Before the season started many selected Virginia to be top five in the ACC and Notre Dame to be bottom five. However, the Cavaliers are having a disappointing season following Tony Bennett’s retirement and are 9-10 overall with a 2-6 ACC record. Can the Notre Dame basketball team find a way to finally knock them off?
The Fighting Irish has had major struggles against UVA in their history, and specifically when they play in the state of Virginia. ND has a depressing 0-9 record at John Paul Jones Arena, as they are winless in their history series with the Cavaliers when they play UVA in their home stadium.
The Irish often falls just short against Virginia as four of their nine losses at UVA have been by six or less points. The challenge for Notre Dame this Saturday is monumental, and not only will they need to break a 0-9 record at Virginia in their home stadium, but they also are the better team this year.
Notre Dame basketball currently is trying to flip their season around as they enter a reasonable part of their schedule. Irish are 8-10 and 2-5 in the ACC play and will take on UVA at John Paul Jones Arena on Saturday, Jan. 25 at 5:30 local time.
Here are three reason Notre Dame etches their name in the history books this Saturday and captures their first road win against Virginia.
3 reasons Notre Dame basketball defeats Virginia
Notre Dame basketball'sstar guard scoring surge
Notre Dame star guard, Markus Burton, has been on a tear since he returned from his injury back in November. The Sophomore out of Indiana, averages near 20 points per game shooting 45% from the field and 37% from deep. Burton has scored 20 points or more in six of his last seven games including 28 points in the Irish loss to Syracuse. Burton shot 12-26, including 2-5 from three-point line. He also had four rebounds and two assists in the game.
Burton will be one of the best players on the court Saturday and should pick the Cavaliers defense apart. The Irish rely heavily on their guard as they went 3-5 without Burton. The guards ability to create his own shot and get to the rim has made him a nightmare for defenders, as he's shown the ability to score in multiple ways. With Burton as the team's focal point on offense, he’s shown growth in his playmaking, making him a threat both as a scorer and facilitator as he averages nearly four assists per game.
UVA faces major struggles in post-Bennett era
Cavaliers are struggling mightily since Tony Bennett retirement, and new head coach Ron Sanchez showed major flaws in the Cavaliers five game losing streak. UVA lost five straight games and two of them were by 14, one was by 20 and one of their biggest loss of season by 23.
Virginia has 10 losses this season and four of them are by 20 or more, eight of them are by 12 or more points and their other two losses are by 2 points. The Cavaliers' defensive identity, once a hallmark under Bennett, has became a weakness under Sanchez, with opponents exposing their once-stifling defense. UVA's offense has been stagnant, as it struggles to generate consistent scoring, especially against high-level talent.
Strength vs weaknesses
Cavaliers are averaging just a mere 62 points per game which is tied for 420th in college basketball. They don’t rebound well, as they average 30 rebounds a game which is 427th in country and have a major weakness is giving up a lot of offensive rebounds. The Irish shoot around 37% from deep ball and average around 10 offensive rebounds per game and 36 rebounds total. Virginia is one of the worst rebounding teams in the nation and have been dominated by teams with big men all year round, as Stanford Maxime Raynaud had a double-double against the Cavaliers. Irish Kebba Njie should have one of his best games of the season and be able to dominate the paint and open the perimeter up.
The duo of Nijie and Tae Davis should cause havoc and open Burton’s game and allow him to create space or find an open man after he starts to cook.
The Notre Dame basketball team's week-long break came at the perfect time, and they are patiently waiting to get back on the hardwood. Irish will look to make history Saturday and take down UVA and make a push for an at-large bid for the ACC tournament.