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Notre Dame Men’s Basketball closes out 2020 against No. 16 Virginia

By Brad Weiss

Feb 29, 2020; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey reacts after a play in the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 29, 2020; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Mike Brey reacts after a play in the first half against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Notre Dame Men’s Basketball team will close out the calendar year against the No. 16-ranked team in the country, Virginia, on December 30.

The Notre Dame Men’s Basketball team has one more big matchup ahead of them before the calendar changes to 2021. This season, the Irish have had some bright moments, including a win on the road against Kentucky, but they have struggled to play consistently against the other big-name schools on their schedule.

Notre Dame has had opportunities to make a statement already this season, as Mike Brey has put together a tough early-season schedule leading into this crucial ACC matchup. The Irish have had players step up in big ways this season, including big moments from Nate Laszewski, Prentiss Hubb, and Trey Wertz to name a few, and they will need a complete group effort Wednesday night against the Cavaliers.

Their last time out, the Irish showed their dominance against Bellarmine, a team who is brand new at the D1 level. Dane Goodwin had a season-high 27 points against the Knights, as Notre Dame pulled away towards the end of the first half and never looked back.

On Wednesday night, the competition will be much stiffer.

Virginia comes in after a tough loss to No. 1 Gonzaga

The Virginia Cavaliers, who won a national title the last time the tournament was held, come into this game against the Irish fresh off an embarrassing loss at the hands of No.1 Gonzaga. Virginia was unable to handle Gonzaga forwards Corey Kispert and Drew Timme, who combined for over 60 points in the loss.

Notre Dame has some solid big-men themselves in Laszewski and Juwan Durham, so getting them involved is going to be crucial. If they can dominate the boards, and get strong efforts from their collection of guards who can fill it up on any night, the Irish should be able to hang in against a team many expect to win the ACC this season.

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The year 2020 has been weird on so many levels, and it would be nice to see the Irish program end it on a high note, going into 2021 with the confidence needed in a tough ACC. Virginia is a beatable team, and Notre Dame has the veteran talent do it, so buckle up for an exciting ACC battle inside Purcell Pavilion on Wednesday night.