Virginia Tech-Notre Dame Men's Basketball Preview

Chris Hirons

January 10, 2021

BLACKSBURG, Va. — After Hunter Cattoor’s desperation three bounced high off the rim as time expired and No. 19 Virginia Tech fell victim in a 73-71 loss against Louisville, the Hokies return home and host Notre Dame, who is struggling as of late.

The Fighting Irish come into Sunday evening’s matchup struggling mightily — like most expected once the schedule turned the page to conference play — at 3-6 and 0-3 in the ACC. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, only dropped its second game of the season a few days ago and enters 8-2 and 2-1 in the ACC.

Virginia Tech has played some closer-than-expected games against VMI and Miami, though those both resulted in wins. Against VMI, Louisville and the lone non-conference loss against Penn State, the Hokies struggled to get into any sort of rhythm early. In all three of the aforementioned games, Virginia Tech shot the ball at a low rate and forced ugly, avoidable turnovers that accumulated to the Hokies downfall.

With that being said, if everything goes to plan and head coach Mike Young has his signature pregame popcorn, the Hokies should pull away early and allow some of the bench players to see some action.

Notre Dame’s Key to the Game: Get Trey Wertz Involved Early

If the Irish want any shot against the Hokies, it’ll have to get its second and third scoring options going early. Wertz is a Santa Clara transfer who scored 27 points in his second game in an Irish uniform against Purdue and then suffered a twisted ankle versus Virginia, subsequently missing the team’s last game against North Carolina. The Irish desperately need him on the floor and contributing against Virginia Tech.

Wertz has battled injuries all season and has only scored nine or more points twice this season. He’ll be good to go against the Hokies, however, according to a Tweet from Jon Rothstein.

Virginia Tech’s Key to the Game: Limit Notre Dame’s Second-Chance Points

Virginia Tech shot itself in the foot against Louisville when the team allowed the Cardinals to grab offensive rebounds only to see those boards turn into points, outscoring the Hokies by 10. Against Miami, Virginia Tech pulled away in terms of second chance points and was the key in the Hokies two-point win over the Hurricanes.

Notre Dame Player to Watch: Nate Laszewski

Nate Laszewski has finally broken out for Notre Dame this season. He’s averaging 17.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while shooting a phenomenal 65.8% from the field, including 59% from three-point range.

He scored a career-high 28 points against Virginia on 8-of-11 shooting from the field (4-of-7 from three-point), followed by a 25-point effort at North Carolina last weekend when he made 9-of-14 from the field and 7-of-11 from beyond the arc while grabbing nine rebounds.

Virginia Tech Player to Watch: Jalen Cone

Jalen Cone’s 23-point effort on the back of a 6-of-12 mark from beyond the three-point line against Louisville single-handedly kept the Hokies in the game to have a fighting chance as the clock dwindled down. In three of his last four games, Cone has scored at least 18 points and shot 42% from beyond the arc. He’s been the spark plug off the bench for the Hokies recently and he’ll look to continue his hot streak against the Fighting Irish.

Prediction: Virginia Tech 73, Notre Dame 55