Notre Dame vs Virginia Basketball Preview
By Josh Burton
Coming off a big 69-52 victory over Louisville on Saturday, the University of Virginia Men’s Basketball team will now play host to Notre Dame on Wednesday. The Cavaliers are looking to close out January strong by extending their current four game win streak. This one is scheduled for a 7 pm EST tip and will air on ESPN2.
About Notre Dame
The Notre Dame Fighting Irish are led by first-year head coach Micah Shrewsberry. He arrived at Notre Dame well-regarded coming off a successful stint as the head coach at Penn State. There is also some familiarity here, as he hired former UVA assistant coach Kyle Getter to be his associate head coach. This offered Getter a career advancement opportunity while also getting to reunite with Shrewsberry, who he went to school with at Hanover College.
Notre Dame is 7-13 overall coming into this contest, 2-7 in ACC play. The two teams met in December, as Notre Dame picked up the 76-54 win in South Bend.
The Irish have nine players who average double digit minutes, with only three upperclassmen in that rotation. Being so young, they are a team that is still trying to settle into who they are. They have used multiple different starting lineup combinations so far. In their last two contests, they lined up as follows:
Guard - Markus Burton (5’11” Freshman) Averages 16 points, 4.1 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game
Guard - J.R. Konieczny (6’7” Junior) Averages 9.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game
Forward - Tae Davis (6’9” Sophomore) Averages 8.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game
Forward - Kebba Njie (6’10” Sophomore) Averages 4.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game
Forward - Carey Booth (6’10” Freshman) Averages 6.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game
Junior guard Julian Roper II has been a major contributor, starting multiple games. Roper averages 6.9 points and 4.7 rebounds. Freshman guard Braeden Shrewsberry has also found his groove with the Irish, having played over 20 minutes per game in each of the last six contests and scoring in double digits in five of those six. Braeden is the son of head coach Micah Shrewsberry.
Containing Burton
Notre Dame’s offense generally goes as star freshman guard Markus Burton goes. He was able to get to the paint seemingly at will in the first matchup, not only scoring 15 points himself but collecting 8 assists along the way. His speed along with his playmaking ability will be a major point of contention for the Cavaliers all game. This time, however, the Wahoos will be aided by having the additional look Dante Harris can provide in trying to guard Burton.
Flip the Narrative
The first game against Notre Dame was a very strange one. In a lot of ways, it was the exact opposite of what you typically expect to see for both teams. Especially in terms of shooting. Notre Dame ranks outside the top 300 (per Torvik) in three-point shooting, connecting on just 29.8% on the season. When the two teams met the first time, however, Notre Dame hit 11 shots from outside. Compare that to UVA, a top 70 three-point shooting team at 36.2%, who only hit two in the game.
I have been adamant in my writings that for this UVA team to have the success it hopes for, they must be willing to shoot from deep. Saturday’s game at Louisville was proof of that, as the three players I’ve mentioned the most in this regard all hit multiple shots from beyond the arc. Isaac McKneely and Jake Groves both went 3-4 from outside while Andrew Rohde was 2-4. Contrast this to the first time seeing Notre Dame where the trio combined to go 2-7, with Jake not even registering an attempt. When these guys are shooting with confidence, it can open up more spacing for the Hoos on offense,. Look for all three to try and build off Saturday's good showing.
Dunn Piecing it Together
Ryan Dunn has played very well for the Cavaliers as of late. While he did score 13 against Notre Dame the first time out, it was all fairly one dimensional as he was scoring while setting up right around the basket. He has shown more slashing over the last few weeks as well as an ability to take his man off the dribble.
As a projected lottery pick in this summer's NBA Draft, the tools have always been there for Ryan. It has been about putting it together to become a more complete player. His ability to attack the defense in a variety of ways has been on display and is something he needs to continue to build upon for not only his own future success but for the success of this year’s UVA team.
Big Week Ahead
After hosting Notre Dame, the Cavaliers will face a critical stretch with two very important games in three days. The Hoos travel to Clemson on Saturday (2/3) to take on the Tigers in a very important contest for the Cavaliers tournament hopes. That's followed by a quick turnaround as they will host Miami on Monday (2/5). Locker Room Access will have full coverage of both major games!
(Featured Image Credit: Emily Faith Morgan/UVA Athletics)