Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame - Preview & How to Watch

Unlike the loss at Louisville, the 18-point defeat at Syracuse over the weekend was quite surprising. The Hokies lacked the competitive edge we’ve come to expect this season and failed to kick into gear after the halftime break. The result resembled Tech’s only other loss this season, by 20 points against Penn State.

After that shock, the Hokies bounced back with a strong ACC win and four straight victories. That will be needed to keep the NCAA Tournament hopes on track and ahead of a showdown with UVA coming up. In Saturday’s defeat, Keve Aluma went 1-for-10, a rare two-point performance, and a similar effort from usual bench star Jalen Cone, 1-for-9 (three points). That put to waste a great outing for sophomore Nahiem Alleyne who led the team with 20 points against the Orange.

It was the Hokies worst shooting performance of the season, 32.8%. Compare that to Syracuse who hit over half their shots Saturday afternoon. To make matters worse, the Virginia Tech athletic department announced on Monday that Tyrece Radford has been suspended indefinitely. That is a tough blow to the team as they go down the ACC stretch and hope to make the NCAA Tournament. Radford is the Hokies’ 2nd leader in points, rebounds, and assists.

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021

Match-up: Virginia Tech (11-3 | 5-2) vs. Boston College (5-8 | 2-5)

Venue: Purcell Pavillion (South Bend, IN)

Time: 7:00 pm ET

TV: RSN / Virginia Tech Sports Network

Radio: TuneIn Radio

Live stats: HokieSports

ESPN Favorite: 57.3% for the Hokies.

All-time series: 5-9 in favor of Notre Dame.

Stat Leaders

Scoring: Aluma (VT - 13.9) & Laszewski (Notre Dame - 16.6)

Rebounds: Aluma (VT - 7.1) & Laszewski (Notre Dame - 7.8)

Assists: Bede (VT - 2.6) & Hubb (Notre Dame - 5.3)

Tech beat Notre Dame earlier this year at home by 14 points and have won four of the last six against the Fighting Irish, as the Hokies continue to turn the lifetime series record. The Irish have just five wins this season, two in non-conference play, two over ACC teams lower than they are in the standings, and a close victory over a very down Kentucky side.

However, Notre Dame has won their last two ACC games, so this contest on Wednesday might be closer than the earlier match-up between these two sides. The trio of Laszewski, Hubb, and Goodwin is averaging more than 43 points a game combined. As Tech moves forward without Radford and Cartier Diarra, the Hokies are without two primary drivers of the ball to the basket and as such fans should anticipate some tougher outings as Mike Young adjusts.

Prediction

Virginia Tech - 72

Notre Dame - 65