here is probably more like a 23-7 team. There's no doubt the Irish would be in the NCAA tournament if they had a healthy Colson all year. Now they still have work to do, and I expect them to come out and fight and try to ruin the special day for Wilkins, Hall, and Johnson.
Gut feeling: Virginia wins by 1-5 points.
Comments
Post a Comment