Virginia Tech @ Notre Dame preview

Last Meeting ( Jan 1, 2019 ) Notre Dame 66, Virginia Tech 81

Virginia Tech looks to keep its place in the crowded top half of the ACC standings as it visits Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. The 18th-ranked Hokies are coming off a loss against No. 3 Virginia and have No. 1 Duke on deck, while the Fighting Irish might have hit the lowest point of their season in a loss to Wake Forest earlier in the week.

Virginia Tech had only itself to blame after losing its rivalry game to the Cavaliers as the Hokies were unable to get enough open looks to fall. "Tonight just wasn't our night as a team shooting," senior guard Ahmed Hill told reporters after the game as him and his teammates shot 39.7 percent from the field and 10.7 percent from long range. Virginia Tech will be hoping to replicate the efficiency it displayed on Jan. 1 when the Hokies began conference play by shooting 60 percent from the floor and 61.1 percent from the 3-point line in an 81-66 win over the Irish. There hasn’t been much for Notre Dame fans to be excited about since that game in Blacksburg, Va., especially after losing at home to Wake Forest 75-68 as an 11.5-point favorite on Tuesday.

TV: 4 p.m. ET, ESPN

ABOUT VIRGINIA TECH (20-6, 9-5 ACC): Kerry Blackshear Jr. was one of the only Hokies who found his shot on Monday as he scored 23 on 10-of-14 shooting while adding 13 rebounds. Hill scored 16 on 6-of-17 shooting but was just 1-of-9 behind the arc, while leading-scorer Nickeil Alexander-Walker (16.7 points) connected on just four of his 14 field-goal attempts. The Hokies were without starting point guard Justin Robinson, the ACC leader in assists per game at 5.5, for a sixth straight game as he recovers from an injured foot; the 6-2 senior isn’t expected back against Notre Dame.

ABOUT NOTRE DAME (13-13, 3-10): The Fighting Irish actually led after the first half but just couldn’t finish as the Demon Deacons used a 9-2 run late in the game to pull away. T.J. Gibbs scored a team-high 23 points on 8-of-12 shooting, the third game in a row he has led the Irish in scoring, but managed just six in the second half. Freshman point guard Prentiss Hubb dished out a season-high nine assists, but fellow first-year players Nate Laszewski and Dane Goodwin combined for just three points.

TIP-INS

1. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 8-3, but Virginia Tech won at home against Notre Dame earlier this season and won in South Bend, Ind., last season.

2. Alexander-Walker is second in the ACC with 2.1 steals per game.

3. Fighting Irish F John Mooney is the only player in the ACC averaging a double-double this season (14.1 points, 10.9 rebounds).

PREDICTION: Virginia Tech 70, Notre Dame 64