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Notre Dame Basketball: 3 Things We Learned in the Loss to Virginia
Notre Dame basketball fell to 1-4 against ranked opponents and suffered their second ACC defeat of the season against Virginia.
| 1 | 2 | T | |
| Fighting Irish | 26 | 28 | 54 |
| Cavaliers | 27 | 44 | 71 |
In a game Notre Dame had everything they needed to win, the Irish proved that Virginia’s defense could stop a high powered offense. For a team who’s been known to hang with the best of them this season, the Irish couldn’t find any momentum against the Cavalier’s defense.
In their lost scoring game of the season, Notre Dame could do nothing right. Finding themselves relying on two players to carry them over the 12th ranked team in the country.
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It seemed like the Irish couldn’t get comfortable right out of the gate. With only two players scoring double-digit points, Notre Dame had no help against a team they couldn’t out defend.
As a result, the Irish suffered their second ACC loss of the season. Dropping to 6-2 in the conference, Notre Dame will fall half a game back from first in the ACC. Behind Florida State, North Carolina, and Virginia, getting back to the top will be a struggle for the Irish.
There aren’t many positive takeaways from this one. When you finish a game with 54 points and shoot 41.7% from the field, you aren’t having much success on the court. Moving forward, this game will be looked at as a learning experience for a team who needs to start beating with the top teams in the country.
Notre Dame Needs to be a Threat From Deep
Notre Dame shot 16.7% from three against the Cavaliers. For a team who lives and dies with their backcourt, having an off night from deep makes or breaks the Irish.
There have been nights when V.J. Beachem has been off, but when everyone isn’t shooting well, you can’t expect to compete. When you go 3-18 from outside, your off shooting night begins to cost you the game.
Virginia needed to make Notre Dame feel uncomfortable to win this matchup. The Irish’s high-powered offense was a significant threat for a team who relies entirely on their defense to win games. But as soon as they succeeded in making Notre Dame shoot bad shots, they won the game.
The Irish cannot come back and shoot this poorly again. No matter how great the opposing defense is, having a game with a shooting percentage that low from three-point range is costly. In the best conference in college basketball, shooting 16% from outside is basically handing your opponent the victory.
Bonzie Colson Could be Shut Down
Bonzie Colson may have led the Irish in points with 20, but he had an awful night on the boards. For a player who’s proven himself time and time again, this game was a fluke. Finishing with just three rebounds and allowing Virginia to out rebound you 38-22 is embarrassing for a player of Colson’s caliber.
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You can’t expect this to become a regular thing. Colson has competed with the best big men in the country and has come out on top more times than not. Virginia did get the best of him in this game, but as part of a team who couldn’t do anything right, you can say this came with the poor play of the team.
Colson will come back strong. No Notre Dame fan should worry about him getting into a slump on the boards. At 6’5, this forward is on a mission, and one bad performance isn’t going to change that. It is appealing for the rest of the conference to see that Colson can be slowed, though.
Notre Dame NEEDS a Top 25 Victory
At 1-4 against ranked teams, Notre Dame is nothing more than a team on the outside looking in. Without being able to beat some of the best teams in the country, the Irish will never be considered one of the top-tier squads.
They have plenty of chances to bounce back, and they will get more than one ranked win. But right now, their confidence has to be low and the speculations are already beginning to fly. For Notre Dame not to be known as an overhyped team, they need to finish a game against a top 25 school.
Their next chance is against Duke on January 30. The Blue Devils don’t have nearly as strong a defense as Virginia does, which in essence should help Notre Dame. When the Irish find success through their backcourt, they tend to control games.
Duke isn’t a team to relax on. Notre Dame desperately needs another win in the top 25. If it isn’t Duke, then the Irish could start to fall off the radar until they start to beat quality teams.
