Tale of the Tape: Notre Dame at Virginia
Posted on Saturday, Feb. 16, 2019, 8:55 am
Follow Jerry Ratcliffe on Twitter
Advertising inquiries: Connect with us
Email Jerry Ratcliffe: jratcliffe7000@gmail.com
Virginia gets back to work at 2 p.m. at John Paul Jones Arena, as the Cavaliers seek a season sweep against Notre Dame. UVA comes into the ACC matchup as an 18½-point favorite after taking the first meeting in South Bend by 27 three weeks ago.
The fourth-ranked Wahoos (21-2, 9-2 ACC) have won seven of the eight matchups since the Fighting Irish (13-11, 3-8) became a conference member, and all three at JPJ.
UVA remains in a tie with North Carolina just a game back of first-place Duke heading into Saturday’s action, after bouncing back with a late rally in Chapel Hill on Monday. The Tar Heels and Blue Devils still play twice, so the battle for the top spot is far from over.
The Cavaliers are still rated 2nd overall in the country according to KenPom (3rd AdjD, 5th AdjO) and 3rd in the latest NET rankings, while the Irish check in at 88th (69th AdjO, 124th AdjD) and 95th in the NET.
Mike Brey’s team has picked up a little steam after suffering a brutal January, losing seven of its eight games. After closing out the month with five straight losses — four of which were against ranked opponents — the Irish have won two of their last three, and have had nearly a week to get ready for the ‘Hoos.
Junior forward John Mooney still leads the conference in rebounding with 10.8 a game to go with his team-leading 14.2 points per contest. He also has posted an ACC-best 15 double-doubles, good for 10th in the nation.
T.J. Gibbs (13.4 ppg, 3.7 apg) and D.J. Harvey (11.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg) are also important pieces of the Notre Dame gameplan, while freshmen Prentiss Hubb, Dane Goodwin and Nate Laszewski have each contributed significantly.
Last time the two teams squared off, UVA had five in double figures and led by as many as 30 in the easy victory. Mooney was the only ND player in double figures with 15 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Like Virginia, the Irish don’t commit many fouls. They lead the nation in fewest whistles per game (13.3), and are right behind the ‘Hoos (9.3) in fewest turnovers with just 9.7 a game, which ranks 5th in Division I.
For UVA, junior guards Kyle Guy and Ty Jerome each were critical down the stretch against the Tar Heels, along with the always-productive De’Andre Hunter. The ‘Hoos also got timely boosts from the key role players and should be a lot closer to full health after resting up for the majority of the week.
Guy (1,078 points) moved into 44th on the school’s all-time scoring list and into 7th on the career 3-pointers list (202 career makes) after putting up 20 points (5 from downtown) against UNC. With 27 more points, Guy would pass Adam Hall (1999-2002) for 43rd in scoring, and 10 more 3s would push him past London Perrantes (2014-17) for sixth on the triples list.
Saturday’s game will be broadcast on Raycom Sports if you can’t make it out to JPJ. There are just three more home games remaining on the schedule — Georgia Tech (Feb. 27), Pittsburgh (Mar. 2) and the regular-season finale against No. 16 Louisville (Mar. 9).
The Cavaliers will have another quick turnaround, traveling to Blacksburg for a Big-Monday showdown at 7 p.m. against No. 22 Virginia Tech before a Noon matchup at Louisville next Saturday.
